Murfreesboro, TN Swimming Pools & Spas: Pool Permits (2026)
Swimming pool permit rules in Murfreesboro, TN, also covering above-ground pools, in-ground pools, and spa installations, set fencing, barrier, alarm, and inspection requirements.
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 7-13.1(J) to (L)
- Code adopted
- 2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code
- Alarm sound level
- At least fifty decibels
- Alarm trigger weight
- Person or object of fifteen pounds or more
- Pool depth covered
- Water over thirty-six inches deep
- Alarm rule start date
- January 1, 2011
- Permit fees
- Set by the City Council
Summary
Murfreesboro will not issue a building permit to build or substantially alter a swimming pool at a one-family home unless the plans call for a functioning pool alarm that sounds at fifty decibels or more. The Chief Building Official enforces this under City Code § 7-13.1, and the electrical inspector withholds final wiring approval until the alarm is installed.
Pool alarm means a device which emits a sound of at least fifty decibels when a person or an object weighing fifteen pounds or more enters the water in a swimming pool but shall not include swimming protection alarm devices designed for individual use, such as an alarm attached to a child that sounds when the child exceeds a certain distance or becomes submerged in water. Residential dwelling means a one-family dwelling structure. ... "324.4.2 Building Permits; The Chief Building Official shall not issue a building permit for the construction or substantial alteration of a swimming pool located at a residential dwelling unless the project calls for a functioning swimming pool alarm to be installed prior to the completion of the project. In addition, when an electrical inspection is required for the installation of a swimming pool at a residential dwelling, the electrical inspector shall not give final approval for the electrical wiring unless a properly functioning swimming pool alarm has been installed."
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 18 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Murfreesboro adopts the 2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code in City Code § 7-13 and then amends it in § 7-13.1. The permit gate sits in new Section 324.4.2, titled Building Permits. The Chief Building Official shall not issue a building permit for the construction or substantial alteration of a swimming pool located at a residential dwelling unless the project calls for a functioning swimming pool alarm to be installed before the project is complete. Section 324.4 itself requires an alarm on every pool installed or substantially altered at a residential dwelling on or after January 1, 2011.
The definitions in Section 324.4.1 decide who is covered. A residential dwelling is a one-family dwelling structure. A swimming pool is any structure intended for swimming or recreational bathing that holds water over thirty-six inches deep, and the definition expressly reaches in-ground, above ground and on-ground pools, hot tubs and non-portable spas. A pool alarm is a device that emits a sound of at least fifty decibels when a person or an object weighing fifteen pounds or more enters the water. A wearable alert attached to a child does not count.
Public pools, wading pools, special purpose pools, water recreation attractions at hotels, schools, clubs, camps and apartment buildings, and private pools kept by a homeowners' association for its members are outside the alarm definition. Commercial pools are separately regulated under the state Hotel and Public Swimming Pool Inspection Act at T.C.A. § 68-14-301 and following.
The code official can waive construction drawings under Section 107.1 when the work is such that reviewing construction documents is not necessary to obtain compliance. Permit fees are not printed in the code, because Section 109.2 says permit fees shall be set by the City Council, and Section 109.6 requires the Council to adopt a refund policy. The Building and Codes Department administers the code. Flood hazard rules for pools are not in the pool code at all: Section 304 is deleted and sends readers to Section 34 (Floodplain Zoning) of the Murfreesboro Zoning Ordinance.
Violations & Fines
Section 113.4 as amended makes anyone who violates the pool code, or who builds or alters a structure against approved construction documents, the building official's directive or a permit, subject to penalties as prescribed by law. No fine amount is printed in § 7-13.1. A pool built without an alarm cannot clear the permit stage, and the electrical final stays unapproved until a working alarm is installed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get a pool permit in Murfreesboro without an alarm?
Does a hot tub need an alarm?
Does a wristband or child-worn alarm satisfy the rule?
How much is the Murfreesboro pool permit fee?
Who hears an appeal of a pool permit decision?
Sources & Official References
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