If you operate a commercial or public swimming pool, you are subject to the swimming pool codes and regulations in your state and county, many from the local health department. These codes vary from state to state, so be sure to check the rules in your area.
I compiled a big directory below with links to all the state and local guidelines you can use to jumpstart your research. I’ll keep updating the directory with new guidelines as I find them. Also, make sure to check out the other helpful federal resources below the directory and my guides on pool safety, pool water quality guidelines, and pool inspections. Happy swimming!
Main Takeaways
- Swimming pool codes vary by state, so you must ensure that you follow the guidelines for your own state.
- The CDC, CPSC, ANSI, APSP, and ICC also have plenty of helpful resources regarding health standards and standards specific to residential and commercial pools.
Regulations and Codes by State Directory
CDC
The CDC recently recognized the major differences in pool regulations across different states and introduced the Model Aquatic Health Code (MAHC), which many state and local health departments are starting to adopt. You can check out the MAHC here.
While they don’t set regulatory policy, the CDC has some other helpful health standards regarding pools, which I’ve linked below.
- Health resources for design and pool operation
- Fecal incident response strategies
- Recreational water illness outbreak response toolkit
CPSC
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reviews tons of consumer products to protect the public from injury or health risks. They launched a great resource called Pool Safely which has lots of good information for parents and pool owners on how to prevent drowning and other safety risks.
Residential Pool Standards
Here are some helpful resources from the ANSI (American National Standards Institute), APSP (Association Of Pool And Spa Professionals), and ICC (International Code Council) on residential swimming pool standards.
- American National Standard for Aboveground/Onground Residential Swimming Pools (ANSI/APSP/ICC-4 2012)
- American National Standard for Residential Inground Swimming Pools (ANSI/APSP/ICC-5 2011)
- American National Standard for Suction Entrapment Avoidance In Swimming Pools, Wading Pools, Spas, Hot Tubs and Catch Basins (ANSI/APSP/ICC-7 2013)
- American National Standard Model Barrier Code for Residential Swimming Pools, Spas, and Hot Tubs (ANSI/APSP/ICC-8 2005)
- American National Standard for the Plastering of Swimming Pools and Spas (ANSI/APSP/ICC/NPC-12 2016)
- American National Standard for Suction Outlet Fitting Assemblies (SOFA) for Use in Pools, Spas and Hot Tubs (ANSI/APSP/ICC-16 2017)
Commercial Pool Standards
And some similar resources for commercial pools from the same organizations listed above.
- American National Standard for Public Swimming Pools (ANSI/APSP/ICC-1 2014)
- American National Standard for Suction Entrapment Avoidance In Swimming Pools, Wading Pools, Spas, Hot Tubs, and Catch Basins (ANSI/APSP/ICC-7 2013)
- American National Standard for Water Quality in Public Pools and Spas (ANSI/PHTA/ICC-11 2019)
- American National Standard for the Plastering of Swimming Pools and Spas (ANSI/APSP/ICC/NPC-12 2016)
- American National Standard for Suction Outlet Fitting Assemblies (SOFA) for Use in Pools, Spas, and Hot Tubs (ANSI/APSP/ICC-16 2017)
Commercial pools also need to abide by ADA pool standards, which I wrote a completely separate breakdown on so you know all the equipment and design features you need.
Questions about pool codes and regulations? I recommend contacting your local government, but you can always shoot me a message, and I’ll see how I can help too.
