Lafayette, IN Swimming Pools & Spas: Pool Permits (2026)

Anyone building an in-ground or permanently installed pool in the City of Lafayette must first get an improvement location permit from the City Engineer's office under Section 13.01.060(A)(1); the rule covers any building, billboard, sign or other structure, and a permanently installed pool counts. The application goes to the City Engineer on the city's form, and plans must include a plot plan showing the lot, easement lines, existing structures, the proposed pool, and setbacks, per Section 13.01.060(E). No local permit can be issued until the State Building Commissioner has released the plans back to the City Engineer, since Lafayette adopts the Indiana Swimming Pool Code, 675 IAC Article 20, along with the rest of the state Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission's rules, at Section 13.01.050(A)(7).

Once issued, the permit is void if pool construction has not begun within 120 days, or if work is suspended for 120 days after starting; total construction cannot exceed 12 months without a written extension from the City Engineer's office, under Section 13.01.060(K). An applicant can appeal a permit decision to the Board of Public Works and Safety under Section 13.01.060(G). Building a pool before securing the permit triggers a mandatory special investigation under Section 13.01.140; the investigation fee equals the permit fee for a first offense and the permit fee plus $1,000.00 for a second or later offense within five years. Unpaid fines on any prior Chapter 13.01 violation also block issuance of a new improvement location permit under Section 13.01.060(L).