Do I need a permit for a pool in Texas?

When a pool needs a permit.

• El Paso: every pool except one holding under 24 inches of water and under 5,000 gallons
• Corpus Christi: every in-ground pool, with building and electrical permits. An above-ground pool over 5,000 gallons or 24 inches deep
• Lubbock: a pool or spa over 24 inches deep, with a circulation system, or not drained daily
• College Station: a pool or spa deeper than 24 inches
• Sugar Land: installing or changing a pool, even replacing the pool deck, with an HOA approval letter
• New Braunfels and Arlington: pools need a permit. Arlington gives pool barrier fences their own permit line

What the site plan has to show.

Pool site plans ask for more than most. Sugar Land wants the distance from the rear and side lot lines to the back of the pool wall, the distance to any structure, the equipment location, drainage and any utility or aerial easements. New Braunfels wants the barrier and gate, the equipment with its distances to fences and lot lines, and the distance to the house foundation. College Station wants distances to lot lines and structures.

How close to the house and the lot line.

• College Station: the pool's depth must keep a 1:1 ratio from the nearest foundation unless the design is engineered
• Sugar Land: a pool or spa within 5 ft of a structure needs engineer-sealed plans. Pools stay 3 ft from lot lines and out of recorded easements
• New Braunfels: an in-ground pool dug within 10 ft of a foundation needs an engineer's certification

The barrier.

New Braunfels, Corpus Christi, Lubbock and Sugar Land all ask for a barrier at least 48 inches tall. New Braunfels, Lubbock and Sugar Land also spell out self-closing, self-latching gates. New Braunfels also wants alarms on doors and low windows that open into the pool area, and a signed barrier statement with the permit. El Paso adds a 3 ft slip-resistant deck around home pools and spas.

Where DrawPermit fits.

DrawPermit starts from your county's lot lines and draws a dimensioned 11x17 site plan with the house, the pool and the distance to each line, for $49. Add the barrier, equipment and drainage notes your city asks for.

City by city.

• New Braunfels: New Braunfels wants a permit for every fence and wall, and its checklists ask for a scaled site plan showing the footprint, property lines, easements, setbacks, existing structures and new flatwork.
• College Station: College Station wants a permit for decks over 30 inches, every patio cover and carport, pools over 24 inches deep and most sheds over 120 sq ft, each with a dimensioned site plan or survey.
• Corpus Christi: Corpus Christi wants a permit and a site plan for a shed or detached patio cover over 200 sq ft, anything attached to the house, a large or raised deck and a fence over 7 ft, and new accessory buildings also need windstorm paperwork from an engineer.
• Lubbock: Lubbock wants a permit for a shed over 200 sq ft, every carport, most pools and a fence over 7 ft, and a carport site plan must show the property lines and the distance to each one.
• Sugar Land: Sugar Land takes permits online only, needs one for every new shed, new fence and pool, and asks for a plot plan or survey showing property lines, building lines and utility easements.
• El Paso: In El Paso, one small rear-yard shed under 200 sq ft is exempt, but anything bigger needs a permit and a dimensioned, to-scale site plan showing property lines, setback lines, utility easements and every structure and fence.
• Arlington: Arlington wants a permit for a shed over 100 sq ft, every new fence and any fence replacement of half a side or more, and it allows no structure inside a setback, so check your survey first.

Questions.

Does an above-ground pool need a permit?

Usually, once it's over 24 inches deep. In El Paso and Corpus Christi it must also hold under 5,000 gallons to skip the permit. Lubbock exempts a pool 24 inches deep or less only if it has no circulation system and is drained daily.

Do I need my HOA's approval?

Sugar Land asks for an HOA approval letter with every pool permit. Elsewhere the HOA's approval is separate from the city permit, so check your deed restrictions too.

Can I build my own pool?

It depends on the city. New Braunfels requires a registered contractor for in-ground pools. College Station and Sugar Land also require licensed contractors for electrical and plumbing work.