Zoning Regulations for Building a Pool in Cedar Grove, Florida

Entrapment Prevention

• Florida building code regulations state that all swimming pools must have a way to prevent children from becoming trapped by the suction of the circulation pump. Suction entrapment can cause serious injury or drowning. Section R4101.66 of the residential building code describes several methods that can be used to prevent entrapment, such as installing an approved vacuum relief device or using sealed engineering for a vent piping system.

Barriers

• Florida swimming pools that contain more than 24 inches of water are required to have a barrier erected around the pool's perimeter. The barrier can be a fence or the wall of a building, as long as it prevents access to the pool, spa or hot tub. Fences must be at least 4 feet high, and the distance between the bottom of the fence and the grade can’t be more than 4 inches. In addition, any openings in the barrier must be small enough to prevent a 4-inch diameter sphere from passing through. If a chain link fence is used, the gaps in the mesh can’t be greater than 1¼ square inches. Gates that access the pool must be equipped with locks. The gate that pedestrians use to access the pool must open outward, away from the pool, and must be self-closing and self-latching.

Dwelling Wall

• If your house wall also functions as part of the pool's barrier, then any doors with direct access to the pool through that wall must have an alarm that sounds whenever the door is opened. The alarm should have a rating of 85 decibels at 10 feet and sound for 30 seconds. In addition, it should automatically reset. Doors don’t need alarms if the pool is equipped with a power safety cover.

Environmental

• It’s illegal to build a swimming pool in Florida unless you leave a 30-foot buffer zone between Department of Environmental Protection Jurisdictional Wetlands and any construction that occurs. The 30-foot setback applies to almost all bodies of water in the state, including marshes and sawgrass wetlands. The buffer area can’t be cleared and must be protected from erosion. In addition, all hardwood trees and coniferous trees with a diameter of 18 inches or more at breast height are protected and can’t be cut down to make room for a pool. The lone exception is for pines.