San Jacinto pool rules and permits

A plain-English guide for San Jacinto, California homeowners. Always confirm with the city before work starts. Rules change.

Do you need a permit?

Yes. A new pool or spa needs a building permit from the city. The city's fee schedule lists a pool plan check fee, an equipment fee per unit and a fee for a gas connection. The permit fee itself is the sum of the pool and spa fees. California law also requires at least two drowning-prevention features on a new pool at a single-family home. Routine service like chemicals and cleaning needs no permit.

Who to ask: City of San Jacinto Development Services (website)

Fee: Plan check $132 per permit; pool or spa equipment $66 per unit; gas connection $37 (fee schedule dated Jan 10, 2024). The base pool and spa fee amounts were not found.

The rules

• A swimming pool, hot tub or spa, or the whole property it sits on, must be walled or fenced to stop uncontrolled access, as the California Building Code requires.
• City code says residential pool fencing must follow the city fence chapter (17.315). Pool lighting must point down and light only the pool and nearby seating.
• A pool must sit at least 5 feet from the rear property line in most residential zones, and 10 feet in the RE and RR zones.
• Pool and spa equipment must be at least 5 feet from side and rear property lines. It is set back like the house at the front.
• In single-family zones, city fences in the front yard are limited to 4 feet. Side and rear yard fences are limited to 6 feet in most zones.
• State pool barrier rules say gates must open away from the pool, close on their own, and latch with the latch at least 60 inches above the ground. The barrier must be at least 60 inches tall, with no more than 2 inches of gap at the bottom.
• A new pool at a single-family home must have at least two drowning-prevention measures, such as an enclosure, a safety cover, door exit alarms, a self-latching door device or a pool alarm.
• Water users must fix leaks and breaks within 72 hours of a city notice. EMWD customers must fix leaks within 48 hours.

HOAs

Some San Jacinto communities, like the gated 55+ Soboba Springs, have HOAs or park rules that may limit pool equipment, covers or work hours. Ask your HOA before you add equipment.

Call before you dig

DigAlert (Southern California 811): dial 811. call at least 2 working days, and no more than 14 calendar days, before digging for a new pool or plumbing trench

Local conditions

San Jacinto has hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. July highs average about 95 degrees, the record high is 116, and the city gets about 12 inches of rain a year. Pools run much of the year.

• Water hardness depends on who serves your street. The city's own wells tested at about 8 grains per gallon in 2020, and EMWD's Hemet and San Jacinto source tested 3.4 to 7.2 grains in 2023. Hard water leaves scale on tile and heaters.
• The city's wells carry natural iron and manganese. The city treats them, but these minerals can stain surfaces and tint water.
• Summers are almost rain-free, so pools lose water to evaporation every week and need top-offs.
• Strong sun burns off chlorine fast, so stabilizer and testing matter.
• A pool left alone in the heat can turn green in days. Weekly service is the way to prevent it.

Good to know

• The City of San Jacinto runs its own water system for about 40 percent of residents. The outskirts are served by Eastern Municipal Water District and Lake Hemet Municipal Water District. The city has a boundary map to check your address.
• The city's 2021 water report lists hardness of 143 mg/L on average (range 110 to 180), from 2020 samples. That is about 8.4 grains per gallon (range 6.4 to 10.5). About 1 grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L.
• The city's 2021 water came from three deep wells in the San Jacinto Groundwater Basin. Two well sites produce water with natural iron and manganese, so the city runs a treatment plant to remove them.
• EMWD's 2023 water quality table has a Hemet and San Jacinto column. It lists hardness of 3.4 to 7.2 grains per gallon, averaging 5.1, from the Hemet Filtration Plant.
• EMWD sells water to San Jacinto customers directly. Its permanent rules limit landscape watering to 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., ban runoff, and bar watering during rain or within 48 hours after it.
• The city's code requires recycled water for landscape irrigation where it is available.
• San Jacinto's record high is 116 degrees, set in September. Average highs are about 89 in June, 95 in July and 96.5 in August. The city gets about 12.2 inches of rain a year.
• The 2020 census counted 53,898 people in San Jacinto, up from 44,199 in 2010.