Yes, every inground pool in Columbus needs a building permit.
Any pool that can hold more than 24 inches of water needs one, with an electric permit alongside it. You need a 48 inch barrier with outward-opening, self-closing, self-latching gates, unless the pool has a power safety cover that meets ASTM F 1346.
Yes, you need a permit
The City of Columbus requires a building permit to install any swimming or wading pool capable of holding more than 24 inches of water. Every inground pool qualifies. If there is electrical work, and for an inground pool there always is, an electric permit application goes in with it.
Check which city you are actually in. A Columbus mailing address does not always mean City of Columbus rules. Suburbs such as Dublin and Westerville run their own building departments, and their requirements can differ. Everything below is the City of Columbus.
What goes in the application
A building permit application, from the owner or a licensed home improvement contractor. An electric permit application from the homeowner or a licensed electrical contractor. Two copies of a site plan showing, at minimum: the electric service line and its distance, the sanitary sewer line, the fence location and height, the pool's size, height and material, its distance to the property lines and to every structure, and every outlet within 20 feet of the pool. For an inground pool, two copies of structural drawings sealed by an architect or engineer.
The fence and the gate
The pool must be enclosed by a fence or permanent barrier at least 48 inches high, measured from the ground. Gates must open outward from the pool, be self-closing and self-latching, and be able to take a lock. The release must be at least 54 inches from the bottom of the gate, or on the inside more than 3 inches below the top with no opening wider than half an inch within 18 inches of it.
If a wall of the house is part of the barrier and a door opens toward the pool, that door needs either an alarm that sounds when it opens, with the touch pad at least 54 inches up, or to open away from the pool and be self-closing and self-latching with the release at least 54 inches up.
Fences 6 feet or less are not regulated as a structure and can sit in the rear yard with no setback from the property lines.
The safety cover exemption
The city exempts a pool with a power safety cover complying with ASTM F 1346 from the barrier requirement. Integra rates the automatic safety cover we fit to ASTM F1346; ask us for the manufacturer's certification for your cover, and see the upgrades page. Confirm the exemption for your property with Building and Zoning Services before you skip a fence, and check with your HOA and your insurer, either of whom may still want one.
Where the pool can go
Not in a front yard or a required side yard, and it has to meet the zoning rules for your district, including anything the district's limitation text prohibits. If your lot is unusual, the city's zoning line is 614-645-8637.
Electrical and drainage
Inground pools must comply fully with Article 680 of the National Electrical Code, and no outlet is allowed closer than 6 feet to the pool. Water drained from a pool should go to a sanitary sewer, or onto your own lawn and garden, but it must not leave your property except through the sanitary sewer.
Who does all this
We pull the permit and schedule the inspections, and both are in the price. Your permit being issued is one of the six things that sets our start date, so getting it moving is our job, not an errand for you. What you can do is have your HOA approval in hand early, if you have an HOA.
Source. This page summarises the City of Columbus Department of Building and Zoning Services sheet Swimming Pools (revision BA 4/26). It is a plain-language summary, not legal advice, and the city can ask for more. Building Services: 614-645-7433. Electrical questions: 614-645-6076.
