Parma, OH Swimming Pools & Spas: Pool Permits (2026)
Swimming pool permit rules in Parma, OH, also covering above-ground pools, in-ground pools, and spa installations, set fencing, barrier, alarm, and inspection requirements.
Key Facts
- In-ground pool permit fee
- $100.00, no base fee
- Above-ground pool permit fee
- $40.00, no base fee
- Setback (40-ft lot)
- 3 feet from property line
- Setback (60-ft+ lot)
- 10 feet from property line
- Required fence height
- 3.5 feet, Building Commissioner-approved
- Small seasonal pool exemption
- 6 ft diameter, 1 ft deep or less
- Enforcing official
- Building Commissioner
Summary
Parma requires a building permit before installing any residential swimming pool: $100.00 for an in-ground pool, $40.00 for an above-ground pool, under Codified Ordinances 185.04(e)(3). Codified Ordinances 660.16 layers on construction standards the Building Commissioner enforces, including lot-line setbacks tied to frontage width, a locked fence or dense shrubbery barrier, and a required drain connection.
The owner of any property containing less than one-half acre, upon which there is located a swimming pool, fish pond or other similar structure containing water over eighteen inches in depth in any portion thereof, shall install such swimming pool, fish pond or other structure in accordance with the following distances from the property lines of the lot on which it is located: (1) On lots with a forty-foot frontage, not less than three feet; (2) On lots with a fifty-foot frontage, not less than five feet; and (3) On lots with a sixty-foot or more frontage, not less than ten feet. The owner shall protect such swimming pool, fish pond or other similar structure by completely surrounding it with either shrubbery of sufficient density to prevent ingress and egress, or a fence approved by the Building Commissioner, at least three and one-half feet high. Any gate entrance to a required fence shall be kept locked with a suitable lock at all times when the pool, pond or other similar structure is not protected by the presence of a responsible adult person.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-30: Local legislation current to August 3, 2026 | State legislation current to June 25, 2025).
Full Breakdown
00 for an above-ground pool, with no additional base fee, and the fee doesn't cover separate permits for heavy-load work or yard grading tied to the installation. 16(a) governs any property under one-half acre with a pool, fish pond or similar structure holding water more than eighteen inches deep: it must sit back from the property line by three feet on a forty-foot-wide lot, five feet on a fifty-foot lot, and ten feet on a lot sixty feet wide or more. The owner must then enclose the pool with shrubbery dense enough to block entry, or with a fence the Building Commissioner approves that stands at least three and one-half feet tall, and any gate in that fence has to stay locked whenever a responsible adult isn't present.
Subsection (b) exempts an above-ground pool whose wall already stands three and one-half feet or higher. Ladders on above-ground pools must be removed or blocked off when the pool is unsupervised. Subsection (c) requires the structure to drain through a line at least six inches below its top edge into the storm sewer system, and subsection (e) separately requires every pool owner, in-ground or above-ground, to drain the water to the nearest sewer line, with portable pools drained or securely covered when not in use.
Small, manually erected seasonal pools no more than six feet in diameter and one foot deep are exempt from the setback and fencing rules under subsection (d), though they still can't sit within three feet of a rear or side lot line without written consent from every property owner within a ten-foot radius.
Violations & Fines
Codified Ordinances 660.16(e) lets the Building Commissioner investigate any complaint that a pool isn't draining to the sewer as required and issue a written reprimand and warning to the owner. A pool built without meeting the setback, fence, or locked-gate standards in 660.16(a) can be ordered brought into compliance before the Building Commissioner signs off, and building without first obtaining the $100.00 or $40.00 permit under 185.04(e)(3) leaves the installation unauthorized regardless of how it's fenced.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a Parma swimming pool permit cost?
How far from my property line can I put a pool in Parma?
Do I need a fence around my above-ground pool?
Are small kiddie pools exempt from Parma's pool rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Parma
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