Sheboygan, WI Swimming Pools & Spas: Pool Permits (2026)

Section 26-1027 opens Article IX of Chapter 26, which covers swimming pools, whirlpools and spas. The permit trigger is wider than new construction: a pool, whirlpool or spa cannot be constructed, altered, remodeled or improved within the city until a permit is obtained from the city planner or his designee. Section 26-1026 defines the covered structures. A swimming pool is a body of water in an artificial or semiartificial receptacle, indoors or outdoors, used or intended for swimming or diving and having a water capacity of 500 or more cubic feet. Whirlpools and spas are bodies of water in an artificial receptacle located outside, used or intended for bathing or health purposes.

Section 26-1028 lists what the application must include: plans, including a profile, drawn to scale showing all dimensions; the equipment layout of filters, pumps, strainers, sumps, gutters, skimmers, inlets, outlets, waste discharge lines, circulation and other piping; the type, kind and description of the chlorinator; the capacity of the pool; and the proposed location on the tract of land. Section 26-1036 adds that all connections from the swimming pool, spa or whirlpool to the city water supply or sewer system must be approved by the city.

The same article sets construction standards that the plans have to meet. The pool must be completely surrounded by a walkway at least three feet in width sloping away from the pool for drainage (Sec. 26-1029), walls must be vertical with conspicuous depth markings (Sec. 26-1031), and pools under 30 feet in width need at least one outlet at the deepest point sized to empty the pool in eight hours (Sec. 26-1034). The enclosure rule for outdoor pools, whirlpools and spas is in Sec. 26-1030.