Maple Grove, MN Swimming Pools & Spas: Safety Rules (2026)

Maple Grove's Residential Swimming Pools and Hot Tubs handout lists detailed safety and design rules drawn from the 2020 Minnesota State Building Code and city ordinance. Pools must be structurally engineered to withstand the expected forces they will be subjected to. A pool deck not less than 48 inches wide must extend entirely around an in-ground pool, though no deck is required for above-ground pools. Handholds must be provided no more than nine inches above the water line and must extend around the entire periphery of the pool. Main outlets must be located to provide at least one outlet at the deepest point (multiple outlets, spaced no more than 20 feet apart, are required when the pool is wider than 20 feet), and all main outlets must have gratings with openings at least four times the cross-sectional area of the outlet pipe, designed so bathers cannot readily remove them or injure their fingers. Fill spouts must be at least six inches above the upper rim of the pool. Pool decks must be designed so no splash or overflow water returns to the pool. Any equipment that generates noise must be located in the rear yard, and lights illuminating an outdoor pool must be arranged and shaded to reflect light away from adjoining premises. Private residential pools follow these city and state-building-code rules rather than the public-pool standards of Minnesota Rules Chapter 4717.