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

The fee table in Olympia Municipal Code § 4.36.010 lists swimming pools under the heading Plumbing Permit Fees. In the City of Olympia, Washington, each in-ground swimming pool or spa carries a permit fee of $145.99, and each above ground swimming pool over 5000 gallons carries $72.99. The schedule prints no separate pool line for an above ground pool of 5000 gallons or less. Subsection C requires an applicant to pay the fee for each permit using the current fee schedule, and subsection B says a permit is not valid until the fees prescribed by law have been paid. An amendment to a permit cannot be released until any additional fee is paid.

Plan review is a separate charge. Under subsection D, when submittal documents are required, the applicant pays the plan review fee at the time of submitting them, in addition to the permit fee, and the balance owing is paid at permit issuance. Incomplete or changed submittals trigger an additional plan review fee. The schedule prints additional plan review at $204.38 with a minimum charge of one-half hour, and reinspection is also $204.38. The schedule footnotes those hourly figures as the total hourly cost to the jurisdiction, whichever is greatest.

Pool installation standards come from OMC § 16.04.020, which adopts the current State adopted edition of the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code for regulating the installation of pools and spas, including the ANSI/APSP/ICC-7 Standards for Suction Entrapment Avoidance. The fee table footnote adds that all pools over 24 inches in depth require approved fencing, and that rule has its own page.

Fees can come back in part. Under subsection G, the building official can authorize a refund of up to 80 percent of the permit fee paid when no work has been done under the permit, and 100 percent of any fee erroneously paid or collected. The original permittee must apply in writing no later than 180 days after the date of fee payment.