Spalding County, GA Swimming Pools & Spas: Pool Permits (2026)

Spalding County's construction codes chapter, adopted by Ordinance No. 2025-77 on July 7, 2025, treats a swimming pool as a structure subject to the county's building permit system. Under Code § 8-1006(1)(a), any owner, authorized agent, or contractor who wants to construct a structure, including an in-ground or hard-sided above-ground pool, must first apply to the Department of Community Development and obtain a permit before work begins. The application must show compliance with the adopted Georgia State Minimum Standard Codes, which include the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code under § 8-1001(1)(i).

The department has forty-five days under § 8-1006(4)(a) to act on a completed application, and a permit becomes void if work is not started within six months or is suspended for six months, under § 8-1006(6)(a). Section 8-1006(1)(d)(A)(9) carves out one narrow exemption: a prefabricated pool accessory to a one- or two-family dwelling that does not exceed twenty-four inches in depth and holds no more than five thousand gallons needs no permit at all. Everything above that size, including nearly every permanent in-ground pool and larger above-ground models, falls back under the general permit requirement.

Before the footer or foundation work is approved, the owner or a licensed surveyor must submit a box-check survey confirming the pool's form boards meet the setback lines in Appendix IV, per § 8-1006(8)(e). The building officer or the Department of Community Development inspects the work at each successive stage and will not issue a written release to continue construction, or a certificate of completion, until each required inspection has passed.