Santa Fe, NM Swimming Pools & Spas: Pool Permits (2026)

Santa Fe treats an in-ground or above-ground residential pool as a plumbing and building-permit item governed by Chapter VII, Building and Housing, of the Santa Fe City Code (SFCC 1987). Section 7-1.1(A)(11) adopts by reference the 2012 New Mexico Swimming Pool, Spa, and Hot Tub Code, administered under NMAC 14.8.3, which adopts and amends the Uniform Swimming Pool, Spa, and Hot Tub Code. That state code becomes part of the city's own building-code chapter, so no pool, spa, or hot tub can be installed within the city's planning and platting jurisdiction without the permit required by Section 7-1.5.

The city's fee schedule, Table 7-1.11-1 under Section 7-1.11, lists a $50.00 charge for "Each Swimming Pool" permit within the plumbing permit fee section, on top of the $50.00 issuance fee charged for every commercial or residential plumbing/gas permit and the $40.00 administrative fee applied to building permits generally. Section 7-1.3 requires the schedule to be posted at the Planning and Land Use Department and paid in full before the permit issues. Once granted, a residential pool permit expires one year from issuance and a commercial pool permit expires two years, under Section 7-1.6, unless the governing body suspends that clock by resolution during a broad economic downturn.

Outdoor pools are separately required to be covered when not in use under the city's water-conservation rules, but the permit itself is issued and enforced through Chapter VII's building-code process, with violations referred under Section 7-1.1(B) to Sections 1-3 and 14-11 SFCC 1987.