Swimming pool permit rules in Henrico County, VA — also covering above-ground pools, in-ground pools, and spa installations — set fencing, barrier, alarm, and inspection requirements.
Because Henrico County governs its entire territory (no towns), any residential swimming pool, spa, or hot tub built here needs a Henrico Building Inspections permit. Pools are regulated construction under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (USBC), which Henrico administers countywide.
Henrico County is one of two Virginia counties with a special charter and has no incorporated municipalities, so the County itself issues all building permits for the roughly 330,000 residents in Short Pump, Glen Allen, Tuckahoe, Sandston, Varina and the rest of the county. A permanent in-ground or above-ground pool that holds water more than 24 inches deep is a structure under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (Va. Code Title 36, Chapter 6), which Henrico's Building Inspections and Permit Center enforces. Applicants submit a plot plan showing the pool location, required barrier, setbacks and any electrical work; Henrico's zoning also requires the pool be set at least ten feet from all lot lines. Electrical bonding and final safety-barrier inspections
Building or filling a pool without the required USBC permit and inspections can trigger a stop-work order, a notice of violation, and civil penalties under the Uniform Statewide Building Code, plus a requirement to obtain permits retroactively and pass safety-barrier
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