Medford, MA Swimming Pools & Spas: Pool Permits (2026)

Medford's building code, Chapter 10 of the Revised Ordinances, treats a swimming pool as a structure requiring the same building permit process as any new construction. Section 10-35 sends applicants to the Appendix A fee schedule, where the general building permit fee is $15.00 per $1,000.00 of estimated construction cost plus a $35.00 application fee, calculated on the cost of installing the pool. Section 10-67(c) then requires that electrical permit applications for siding and pools be submitted simultaneously with building permit applications, meaning a homeowner cannot wait until construction is underway to add the electrical permit for pool bonding and equipment.

That electrical permit carries its own flat fee in Appendix A: $75.00 for an inground pool and $50.00 for an above-ground, portable unit. Once installed, the accessory structure standards in Section 94-4.3.2 require the pool itself to sit back at least six feet from the rear and side lot lines, measured from the water's edge, and require any pump equipment to sit back at least 12 feet from those same lot lines. The building commissioner reviews and issues both permits, and Section 10-67(a) adds that electrical work performed without notifying the superintendent of wires is subject to a separate $20.00 fine.

Starting pool construction without a building permit quadruples the normal permit fee under Appendix A's building fee schedule, a penalty that applies equally to pool work begun before permits are pulled.