# Inground pool cost in Florida: price range, pool safety law and licensing

Updated 2026-10-11. A planning range from published sources, not a quote.

For a 500 square foot Florida pool, PriceAPool prints $72,000 for concrete, $55,000 for fiberglass and $44,000 for vinyl, and our planning range is $46,000 to $89,000. Florida's pool safety law asks for at least one safety feature, the building code adds barrier rules, and the state licenses builders.

## What an inground pool costs in Florida

Our planning range, built from published guides and moved by the state, next to the state figures a source prints. Our range and HomeAdvisor's national range, moved by the state factor, end at the same top here, so we show it once.

**Planning range, 500 sq ft pool: $46,000 to $89,000.** Water area times the published per square foot rates, moved by a state factor of 1.02. Priced that way alone, the top would run higher, so we hold the top at HomeAdvisor's typical top for any size, moved by the same factor. It covers the pool, excavation, equipment and plaster, and leaves out the deck, fence and spa.

| Source | Dated | What it prices | Concrete | Fiberglass | Vinyl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PriceAPool, Florida pool cost | 2026, no day printed | The state figure for a 500 sq ft pool, permits in, deck and spa out | $72,000 | $55,000 | $44,000 |
| PriceAPool, Florida pool cost | 2026, no day printed | Miami, same 500 sq ft pool | $78,000 | $59,000 | $48,000 |

Our range follows the national guides and the cost of living in the state, and PriceAPool starts from national averages and applies a labor index of 92 percent of the US average. This Old House says Florida and Texas prices are usually lower than the national figure because there are more builders. Our state factor puts Florida about 2 percent above the national figure. Both are planning numbers, so the quotes you collect decide.

## The rules in one look

- **Barrier or safety feature:** Chapter 515 asks for at least one of five features; the building code and your local permit add barrier rules we could not read, so plan on a barrier.
- **License:** Florida defines pool and spa contractor categories in section 489.105; check the number on the DBPR lookup.
- **Who sets local rules:** Your county or city building department, with stricter wind rules in the Miami-Dade and Broward hurricane zone.
- **Season:** PriceAPool says 9 to 11 months of usable season, and hurricane season runs June to November.

## What changes the bill in Florida

The extra that is most specific to Florida is the screen enclosure, often called a pool cage. PriceAPool prints $12,000 to $45,000 for it on most builds, notes that it must meet wind-load rules, and says the High Velocity Hurricane Zone rules in Miami-Dade and Broward are stricter. Ask every builder whether the quote includes one.

The same page says site conditions such as soil and the water table can add cost, prints permit fees of $1,000 to $2,500 and $1,300 to $2,340 in different sections, and says plan review in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach can take 6 to 10 weeks. 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. Its own sections disagree, so treat those as questions for your builder and your county.

## Florida's pool safety law

The Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act, Chapter 515 of the Florida Statutes, covers new pools at detached one and two family homes and one-family townhouses, including inground pools. Under section 515.27, a new residential pool must have at least one of five safety features to pass final inspection: a barrier that meets section 515.29, an approved safety cover, exit alarms on doors and windows that open to the pool, self-closing and self-latching devices on those doors, or a certified pool alarm.

Where the barrier is the choice, section 515.29 sets it at least 4 feet high on the outside, with gates that open outward and are self-closing and self-latching. Section 515.33 requires pool contractors to hand buyers a summary of the chapter, and section 515.37 exempts an area whose ordinance is at least as strict.

The statute is one test and the building code is another. PriceAPool says Florida pool permits fall under the residential swimming pool provisions of the Florida Building Code (its Section 454) and that most municipalities also require a fence or barrier. We could not open the code text, so we do not quote its barrier rule. Plan on a barrier, and ask your county or city building department what it requires.

## Who may build a pool in Florida

Florida defines pool contractors in section 489.105 of the Florida Statutes: a commercial pool and spa contractor, a residential pool and spa contractor, whose work is limited to residential pools, hot tubs and spas, and a servicing contractor for repair and maintenance. The residential category covers building and repairing, including equipment, interior finishes, heaters and piping, but not direct hookups to the sanitary sewer or the potable water line.

That last limit matters when you read a quote: ask who does the water connection and the electrical work, and ask for each license number. The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) runs the license lookup at myfloridalicense.com. Its site blocks automated visits, so we did not open it, and we list it that way below. We read the contractor definitions in section 489.105 but did not open the sections that require a license, so check the license on the DBPR lookup before you sign.

## Climate and season in Florida

The National Hurricane Center says the Atlantic hurricane season runs from the start of June through the end of November. A build that starts in those months can be paused by a storm, and a finished pool needs its equipment, cover and screen enclosure planned for wind. Ask a builder how the schedule and the contract handle a storm delay.

PriceAPool puts the usable pool season at 9 to 11 months statewide, says south Florida pools are comfortable with minimal heating year-round, and says most of Florida does not need traditional winterization. That is one cost-estimator site's view. Heating cost depends on how long you swim, which is a question for your own household, and the [running cost section](https://rendersplash.com/inground-pool-cost#running-cost) covers what the guides print for upkeep.

## More

- [Florida pool ideas](https://rendersplash.com/pool-ideas/region/florida)
- [16x32 inground pool](https://rendersplash.com/pool-sizes/16x32)
- [12x24 inground pool](https://rendersplash.com/pool-sizes/12x24)
- [15x30 inground pool](https://rendersplash.com/pool-sizes/15x30)
- [All inground pool sizes](https://rendersplash.com/pool-sizes)
- [Gunite vs fiberglass vs vinyl](https://rendersplash.com/inground-pool-cost/gunite-vs-fiberglass-vs-vinyl)
- [Inground pool cost, line by line](https://rendersplash.com/inground-pool-cost)

## Questions people ask

**How much does an inground pool cost in Florida?** PriceAPool prints $44,000 to $72,000 by type for a 500 square foot pool, and our planning range for that size is $46,000 to $89,000. Both leave out the deck and spa. A planning range, not a quote.

**Does Florida require a fence around a pool?** Plan on one. Chapter 515 lets a new pool pass with at least one of five safety features, and a barrier at least 4 feet high is one of them. The Florida Building Code and your county or city permit rules are a separate test, and PriceAPool says most municipalities require a fence or barrier. We could not read the code, so ask your building department.

**Does a Florida pool builder need a state license?** Florida licenses pool contractors, and section 489.105 of the Florida Statutes defines the three pool and spa categories. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation runs the license lookup. Ask for the license number and check it there before you sign.

**Does a screen enclosure come with the pool price?** Not in the figures we found. PriceAPool says it adds $12,000 to $45,000 to the total and its table leaves out features, so ask every builder to price it on its own line.

## Sources and date checked

Checked 2026-10-11. A planning range from published sources, not a quote.

- [PriceAPool, Florida pool cost, 2026](https://www.priceapool.com/florida)
- [HomeAdvisor, in-ground pool cost, 2026](https://www.homeadvisor.com/cost/swimming-pools-hot-tubs-and-saunas/inground-pool)
- [This Old House, inground pool cost, 2025](https://www.thisoldhouse.com/home-finances/inground-pool-cost)
- [US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state, 2024](https://www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area)
- [Florida Statutes, Chapter 515 (Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act)](http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0500-0599/0515/0515.html)
- [Florida Statutes, section 489.105 (contractor definitions)](http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0400-0499/0489/Sections/0489.105.html)
- [Florida DBPR, license lookup](https://www.myfloridalicense.com/) (blocks automated checks, not re-opened)
- [National Hurricane Center, climatology](https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/)