Swimming Pool permits across Florida
Where each city draws the line on swimming pool work. Sort any column — useful if you build across several towns and need to know where the rules change.
Cities compared
36
Always need one
35
Depends on size
1
The statewide starting point is Florida Building Code, Building, 2023, 8th edition. Cities that changed the rule are the interesting rows below.
| Where the line falls | Fee | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville | 1,009,833 | Yes | You need a permit to install a pool, in-ground or above-g… | The code lists no dollar amounts. Pool permit fees are publ… |
| Miami | 487,014 | Yes | You need a permit to install a pool, in-ground or above-g… | The code names no pool-specific amount. For homes of up to … |
| Tampa | 414,547 | Depends | From 24 in deep | The code names no pool amount. Sec. 5-109.2 says permit fee… |
| Orlando | 334,854 | Yes | You need a permit to install a pool. Orlando requires an … | The code names no pool amount. Orlando publishes its permit… |
| St. Petersburg | 267,102 | Yes | No size threshold in the code | — |
| Port St. Lucie | 258,575 | Yes | You need a permit to install a pool, in-ground or above-g… | The code names no pool amount. Port St. Lucie publishes its… |
| Hialeah | 235,388 | Yes | You need a permit to install a pool, in-ground or above-g… | The code names no pool amount. Sec. 14-3 says building perm… |
| Cape Coral | 233,025 | Yes | All in-ground and above-ground pools need a permit, and r… | — |
| Tallahassee | 205,089 | Yes | You need a permit to install a pool, in-ground or above-g… | The code lists no dollar amounts. Fees come from a schedule… |
| Fort Lauderdale | 190,641 | Yes | All in-ground and above-ground pools need a permit, and y… | — |
| Gainesville | 148,720 | Yes | You need a permit to install a pool, in-ground or above-g… | The code lists no dollar amounts. Permit fees are set in Ch… |
| Miramar | 143,242 | Yes | All in-ground and above-ground pools need a permit, and y… | — |
| Coral Springs | 140,808 | Yes | Every in-ground and above-ground pool needs a permit, and… | — |
| West Palm Beach | 127,744 | Yes | No size threshold in the code | — |
| Lakeland | 124,990 | Yes | In-ground and above-ground pools need a permit, and you m… | — |
| Clearwater | 116,811 | Yes | Every in-ground and above-ground pool needs a permit, and… | — |
| Miami Gardens | 116,173 | Yes | You need a permit to install a pool, in-ground or above-g… | The code lists no dollar amounts. Fees are set by the city;… |
| Davie | 112,052 | Yes | No size threshold in the code | — |
| Palm Coast | 106,729 | Yes | You need a permit to install an in-ground or above-ground… | The code lists no dollar amounts. Fees are published by the… |
| Boca Raton | 102,238 | Yes | You need a permit to install an in-ground or above-ground… | The dollar amount is set by the city's municipal facilities… |
| Plantation | 100,694 | Yes | You need a permit to install a pool, in-ground or above-g… | The structural pool fee is 1.75% of the project cost; elect… |
| Deltona | 100,513 | Yes | Every in-ground and above-ground pool is a Building-type … | — |
| Sunrise | 100,128 | Yes | Every in-ground and above-ground pool needs a permit, and… | — |
| Fort Myers | 99,918 | Yes | No size threshold in the code | — |
| North Port | 92,875 | Yes | A pool is a Building-type structure, and Florida's exempt… | — |
| Deerfield Beach | 90,507 | Yes | No size threshold in the code | The city sets building permit fees by a separate commission… |
| Melbourne | 87,561 | Yes | You need a permit to install a pool, in-ground or above-g… | The code lists no dollar amount. Swimming pool permit fees … |
| Daytona Beach | 86,015 | Yes | You need a permit to install a pool, in-ground or above-g… | The code lists no dollar amounts. The City Commission sets … |
| Homestead | 85,796 | Yes | Every in-ground and above-ground pool is a Building-type … | General building permit application fee: $125 minimum plus … |
| Kissimmee | 84,756 | Yes | You need a permit to install an in-ground or above-ground… | The code names no pool amount. Kissimmee publishes its perm… |
| Doral | 83,625 | Yes | A pool must also have a safety barrier before it passes f… | Building permit fees are set by Schedule A, a fee schedule … |
| Miami Beach | 83,251 | Yes | Your pool must also have a safety barrier before it can p… | Building permit fees follow Appendix A, the city's fee sche… |
| Boynton Beach | 83,095 | Yes | You need a permit to install an in-ground or above-ground… | The dollar amount is set by the city's fee schedule, not pr… |
| Largo | 82,337 | Yes | Every in-ground and above-ground pool needs a permit, and… | — |
| Lauderhill | 76,627 | Yes | Installing an in-ground or above-ground pool needs a perm… | — |
| Tamarac | 75,147 | Yes | No size threshold in the code | Building permit fees are set by city commission resolution … |
“Unconfirmed” means the city's code doesn't state the rule plainly enough to publish. Those city pages link straight to the ordinance section instead.
Why neighboring cities disagree
Every city starts from a model code and then edits it. One town raises the shed cutoff, the next lowers the fence height, a third exempts the structure where its neighbor only exempts repairs to it. None of that is visible from a national article — you have to read each ordinance, which is what these pages do.