Pierce County, WA Swimming Pools & Spas: Pool Permits (2026)

Chapter 17C.75 PCC adopts the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, as amended by the State Building Code Council and included in WAC Title 51, as the governing swimming pool code for unincorporated Pierce County (PCC 17C.75.010). Under PCC 17C.75.020, wherever the adopted code refers to the "code official," that authority belongs to the Pierce County Building Official, who reviews plans and inspects the completed pool before it can be used.

Permit fees are set out in Table 17C.10-1-B under PCC 17C.10.070. An aboveground pool costing less than $500 to build carries a $58.00 permit fee in 2026 ($63.00 in 2027); an aboveground pool costing more than $500 carries a $115.00 fee ($127.00 in 2027); and an in-ground pool carries a $230.00 fee ($253.00 in 2027). The Building Official sets the "total valuation" used to calculate permit fees under PCC 17C.10.070.A, guided by the International Code Council's Building Valuation Data table.

Because pool construction is folded into the county's general construction-code enforcement scheme, violations carry the same consequences as any other unpermitted building work. PCC 17C.10.050 makes it unlawful, and a misdemeanor, to construct or alter a structure in violation of the adopted codes, punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, up to 90 days in jail, or both, with each day of a continuing violation counted as a separate offense. The Building Official can also record a Certificate of Noncompliance against the property. A person aggrieved by a Building Official decision has 14 days to file a written appeal under PCC 17C.10.060, with further appeal available to the Pierce County Hearing Examiner under Chapter 1.22 PCC.