South Bend, IN Swimming Pools & Spas: Pool Permits (2026)
Swimming pool permit rules in South Bend, IN, also covering above-ground pools, in-ground pools, and spa installations, set fencing, barrier, alarm, and inspection requirements.
Key Facts
- Cutoff date
- September 13, 1989
- Pools installed after cutoff
- governed by Indiana Swimming Pool Code, 675 IAC 20
- Pools installed before cutoff
- governed by city Art. 3, §§ 14-12 to 14-14
- Required barrier height
- 48 inches on all sides
- Violation fine
- $25.00 per day
- State code adopted by
- South Bend Municipal Code § 6-5(a)(7)
Summary
Any residential swimming pool installed in South Bend on or after September 13, 1989, must be permitted and built under the state-adopted Indiana Swimming Pool Code, not the city's older 1991 pool ordinance. Pools installed before that date remain governed by the city's own safety article, including a required 48-inch barrier and locked ladder.
(b)Residential swimming pools which were or are installed or for which permits were or are obtained on or after September 13, 1989, are governed by the provisions of the Indiana Swimming Pool Code (675 IAC 20) adopted by section 6-5 of the South Bend Municipal Code. The definition of residential swimming pool contained in the Indiana Swimming Pool Code is different and covers a broader range of swimming pools than the definition in section 14-12.1, below.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 65).
Full Breakdown
Section 14-12 of the South Bend Municipal Code splits pool regulation by installation date. Subsection (a) applies the city's own residential-pool article only to pools installed, or for which a permit was obtained, before September 13, 1989. Subsection (b) is the rule that governs virtually every pool built today: pools installed, or permitted, on or after September 13, 1989 are governed by the provisions of the Indiana Swimming Pool Code (675 IAC 20), adopted by Section 6-5 of the South Bend Municipal Code as Article 20 of Title 675 of the Indiana Administrative Code.
1 definition. Subsection (c) requires that any addition or alteration made on or after September 13, 1989, to a pool or its surrounding fence installed before that date, must still be brought into conformance with the Indiana Swimming Pool Code, though routine repair or maintenance is excluded. 1 requires compliance with the article's safety standards, and Section 14-13 mandates a safety ladder that stays locked when the pool is not in use, removal of removable steps when not in use, and a barrier at least 48 inches high on all sides, with an above-ground pool's own wall counting as that barrier.
Violations & Fines
Using or maintaining a residential pool that fails Section 14-13's safety standards, no locked ladder, no removable steps taken up, or no 48-inch barrier, is a violation of Article 3 subject to a $25 ordinance violation under Section 14-14, with each day of noncompliance counted as a separate offense. Pools covered by the newer Indiana Swimming Pool Code are instead permitted and enforced through the Building Department under Section 6-5.
Frequently Asked Questions
What code governs a new pool permit in South Bend?
Does South Bend require a fence around a pool?
What's the penalty for an unsafe pool in South Bend?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in South Bend
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