Salt Lake City Pool Permits: What You Need to Know

Building an in-ground pool in Salt Lake City requires several permits. Here’s exactly what you need, what it costs, and how Peak Pools handles all of it.

Required Permits

• Building permit — for the pool structure
• Plumbing permit — for water lines, drain, gas line if heated
• Electrical permit — for pump, lights, automation
• Fence permit — Utah code requires pool barriers
• Mechanical permit — if installing a gas heater

Setbacks in Salt Lake City

SLC residential setbacks for in-ground pools (verify current code with the SLC Building Services division — these change):

• From rear property line: typically 5’–10′ depending on zone
• From side property line: typically 5′
• From the home itself: typically 3’–5′
• From any septic system: 10′ minimum

Pool Barrier Requirements

Utah state code (and SLC City code) requires:

• Minimum 4′ high fence with openings less than 4″
• Self-closing, self-latching gates
• Latch height 54″+ from ground
• Pool covers and alarms can supplement (but rarely replace) fencing

Inspections

Expect 5–9 inspections during construction:

1. Plumbing rough-in (after steel/before gunite)
2. Pre-gunite (steel and bonding)
3. Electrical rough-in
4. Bonding/grounding
5. Pre-deck (drainage, plumbing visible)
6. Final electrical
7. Final building
8. Fence/barrier final

Permit Fees

SLC pool permit fees scale with project value. For a typical $80K–$150K build, expect $1,500–$4,000 in combined permit fees. We include this in our project quote.

HOA Approvals

If you’re in an HOA-managed neighborhood (especially east bench, Daybreak, Suncrest, etc.), you’ll also need HOA approval before construction. We handle the submittal package.

How Peak Pools Handles It

All permitting is bundled into our standard build. We file every permit, schedule every inspection, and pass every one. You don’t drive to SLC Building Services even once.

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