Inground pool cost in California: price range, Swimming Pool Safety Act and C-53 licensing

The California line to watch is permits and plan check. PriceAPool says permits start around $2,900, gives $2,900 to $5,220 depending on county and pool type in its FAQ, and puts Los Angeles and San Francisco counties at $3,500 to $6,000 once plan check, grading and electrical permits are included.

PriceAPool lists concrete at 12 to 22 weeks in its table and 8 to 14 weeks in its FAQ, fiberglass at 3 to 6 weeks and vinyl at 4 to 8 weeks. The page contradicts itself there, so ask for a written schedule that starts at the permit and ends at the final inspection.

Except as provided in Section 115925, section 115922 of the California Health and Safety Code says that when a building permit is issued for a new pool or spa, or a remodel of one, at a private single-family home, it must have at least two of seven drowning prevention safety features. We read the section as a city printed it in a 2022 form, because the Legislature's site blocked us, so check the current text.

The Contractors State License Board (CSLB) licenses pool builders in the C-53 Swimming Pool Contractor classification, which its classification list shows. CSLB says contractors who build or repair pools must be licensed as swimming pool contractors. A general building contractor may take a pool job if it holds the C-53 classification or hires a licensed pool contractor.

CSLB also describes the contract. It should include a plan and scale drawing showing the pool's shape, size and dimensions. The down payment should be no more than 10 percent or $1,000, whichever is less, and CSLB warns against payments that run ahead of the work. Make the final payment only after the final plastering is done and any required equipment, decking or fencing is installed. CSLB's page warns that the down payment printed on its Checklist for Homeowners - Swimming Pools is not correct, so use the current page.

California has no single pool climate. PriceAPool gives regional seasons, such as 9 to 11 months for coastal San Diego, Los Angeles and the Inland Empire, and no statewide one, so we print none. The coast, the inland valleys, the desert and the north are different markets, which is why the Southern California and Northern California pool ideas are separate collections.

What we can source is the city. PriceAPool prices Los Angeles and San Francisco above its state figure, and the permit range above is higher in those counties. Ask a local builder what your city requires before you plan a start date.