Schenectady, NY Swimming Pools & Spas: Pool Permits (2026)

City Code § 232-2 draws the line by depth: a pool with any portion deeper than 24 inches is a "swimming pool," while a permanent pool between 12 and 24 inches deep is a "wading or reflecting pool." Section 232-7 requires a building permit for every aboveground and below-ground swimming pool in the city, along with an electrical permit and a plumbing permit if the installation needs wiring or plumbing work. The permit application must be submitted with a plot plan, drawn to scale or dimensions, showing every building on the lot and the pool's proposed location.

Permit fees follow the general Building Department fee schedule at § 138-21, which the City Council sets by resolution rather than fixing in the code itself; that fee is doubled automatically under § 138-21(D) if the pool work starts before the permit is issued. If installation proceeds without a permit at all, § 138-23(B) adds a separate administrative fee to the tax roll, $500 for a residential property and $1,000 for a commercial one, on top of the doubled permit fee. Once a pool is installed, its water use is billed under the swimming pool water rate set at § 255-75 rather than the standard residential rate.

Pools also trigger separate safety rules outside the permit itself: § 232-5 requires a four-foot self-latching fence around any private swimming pool, and shallower wading or reflecting pools within 15 feet of a street need at least a three-foot fence or railing under § 232-6. Water used to fill or clean a pool must come from a supply protected against cross-connection and backflow (§ 232-3). Administration and enforcement of the whole chapter runs through the Housing Standards enforcement procedure at Chapter 167, Article II.