Hempstead, NY Swimming Pools & Spas: Pool Permits (2026)

Chapter 134, adopted by Local Law No. 4-1965, defines and controls every portable swimming pool in the Town of Hempstead. Section 134-1 draws the regulatory line at a body of water "greater than 18 inches in depth and having a plane surface area larger than 99 square feet," whether aboveground, collapsible, or permanently erected, used by the owner's household and guests without a fee. A pool that meets that definition falls under Section 134-2's requisites for assembly and maintenance: it must be located in the rear yard of the premises, and it must be secured by one of three approved methods when unattended, a locking cover rated to hold at least 60 pounds above the waterline, five-foot fencing with a self-closing, snap-locking gate approved by the Building Department, or six-foot pool sides reached only by a removable or retractable ladder that is locked away or raised when no adult is present.

The Building Department administers and enforces Chapter 134 under the direction of the Town Board per Section 134-3, which is where an owner installing a pool applies for the sign-off referenced in Section 134-2. The chapter's scope is Town-wide outside incorporated villages, consistent with the general jurisdiction split that runs through Hempstead's public-safety chapters, so a pool inside the Village of Hempstead, Freeport, Garden City or another incorporated village is governed by that village's own code, not this chapter.