Amador County, CA Swimming Pools & Spas: Safety Rules (2026)

Amador County applies the statewide California Swimming Pool Safety Act rather than a local pool-safety ordinance. Under Health & Safety Code 115922, a building permit for a new or remodeled residential pool/spa triggers a requirement for at least two of seven approved drowning-prevention features. Two cannot be paired together: an exit alarm and a self-closing device may not both be used on the same door, and a safety cover may not be combined with an in-water alarm. Where a self-closing, self-latching door device is used to separate the home from the pool, the release mechanism must be placed no lower than 54 inches above the floor so it is out of young children's reach. Health & Safety Code 115928 governs entrapment protection: new pools must have suction outlets covered with anti-entrapment grates meeting ANSI/APSP-16, and either dual suction outlets separated by at least three feet or an approved alternative (such as skimmers or an overflow system). The County Building Division reviews these features at plan check and confirms them at final inspection. For PUBLIC pools and spas, Amador County Environmental Health adds operational record-keeping (Title 22 water-quality logs) and anti-entrapment filings, but those rules do not apply to private single-family pools.