El Dorado County, CA Swimming Pools & Spas: Pool Permits (2026)
Swimming pool permit rules in El Dorado County, CA, also covering above-ground pools, in-ground pools, and spa installations, set fencing, barrier, alarm, and inspection requirements.
Key Facts
- New pool permit standard
- Health & Safety Code § 115928
- Remodel permit standard
- suction outlet upgrade, § 115928.5
- Governing section
- El Dorado County Code § 110.16.140(B)
- Existing pool trigger
- permitted remodel over $20,000 on property
- Enforcing agency
- Building Safety Division
Summary
El Dorado County ties every new swimming pool or spa permit to state anti-entrapment standards, and any remodel permit on an existing pool must upgrade the suction outlet to match. The requirement is built into the local building code, not left to the state statute alone.
Whenever a building permit is issued for the construction of a new swimming pool or spa, the pool or spa shall meet all of the requirements of Health and Safety Code § 115928. Whenever a building permit is issued for the remodel or modification of an existing swimming pool, toddler pool, or spa, the permit shall require that the suction outlet of the existing swimming pool, toddler pool, or spa be upgraded to comply with the requirements of Health and Safety Code § 115928.5.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 13 Update 4).
Full Breakdown
5 to add that whenever a building permit is issued for construction of a new swimming pool or spa, the pool or spa must meet all of the requirements of Health and Safety Code Section 115928, California's anti-entrapment and safety-feature statute for public and private pools. 5. Because these obligations are written into the permit itself, the Building Safety Division checks compliance with the anti-entrapment drain and suction outlet standards as part of plan review and before signing off on the pool permit, not as a separate afterthought.
00 in value and needs a building permit, the pool must meet applicable Health and Safety Code requirements before that permit receives final inspection approval, and the most restrictive of the applicable codes controls whenever they conflict.
Violations & Fines
A new pool or spa permit will not clear final inspection if the pool lacks the Health and Safety Code Section 115928 anti-entrapment features, and a remodel permit on an existing pool will not clear if the suction outlet has not been upgraded per Section 115928.5. Work performed without the required permit or in violation of these conditions is subject to the misdemeanor penalty in Section 110.16.020(C): up to $1,000.00 and six months in jail, or an infraction of up to $500.00 at the Building Official's or District Attorney's discretion.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does El Dorado County require when I permit a new pool?
Do I need to upgrade an old pool's drain to get a remodel permit?
Can an unrelated home addition force pool upgrades?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in El Dorado County
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