Greenwood County, SC Swimming Pools & Spas: Pool Permits (2026)

Greenwood County adopted the Standard Swimming Pool Code, latest edition, for all unincorporated areas under Greenwood County Code § 6-1-1(a)(7). Before you dig or install an in-ground or above-ground pool, you must file a permit application and pay the swimming pool permit fee listed on the county's official fee schedule, per § 6-1-2(a); the fee is due at the time you file, not after construction starts. The city and county building official administers the pool code and issues the permit, and the board of planning and zoning appeals functions as the board of adjustments and appeals for disputes arising under it.

Once a permit is issued, siting still matters: in the FA forest agricultural district, § 6-3-49(f)(10) requires a private pool, including its deck, bath house or cabana, to sit in the rear or side yard and no closer than ten feet to the nearest property line, with all pool lighting shielded or directed away from neighboring homes. Violating any provision of the adopted technical codes, including the swimming pool code, carries the § 6-1-1(f) penalty: a fine up to $200.00, imprisonment up to 30 days, or both, with each day of the violation charged as a separate offense.

Because a pool is treated as a structure under county law, an unpermitted, deteriorating or abandoned pool enclosure can also be pursued under the county's unsafe structures provisions if it becomes a hazard. Homeowners planning a pool should submit plans early: the ten-foot setback and yard placement rule applies before excavation, and the building official's approval of the completed installation is required before the pool can be used.