Building An Inground Pool In Lake County? Here’s What You Need!

Every town has their own requirements and regulations for inground swimming pools, but there are some instances where a town’s requirements don’t apply.

Yep, you read that right. For those who live in the unincorporated areas of towns, they will have to follow the requirements put in place by the county those towns are part of.

So, unincorporated areas of towns in Northwest Indiana like Crown Point, Schererville, St. John, etc. must follow the rules and regulations for inground swimming pools put in place by Lake County. And in this article, we have included everything you’ll need to obtain or have completed from building permits to final inspections according to Lake County regulations!

Items Needed to Apply for Building Permit

1. Permit Application–signed and notarized
2. Affidavits for all contractors (must be licensed with Lake County Building Department)
   1. Pool
   2. HVAC and Plumbing
   3. Electric
   4. Fencing
   5. Decking
3. Plat of Survey
   *All required documents must be turned into Lake County Building Department at once. Upon review, permit will be issued within 3-5 business days.

Pool Requirements

1. Must be at least 5 feet from property lines
2. Must have ONE of the following:
   1. Fencing around the yard at least 4 feet above ground level with a latching gate
   2. Automatic safety cover
3. Decking must be at least 5 feet away from property lines

Required Inspections

1. Site Inspection
   1. All utilities marked and flagged; pool location marked
2. Rough Pool Inspection
   1. Pool built in appropriate location
   2. Plumbing installed
   3. Gas pipe and electrical run in place
3. Bonding Inspection
   1. All metal parts of pool and pool accessories bonded to ground
   2. Metal reinforcing grid bonded together and to pieces listed in (a.)
4. Final Inspection
   1. All electric completed
   2. All heating completed
   3. All safety devices completed

Homeowners Association Requirements

In some situations, you may have to abide by another set of regulations for your inground swimming pool if you live in a neighborhood affiliated with a Homeowners Association (HOA).

An HOA may have additional rules for your builder to follow on top of the rules enforced by your respective town or county, so make sure you are aware of which sets of rules your pool project needs to abide by. Failure to abide by all rules applicable to your project could result in issues down the road.

Final Notes

And there you have it—everything that you’ll need to have both prior to breaking ground on a new inground pool and during the construction process!

Each town and county has different rules and regulations, so it’s important that you be informed about what you need to do to legally build an inground pool in your respective area.

We hope that this has proven to be informative and helpful for you upcoming pool project! And if the Lake County regulations do not apply to your project, perhaps another one of our other articles will guide you in the right direction!