Grays Harbor County, WA Swimming Pools & Spas: Pool Permits (2026)

Grays Harbor County's amended International Building Code, § 15.04.020(K), lists work exempt from the county's building permit requirement, and item (9) of that list exempts prefabricated swimming pools accessory to a Group R-3 occupancy, meaning a house or duplex, that are less than 24 inches deep, hold no more than 5,000 gallons, and are installed entirely above ground. Everything outside that description, an in-ground pool of any size, a deeper above-ground pool, or a bigger above-ground pool, falls back under the general permit requirement in amended IBC § 105.1 (§ 15.04.020(I)), meaning the owner must apply to the building official before construction begins.

A parallel exemption in the county's amended International Residential Code exempts prefabricated pools under 24 inches deep without the 5,000-gallon or above-ground conditions attached, for the same kind of one- and two-family home site. A permitted pool must still meet the building setback requirements of Title 17 zoning and the critical area protections of Title 18 where a wetland or shoreline buffer applies, since those requirements are not waived by the permit exemption itself. Submittals for a permitted pool follow the same two-set construction document, special-inspection, and geotechnical report rule the county applies to other building permits under amended § 107.1.