Health Department Menu

Swimming Pools, Spas & Spray Grounds

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Licensing

All public indoor and outdoor pools, spas, spray grounds, and special use pools in Cincinnati must be licensed by the Health Department.  Examples include but are not limited to: pools operated by the Cincinnati Recreation Commission, apartment or condominium pools, hotel/motel pools, health club pools and spas, and Parks Department spray grounds.  Private residential pools at dwellings of no more than three families and used by only the residents and their non-paying guests are not licensed or inspected by the Cincinnati Health Department.

 

License Renewal

The swimming pool licensing period is June 1-May 31.  Existing pools, spas, spray grounds, and special use pools must renew their licenses and pay fees by April 30 every year.  (Please note that there are both local and state license fees for primary and additional pools.) 

     Swimming pool application 

     Supplemental form

For questions about license renewals, please contact the Health Department’s Licensing Administrator at (513) 564-1791.

 

Initial Licensing

Before a new swimming pool can be licensed by the Cincinnati Health Department, it must first undergo plan review and inspections with the Ohio Department of Health (ODH).  This is also the case with any existing pools whose licenses have been expired for over one year.  For more information on the plan review process, please visit ODH’s website https://odh.ohio.gov/know-our-programs/public-swimming-pools/welcome, or call (614) 644-7438.

 

Inspection
All licensed pools, spas, spray grounds, and special use pools are inspected by the Cincinnati Health Department’s Technical Environmental Services office to ensure that facilities conform to applicable state and local regulations.  A separate equipment inventory is also conducted at least once a year.

Public swimming pools in Cincinnati are governed by the Ohio Revised Code, sections 3749.01 to 3749.99, the Ohio Administrative Code, section 3701-3, and the Cincinnati Municipal Code 00047.

For questions about public swimming pools, spas, or spray grounds in Cincinnati, contact the Health Department’s Technical Environmental Services office at (513) 352-2922, or email cincinnatihealthtechnical@cincinnati-oh.gov.