Permitting a pool with LADBS.

Submittal

LADBS accepts swimming pool and spa permits online through ePlanLA. Its information bulletin on the design and construction of swimming pools, updated for the 2026 code cycle, sets the standard: two sets of plans and one set of calculations for every pool, signed and stamped by a California-registered engineer or licensed architect; a plot plan showing the pool, the enclosure, the equipment and all setbacks; and a soils report when expansive soil or uncertified fill is present. A pool built to the LA Standard Plan can submit a single set.

Setbacks and slopes

The bulletin gives the prescriptive rule that a pool sit at least a distance equal to its maximum adjacent depth away from property lines and buildings, and applies the building code's slope setbacks: one quarter of the slope height on an ascending slope and one sixth on a descending slope. On the hillside streets of Porter Ranch and Woodland Hills those numbers decide whether a shell is a conventional dig or an engineered structure on caissons, and they are the first thing we check.

Inspections LADBS calls out

Three requirements distinguish Los Angeles from the other jurisdictions we work in. The electrical inspector must approve the grounding of the reinforcing steel, plumbing and conduit before the steel itself is approved for shotcrete. Continuous inspection is required during the shotcrete or gunite shoot, so a deputy inspector is on site for the whole placement. And where the equipment sits within ten feet of a property line, a Noise Enforcement inspection is added. We schedule all three as gates in the build.

Barrier rules

LADBS applies the state's two-of-seven drowning-prevention rule and adds its own specifics: enclosures a minimum of five feet high with the gate latch no lower than 60 inches. Replaster permits, which run through the express process, must also comply with the Swimming Pool Safety Act as amended by Senate Bill 552.

1. An enclosure isolating the pool from the home, meeting Health and Safety Code section 115923.
2. Removable mesh fencing meeting ASTM F2286, with a self-closing, self-latching gate.
3. An approved manual or power safety cover meeting ASTM F1346.
4. Exit alarms on every door and window giving direct access to the pool.
5. A self-closing, self-latching device on every direct-access door, with the release at least 54 inches above the floor.
6. A water-entry alarm meeting ASTM F2208.
7. Any other means of protection verified by an approved testing laboratory to the standards of a national organization such as ASTM or ASME.

Timing

LADBS describes regular plan check as returned within weeks depending on workload, with an expedited option for an additional fee. Our recent Porter Ranch and Woodland Hills projects have cleared in approximately four to six weeks. Both figures are approximate.