What a pool permit site plan shows
Miami Beach's residential pool checklist, dated 5.23.2024, puts the requirement in one sentence: "Site Plan must show setbacks, both existing and proposed structures, property lines, lot dimensions, and grade elevation as per survey." [3] Other Florida departments add their own items. Hillsborough County wants the plan to identify all easements, conservation and wetland areas and setbacks, and to state that no trees will be removed to build the improvements [5]. Nassau County wants the location and dimensions of the pool with the setbacks from the pool to each property line, and any easements or overhead or underground power lines [2].
Read together, these checklists ask the pool site plan for:
| Item on the plan | Who asks for it |
|---|---|
| Property lines and lot dimensions | Miami Beach [3] |
| Existing and proposed structures | Miami Beach [3] |
| The pool, located and dimensioned | Nassau [2] |
| Setbacks from the pool to each property line | Nassau, Miami Beach and Hillsborough [2, 3, 5] |
| Easements | Hillsborough and Nassau [5, 2] |
| Conservation and wetland areas | Hillsborough [5] |
| Overhead or underground power lines | Nassau [2] |
| Grade elevation, as per survey | Miami Beach [3] |
| A statement that no trees will be removed to build the improvements | Hillsborough [5] |
| The distance to the structure, on each of three legible surveys or site plans | Indian River, for above-ground pools [6] |
Innowave Studio draws the pool site plan to the checklist of the department that will review it. The items every permit site plan carries are on the permit site plans hub.
Where each Florida checklist lives
Florida counties and cities publish their own pool documents, and the edition matters when you check a plan against one:
| Jurisdiction | Document | Pools covered | Edition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Beach | Permit Checklist for Pool, Residential New | Pool | 5.23.2024 [3] |
| Davie | Residential Pool Checklist | Pool | Undated [4] |
| Hillsborough County | Residential Pool Requirements | Pool | Current Florida Building Code [5] |
| Nassau County | Residential Swimming Pool Plan Review Checklist | In-ground and above-ground | Cites the Florida Building Code, Residential, 6th Edition (2017) [2] |
| Orange County | Residential Swimming Pool Permit | Pool, including above-ground | Current Florida Building Code [7] |
| Gainesville | Residential Swimming Pool Permit Checklist | Pool | 10-11-2023 [8] |
| Indian River County | Swimming Pool Permit Checklist | Pool, including above-ground | Undated [6] |
| Okaloosa County | Residential Swimming Pool Guide | Pool | Undated [1] |
| Lady Lake | Pool and Hot Tub Permits | Above-ground pool | Undated [9] |
The metro pages for Miami, Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville, and the Florida state page, cover the commercial rules in the same counties.
The setback from pool to property line
Several checklists ask for the distance from the pool to the lot lines, and one sets the figure itself. Okaloosa County requires 5 feet from the edge of the pool water to any side or rear property line [1], so the plan dimensions that setback from the water's edge. Nassau asks for the setback from the pool to each property line [2], and Miami Beach and Hillsborough ask for setbacks on the plan [3, 5].
Above-ground pools
An above-ground pool does not always need a permit. Nassau County requires none when the pool is less than 24 inches deep, holds no more than 5,000 gallons and is installed entirely above ground [2]. Where a permit is needed, Indian River County asks for three legible surveys or site plans showing the distance to the structure [6], and Orange County's residential pool permit covers above-ground pools and takes a site plan or a survey [7]. Orange County also requires digitally signed and sealed plans for a pool entry deck [7]; the deck side of that is on the deck site plans page.
Survey or site plan, and where a seal is required
Florida counties split on what may serve as the base drawing:
| Jurisdiction | What it takes |
|---|---|
| Okaloosa County | A certified survey or a site plan [1] |
| Indian River County | A survey or a plot plan [6] |
| Orange County | A site plan or a survey [7] |
| Davie | A signed and sealed survey, provided at its original size and not reduced or enlarged [4] |
| Miami Beach | A "Site Survey Signed & Sealed" (checklist dated 5.23.2024) [3] |
Florida pool permits also need engineer-sealed pool drawings, so the site plan is one part of a larger permit package [5, 7]. Plans are preliminary, and engineering is by your engineer of record. Where a sealed survey is required, as in Davie and Miami Beach, a licensed surveyor prepares it [4, 3]; where sealed pool or deck plans are required, the preliminary plan is what the engineer of record builds on. The county-by-county survey question is the subject of the Florida pool permit survey guide, and the wider rules are in where unsealed site plans are accepted.
Pool permits outside Florida
| Jurisdiction | Rule |
|---|---|
| Metro Nashville, Tennessee | Residential building permits cover pools, with decks, sheds, garages, carports and additions [10]; residential site plans need not come from a licensed professional but must be accurately dimensioned and drawn to scale [11] |
| Denver, Colorado | The residential permitting guide, updated in September 2026, lists swimming pools and hot tubs among the structures in its zoning calculations [12] |
| Cobb County, Georgia | Before a building permit, a current plan and survey of the property sealed by a registered land surveyor (Development Standards s.103.19.1) [13] |
| Bellevue, Washington | The residential site plan is drawn on a sheet of at least 18 x 24 inches, with contour lines for existing and proposed grades at 2-foot intervals on the NAVD 88 datum [14] |
| Virginia, Chesapeake Bay Preservation Areas | 2,500 sq ft of land disturbance brings erosion and sediment control and stormwater criteria, against 10,000 sq ft elsewhere (9VAC25-875), and residential permit site plans in Tidewater show the disturbance area [15, 16] |
How to order a pool site plan
- Open start a project and choose Residential: pool (in-ground or above-ground) as the project type.
- Give the city or county and the state, so the plan follows that department's checklist.
- Under program and stage, describe the pool: in-ground or above-ground, its size and depth, the deck or patio around it, and where the equipment will sit.
- Attach one file, the most useful you have: the survey (signed and sealed, where your county requires one), or a sketch with measurements. If the department publishes a checklist, name it under program and stage.
The studio reads the brief, checks the jurisdiction's rules and replies by email to scope the plan. Related pages: shed site plans, site plan for a permit, how to get a site plan of my property and site plan vs plot plan vs survey. To order the plan for your pool, start a project and choose Residential: pool (in-ground or above-ground).
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a survey for a pool permit in Florida?
What goes on a pool permit site plan?
Miami Beach's checklist sets the core: setbacks, existing and proposed structures, property lines, lot dimensions and grade elevation as per survey [3]. Nassau adds the location and dimensions of the pool with its setbacks to each property line, easements and overhead or underground power lines [2], and Hillsborough wants conservation and wetland areas identified and a statement that no trees will be removed [5].
How far does a pool have to be from the property line?
Does an above-ground pool need a permit?
Who seals the pool drawings?
Sources
- 1)Permit Guide for Residential Swimming Pool, Okaloosa County, Florida, Growth Management. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 2)Residential Swimming Pool Plan Review Checklist, Nassau County, Florida, Building Department. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 3)Permit Checklist for Pool, Residential New (5.23.2024), City of Miami Beach, Florida, Building Department. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 4)Residential Pool Checklist, Town of Davie, Florida, Building Division. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 5)Residential Pool Requirements, Hillsborough County, Florida. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 6)Swimming Pool Permit Checklist, Indian River County, Florida, Building Division. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 7)Residential Swimming Pool Permit, Orange County, Florida. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 8)Residential Swimming Pool Permit Checklist (10-11-2023), City of Gainesville, Florida, Building Inspection. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 9)Pool and Hot Tub Permits, Town of Lady Lake, Florida. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 10)Residential Building Permit Procedures, Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Codes Administration. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 11)Residential Permit Procedures (brochure), Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Codes Administration. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 12)Residential Permitting Guide (updated September 3, 2026), City and County of Denver, Community Planning and Development. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 13)2026 Variance Application and Schedule, citing Development Standards s.103.19.1, Cobb County, Georgia. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 14)Residential Site Plan, City of Bellevue, Washington, Development Services. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 15)Virginia Register Vol. 41 Iss. 4 (Fast-Track), 9VAC25-875, Virginia Erosion and Stormwater Management Regulation (October 7, 2024), Commonwealth of Virginia, Virginia Register of Regulations.
- 16)Virginia Erosion and Sediment Control Program (revised 4/8/2024), Mecklenburg County, Virginia.