Macon County, IL Swimming Pools & Spas: Pool Permits (2026)

When a Macon County homeowner wires a residential pool, § 150.09(D) applies the National Electrical Code's Article 680 definitions to decide how the installation is regulated. A permanently installed pool, meaning one built in the ground or with the major portion in the ground, or any pool installed inside a building regardless of depth, is treated as a fixed electrical installation no matter whether it is served by electrical circuits at all. A storable pool, by contrast, is one constructed on or above the ground that holds no more than 42 inches of water, or any pool with nonmetallic, molded polymeric walls or inflatable fabric walls regardless of size; that classification determines which N.E.C. 680 subsection governs the wiring, including whether the pump can simply be cord-connected with a listed 'storable type' rating.

Once the pool has any underwater lighting, § 150.09(D)(2) caps the supply circuit for underwater luminaires at 15 volts between conductors, a hard voltage ceiling regardless of pool type. Filter-pump receptacles carry their own placement rule: § 150.09(D)(3) requires them to sit a minimum of ten feet from the edge of the pool, with branch circuit wiring installed under N.E.C. § 680.21 and any underground wiring run in an approved raceway. Because this is electrical work performed under the county's adopted Electrical Code, it triggers the same permit-before-you-start and inspect-before-you-conceal rules that apply to any other wiring job in unincorporated Macon County, enforced by the Control Authority.