Iron County, UT Swimming Pools & Spas: Pool Permits (2026)

Before digging or installing a residential pool in unincorporated Iron County, the owner, an agent, or the contractor must file a written application with the county building inspector and obtain a formal permit under Section 15.04.010; the only exception in that section covers repairs or improvements valued under five hundred dollars, which will not cover new pool construction. The application must be accompanied by a plot plan showing the pool's dimensions and its distance from the front, side, and rear lot lines, because the county needs that information to confirm the setback rule in Section 17.36.020(G)(2): underground structures such as swimming pools may sit inside a required yard, but never closer than fifteen feet to any property line.

That fifteen-foot standard is written specifically for underground pools; the code does not spell out a separate distance rule for above-ground pools, so the underground-structure setback is the only pool-specific yard rule in the zoning ordinance. Planning and Zoning staff and the county building inspector enforce these standards in unincorporated Iron County; Cedar City, Enoch, Parowan, Brian Head, Kanarraville, and Paragonah each administer pool permits under their own municipal codes, so a pool built inside any of those towns is not covered by this county rule.

Anyone unsure whether a lot sits in the unincorporated county or inside a municipal boundary should confirm with the Iron County Planning and Zoning Department before applying, since the permit process and the fifteen-foot setback apply only outside those six incorporated limits.