Stanislaus County, CA Swimming Pools & Spas: Pool Permits (2026)

065, titled simply 'Swimming Pools,' is Stanislaus County's zoning-level rule for any private pool located in unincorporated territory, regardless of zoning district. It layers development standards on top of whatever building permit process applies: pools may not sit closer than three feet to a side or rear property line, and a pool can be no closer to the street than the minimum front-yard or street-side-yard setback that already applies to the lot; distances from other structures instead follow the Uniform Building Code. Lot coverage rules exempt the pool itself from the maximum building coverage calculation, so a pool doesn't count against how much of the lot a house and garage can occupy.

Filter and heating equipment gets a narrower carve-out: it may encroach into a side or rear yard as long as a clear two-foot passageway remains past the equipment, with clearances from the house, doors, and windows set by the current building code and the manufacturer's own installation instructions. The permit link comes in subsection E: whenever a construction permit is issued for a new residential pool at a single-family home, the county requires it to carry the safety features mandated by the California Health and Safety Code, including any amendments enacted after the ordinance itself. 065 setback and equipment standards, and again against the state safety-feature law referenced in the same subsection.