For pool builders

The Pool, the Barrier, the Setbacks, On One Sheet.

A pool permit site plan has more on it than most residential drawings: the pool at its real size, the distance from the water's edge to the property lines and the house, the deck around it, the barrier fence with its gates, the equipment pad, and often the overhead and underground utilities. PlotForge™ loads the lot from the address, draws the pool as a true oval or rectangle, and measures the setbacks from the curve itself, not from a box around it.

What does a site plan for a pool permit need to show?

A site plan for a pool permit shows the property lines with dimensions, the house, the pool drawn to scale at its real size and shape, the distances from the pool to the property lines and to the house, the pool deck, the barrier fence with self-closing gates, the equipment location, and any easements the pool must stay out of. PlotForge™ draws it from the address.

What the plan reviewer looks for on a pool site plan

Pool reviews check setbacks from the water's edge, the barrier, and whether the pool sits in an easement or a drainage path. The drawing has to show each of those plainly:

The pool at its real size — oval, round or rectangular at the dimensions you set; a round spa is width = depth

Setbacks from the curve — the distance to each property line measures from the pool's actual edge, not a bounding box, and labels itself

The pool deck and coping — a hardscape piece around the pool with its square footage, for the impervious-coverage question

Barrier fence and gates — the fence run with lengths, fence-to-line callouts, and a pointer at each self-closing gate

Equipment pad and utilities — a small rectangle for the pump and heater, a note or pointer for the overhead line or the sewer lateral

Easements — a recorded drainage or utility easement drawn at its width, so the reviewer sees the pool clears it

How a pool builder draws the permit site plan

Type the address

The recorded lot loads to scale over the aerial with every side dimensioned.

Add the house

One click places the existing house; line a corner up with the roof on the aerial if it sits off.

Draw the pool and deck

Pick Pool, set the size, drop it in the yard. The setbacks measure from the curve. Add the deck as hardscape and the equipment pad as a rectangle.

Fence it and export

Click the barrier fence line with its gates, add the notes, and export the to-scale PDF with the cover sheet in the same file.

The tools pool builders use

Fence, wall & pool toolsPools at the size you set with setbacks measured from the curve, plus the barrier fence with automatic fence-to-property-line callouts.How it works → Auto-add existing buildingsThe house on the sheet in one click, so the pool-to-house distance reads from the real wall.How it works → Easement toolDraw the recorded easement at its width, labeled like the plat; pools in easements are the classic rejection.How it works → Live quantity takeoffThe pool deck and patio total in square feet and the impervious coverage prints on the sheet.How it works → Structure builderRectangles for the equipment pad, the pool house or the cabana, dimensioned as you type the size.How it works → Attach your own sheetsThe pool manufacturer's drawing and the barrier detail become their own sheets in the same permit package.How it works →

Which plan fits a pool builder

A pool a week in season

Contractor, $199/mo

Twenty permit-ready plans a month, every drawing tool and the DXF for your engineer, plans saved for the resubmittal. See Contractor.

A handful of pools a year

Job Pack, 12 plans for $144

Twelve clean exports, no subscription, credits that never expire. Draw the first one on the free 30-day trial. Compare plans.

Office with a drafter

Studio, $29/mo

Save every pool project in one account, share the plan file with the office, and buy plan credits as jobs close. See Studio.

▶ Watch the lessonSite Plan for a Pool Permit: Pools and Round Features ▶ Watch the lessonHow to Draw a Fence Plan for a Permit ▶ Watch the lessonHow to Draw an Easement on a Site Plan

Pool builders FAQ

Does a pool need a permit?

An in-ground pool needs a permit nearly everywhere, and most jurisdictions also permit above-ground pools and spas above a set depth. The permit package almost always includes a site plan showing the pool's location and its distances to the property lines, the house and any easements, plus the barrier fence.

Are the setbacks measured from the water or from the pool deck?

Most ordinances measure to the water's edge, some to the coping or the deck. PlotForge measures the automatic setbacks from the pool's actual edge; if your office measures from the deck, draw the deck as hardscape and click its corner for a corner-to-line dimension.

Can I draw a free-form or kidney-shaped pool?

Yes. Pool draws ovals, circles and rectangles at the size you set; for a free-form shape, trace the outline by hand and the setbacks measure from the traced edge. Either way the pool shows its dimensions and its area.

How do I show the barrier fence and gates?

Click the fence tool along the barrier line. Each run shows its length and the fence-to-property-line callouts place themselves. Drop a pointer at each self-closing, self-latching gate with the note the office wants to read.

Can I include the manufacturer's pool drawing?

Yes. Upload the pool shell drawing, the barrier detail or the engineer's letter as a PDF or image and each becomes its own title-blocked sheet in the same multi-page permit PDF, indexed on the cover sheet.

Is a PlotForge™ site plan a survey?

No. The property lines are the recorded parcel lines from public records, drawn to scale over an aerial photo. That is what most building departments accept for a permit site plan, and it is not a boundary survey or an engineered drawing. If your office requires a sealed survey for this project, PlotForge can trace that recorded survey as the boundary and the sheet prints a notice saying so.

Does it work where I am?

PlotForge™ covers all 50 states and Washington, D.C.; the only exceptions in the country are named on the coverage page. It is also expanding into Canada, starting with select counties in Ontario and Alberta. The most reliable check is free: sign up, type the address, and watch the lot load.

Draw the pool permit site plan in minutes

Load the lot, drop the pool at its size, read the setbacks from the curve, fence it. Free for 30 days, no credit card required; a clean, permit-ready export is $29.

Start a Pool Site Plan Free → See Every Drawing Tool