Pool / Spa Permit (In-Ground and Above-Ground) and Barrier Requirements in Unincorporated Pinal County, Arizona

Unincorporated Pinal County requires a pool / spa permit (in-ground and above-ground) and barrier requirements for: Permit required for any pool/spa 18 inches or more in depth at any point and wider than 8 feet, intended for swimming; Perimeter barrier required: minimum 60 inches above finished grade (outside); max 2-inch gap at bottom for wrought iron/chain link (4 inches over solid surfaces like concrete decks); anti-climb spacing of horizontal members no closer than 45 inches for ladder-effect designs; Chain link barriers: openings must not allow passage of a 1-3/4-inch sphere; minimum 11-gauge wire; Mesh barriers: must not be readily removable; bottom no more than 1 inch above deck/grade; cannot pull up more than 4 inches or down below 60 inches; Gates: must meet 60-inch height requirement, be self-closing/self-latching, swing away from the pool, with latch mechanism located per code (no less than 3 inches below gate top if latch is under 54 inches, no opening larger than 2 inches within 18 inches of the release mechanism); If a house wall forms part of the perimeter barrier and has doors with direct pool access, ONE of: self-closing/self-latching device (release 54 inches above floor); UL 2017-listed door alarm (30-second minimum, 85 dBA at 10 feet, auto-reset, manual 15-second deactivation switch at 54 inches); or a 48-inch intermediate barrier that doesn't obstruct the pool view; Above-ground pools: if used as the barrier or barrier is mounted atop the structure, access ladder/steps must be lockable/removable or surrounded by a perimeter barrier; Spas/hot tubs ≤8 feet wide may use an approved safety cover (latchable, 100 lb static load capacity, blocks passage of a 4-inch sphere when closed) instead of a full perimeter barrier — pool covers alone are NOT an approved barrier for full-size pools; Minimum setback requirements per county diagram: 3 feet from structure, 4 feet from sides/rear property lines; pool equipment minimum 5 feet from the pool; Windows within 5 feet of the water's edge (and less than 5 feet above adjacent walking surface) must be tempered glass or have R308.4.5-approved safety film; Draining: pool/spa water may only be discharged off-property if free of chlorine (≤1 ppm) and other chemicals, pH 7–8, not cloudy/discolored, and directed to a drainage channel, wash, or curb-line gutter without causing erosion; acid-washed water may not be discharged off-property (ADEQ requirements). If your project isn't listed, confirm with Pinal County Building Safety Division (Community Development Department) at 520-509-3555 before starting work.

In Unincorporated Pinal County, the published Swimming pool (non-standard) — plan check fee is: $150.00. Additional published fees: Swimming pool (non-standard) — permit fee — $300.00 (half of which is non-refundable); Standard Plan Approval — Pool/Spa (pre-approved standard plans) — See Building Permit Fee Schedule for standard-plan-specific fees; In-ground spa (not attached to a pool) — $150.00 permit fee; Above-ground spa/pool — $42.00 permit fee. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Unincorporated Pinal County's published plan-review target for a pool / spa permit (in-ground and above-ground) and barrier requirements is 10–45 business days.

You'll need: Pool Permit Application; Information Bulletin 010 — Residential Pool/Spa Barriers & Drainage. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Unincorporated Pinal County requires 3 inspection(s) for a pool / spa permit (in-ground and above-ground) and barrier requirements, in order: Steel / Shell (Pre-gunite), Barrier Inspection, Final. Schedule each through Pinal County Building Safety Division (Community Development Department) (520-509-3555).

Apply through Pinal County Building Safety Division (Community Development Department) at 85 N. Florence Street, 1st Floor, Florence, AZ 85132 (mailing: P.O. Box 749, Florence, AZ 85132). Phone: 520-509-3555. Office hours: Monday–Friday 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM (Florence office). District offices in Apache Junction, Oracle, and Casa Grande are listed on department bulletins but noted as closed for Community Development as of the most recent published bulletin (Information Bulletin 004, Oct 2022) — confirm current district-office status by phone before visiting. Toll-free: 1-800-208-6897. Automated inspection line: 520-866-6299 (call before midnight the day before to get the next working day; areas of Mammoth, San Manuel, Dudleyville, Kearny, Superior & Top of the World are inspected only on Wednesdays).. Official information: https://www.pinal.gov/189/Building-Safety.

Unincorporated Pinal County, Arizona has adopted: Arizona has NO statewide mandatory building code floor for general construction — code adoption is a per-city/county authority under state enabling statutes (A.R.S. Title 9 for cities, A.R.S. §11-861 et seq. for counties). Pinal County's Building Safety Division administers construction codes directly for all unincorporated areas of the county under Pinal County Development Services Code Title 6, Chapter 6.05, and — per confirmed intergovernmental agreements (IGAs) — for the incorporated towns of Kearny, Superior, and Mammoth, which do not run their own building departments. Source: Pinal County Ordinance No. 121819-BCO (adopted 18 December 2019, effective 30 days later) and Information Bulletin 011 (Dec 2022), which lists Mammoth, San Manuel, Dudleyville, Kearny, Superior & Top of the World as areas the department directly inspects.; 2018 International Building Code (IBC), adopted with Pinal County amendments (Ordinance No. 121819-BCO, Exhibit A), including adopted Appendix I (Patio Covers), Appendix J (Grading), and Appendix K (ICC Electrical Code).; 2018 International Residential Code (IRC), adopted with Pinal County amendments (Ordinance No. 121819-BCO, Exhibit B), including adopted Appendices A, B, C, H, J, N, P, and S.; 2018 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC), adopted with amendments (Ordinance No. 121819-BCO, Exhibit C).; 2018 International Mechanical Code (IMC), adopted with amendments (Ordinance No. 121819-BCO, Exhibit D).; 2018 International Plumbing Code (IPC), adopted with amendments (Ordinance No. 121819-BCO, Exhibit E).; 2017 National Electrical Code (NEC), adopted with amendments (Ordinance No. 121819-BCO, Exhibit F), including adopted Annex H (Administration and Enforcement).; 2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC), adopted with amendments (Ordinance No. 121819-BCO, Exhibit J).; 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), adopted with amendments (Ordinance No. 121819-BCO, Exhibit I).; 2018 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), adopted with amendments (Ordinance No. 121819-BCO, Exhibit G).; 2018 International Fire Code (IFC), adopted with amendments (Ordinance No. 121819-BCO, Exhibit H), including adopted Appendix B (Fire Flow Requirements) and Appendix D (Fire Apparatus Access).. Local amendments apply — see the Unincorporated Pinal County overview page for the full list.

The barrier top must be at least 60 inches above finished grade, measured on the outside. Gaps at the bottom are limited to 2 inches for wrought iron/chain link (4 inches over solid surfaces like concrete decks). Source: Information Bulletin 010 (https://www.pinal.gov/DocumentCenter/View/443)