San Rafael, CA Swimming Pools & Spas: Pool Permits (2026)

010 sets the baseline: any owner or authorized agent who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move or demolish a structure, or to install plumbing or electrical work regulated by the code, must first apply to the building official and obtain a permit. A residential swimming pool falls under that general rule. 020(i), which exempts only prefabricated swimming pools accessory to a single-family or two-family (Group R-3) home that are less than 24 inches deep, hold 5,000 gallons or less, and are installed entirely above ground; anything deeper, larger, or in-ground still needs a permit.

030 requires a written application describing the work and the parcel, stating the intended use, attaching construction documents, and giving the valuation of the work; the building official must act on it within a reasonable time and reject in writing anything that does not conform. An application goes stale, and is deemed abandoned, 180 days after filing unless pursued in good faith or extended once for up to another 180 days. 050, with the building official able to grant one or more extensions of up to 24 months each on written request showing justifiable cause; permits can be renewed three times before a brand-new application is required.

040 makes clear a permit is not a shield: issuance never authorizes work that violates the code, and the building official can still require corrections or block occupancy of a noncompliant pool. 060 lets the building official suspend or revoke a pool permit outright if the code is violated or if the permit was issued on inaccurate or incomplete information. A pool permit is separate from the pool's enclosure and safety-barrier requirements, which San Rafael addresses in its own chapter of the code.