New Rochelle, NY Swimming Pools & Spas: Pool Permits (2026)

Zoning Code § 331-17 governs every permanent, portable or movable swimming pool in the city. Subsection A caps an aboveground pool at 48 inches, measured from the mean ground level at the base to the rim, and requires an evergreen screen around the exposed sides that starts at least as tall as the exposed pool at installation and stays at least 48 inches high, enough to screen the pool from neighboring properties and the street; the pool enclosure itself has to meet Appendix G of the Residential Code of the State of New York.

An in-ground pool, where the rim sits flush with the ground or an on-ground deck, needs a four-foot fence compliant with the same Appendix G, plus the same 48-inch evergreen screen outside the fence, unless an existing perimeter fence already screens the pool area. Subsection D sets a flat 20-foot setback from every lot line for all pools. Subsection F puts the burden on the applicant to satisfy the Building Official that the pool meets every other applicable code before it goes in, which functions as the permit review step for a project that is not otherwise part of a site plan.

Subsection I then carves out the one permit shortcut in the section: if a lake or pond that meets the swimming pool definition is already reviewed as part of a site plan or special permit application, that review substitutes for a separate pool permit under § 331-17.