Pitt County, NC Swimming Pools & Spas: Pool Permits (2026)

Searches for a general county swimming-pool building permit come up empty: Section 14 of the Building Codes Enforcement Ordinance, which lists work requiring a permit (construction of buildings, plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling systems, mobile home setup, and signs) does not name pools, and Pitt County's Zoning Ordinance Table of Permitted Uses (Section 5-1) lists a swimming pool as a Z, permitted by right as an accessory use, in every zoning district (RA, RR, R40, SR, MFR, RC, OI, GC, HC, LI, and GI) with no special use permit or additional development standard cross-referenced.

Where a pool does trigger a specific written permit is inside a Special Flood Hazard Area. Section 15(B)(1) of the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance requires the Floodplain Development Permit application to include a complete description of the development, and lists "pool" alongside house, garage, septic, bulkhead, cabana, pier, bridge, and grading or excavation work as an example. Because pools also fall within the "Development Activity" defined in Section 5 of that ordinance, any pool sited within the mapped floodplain must go through the Floodplain Administrator, in the Planning Director's office, with a plot plan, elevation data, and any required floodproofing certification before construction starts, the same process used for a house or garage in the same area. A pool outside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area is not subject to this permit.