Are you thinking of building a pool for next summer? Are you tired of going to public pools to take a dip? Find out what licenses you need and build your pool!
Like any other civil work, the construction of a swimming pool requires a license that must be applied for at the Town Hall nearest to where you intend to make your installation. Before you get started, we tell you everything you need to know about permits and taxes to build a pool.
What steps must be taken to obtain a licence for the construction of a swimming pool?
The first thing to do is to carry out a technical project by an architect and then with that project, plus the company details, send it to the town hall to apply for the permit.
One of the most important aspects to determine is whether the pool is a major or minor construction. Each municipality has stipulated this according to the dimensions and volume of the pool. For this reason, you must request the information at the town hall closest to where you will be building the pool.
Minor construction pool: if your pool is considered minor construction, you must present a drawing of the land where the pool will be located without any restrictions and indicate the exact location of the pool. You must also submit an estimated budget for the work. Once this documentation has been submitted, the town hall will indicate the cost of the licence, which generally amounts to 4% of the final budget.
Major construction swimming pool: if the swimming pool to be built is considered a major construction, it will be necessary to present the project of the construction prepared by a technical architect. Two copies and a form to be filled in beforehand will be given to the town hall. Generally, the amount to be paid is 6% of the final budget.
Other formalities to be carried out are the licence to occupy the public highway and waste management. On the one hand, you must apply for a permit to occupy the public road where you will place all the material and waste from the construction site. And on the other hand, you must pay a deposit of between 600 and 800 euros as a guarantee that the waste and rubble will be deposited in a landfill site approved by the CAM. Once the work is completed and you present the document certifying that the rubble has been deposited in the right place, the deposit will be returned.
What requirements must a pool meet?
Initially, to build a pool you must adjust to municipal, regional and state regulations. The Royal Decree 742/2013, of 27 September, regulates the state regulations that control the technical and sanitary conditions of category 3A pools (rural houses, communal houses, halls of residence…) and category 3B pools (single-family pools).
Among the main conditions that a private swimming pool must fulfil, we can highlight:
- Compliance with the Technical Building Code, regulated by Royal Decree 314/2006, of 17 March, and in the case of heated pools, also with the Regulation on Thermal Installations in Buildings, regulated by Royal Decree 1027/2007, of 20 July.
- Control of safety and health conditions.
- Approval of chemical products for water treatment.
- Control of the quality of water, air and maintenance systems.
When is the best time to legalize a pool?
The ideal time to legalize a pool is before the execution of the work. Otherwise, you may be fined extremely high amounts. It is estimated that fines can vary between 50% and 300% of the total value of the work.
If you have started the work but it is not finished, you must legalize the work that has been done up to that moment. To do this, you must present the project of the pool of what has been done and what is still to be built, this report must be made by a qualified technical architect. Although it is a single work, it will be treated as two independent works and each one must comply with certain rules, as indicated by the town hall.
Whatever the case, it is important to pay attention to the legalization of the work before its execution, because it can happen that the swimming pool already constructed needs modifications to adapt to the effective norm and this would suppose a high economic investment, in addition to the sanction to pay. It may even happen that the pool does not comply with the law and you will have to demolish it.
LET’S GET STARTED
Now that you know you need a license to build your pool, all you have to do is get started.
At Architect 88 we accompany you in all the steps of pool construction so that the work is carried out in the greatest serenity and the final work is of high quality.
