Porter County, IN Swimming Pools & Spas: Pool Permits (2026)

Porter County's Unified Development Ordinance, effective June 15, 2007 and administered by the Plan Commission Office, treats a backyard pool as an accessory structure. Sec. 04 AS-01, the Accessory Structure Standards, states in subsection E that swimming pools are subject to both the Unified Development Ordinance and the Indiana Administrative Code (675 IAC 20, the state's Swimming Pool Code), so a homeowner cannot rely on the state pool code alone. Because a pool is an accessory structure, it is also governed by the UDO's general Sec.

11 Improvement Location Permit rule, which bars placing, erecting or altering any structure on platted or unplatted land in the county unless the structure and its location conform to the UDO and an Improvement Location Permit has first been issued. Sec. 11(D)(1) ties the two permits together for construction that needs a Building Permit, requiring the Improvement Location Permit application to be filed before or at the same time as the Building Permit application. In practice, a Porter County homeowner installing an in-ground or fixed pool must clear the zoning compliance review that produces the Improvement Location Permit before the county's Building Department will issue the Building Permit authorizing construction.

Because AS-01 also governs placement, an accessory structure such as a pool cannot be sited in the front yard of a lot or between the primary structure and a right-of-way. This is a 2007-era ordinance; a homeowner should confirm current permit fees and any amendments with the Plan Commission Office before applying.