Okaloosa County, FL Swimming Pools & Spas: Pool Permits (2026)

27 of the Florida Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act sets the final-inspection standard Okaloosa County's building department applies to every new residential pool: before a certificate of completion can issue, the pool must have at least one of five listed safety features. 29, the same fencing and gate specification the county already requires for pool permits. The second is an approved safety pool cover. The third is an exit alarm on every door and window giving direct access from the home to the pool, rated at a minimum 85 decibel sound pressure at ten feet.

The fourth is a self-closing, self-latching device on every direct-access door, with the release mechanism mounted no lower than 54 inches above the floor, out of a small child's reach. The fifth is a pool alarm that sounds when it detects an accidental or unauthorized entry into the water, independently certified to ASTM Standard F2208, though the statute is explicit that a wearable child-immersion alarm does not satisfy this option. A builder or owner needs only one of the five, not all five, and combining features is allowed but not required.

31 within 45 days of the citation or arrest, no penalty is imposed, and the education requirement itself is waived if no program is available in that window.