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[h=3]Summer citations resulted in no fines[/h]By Jason Babcock Staff Writer
Portable pools in St. Mary’s County will no longer need building permits, the county commissioners decided Tuesday after dozens of residents found themselves cited for noncompliance last summer.
There were about 35 cases at the St. Mary’s County Department of Land Use and Growth Management of households that put up a portable pool without a permit or the pool was not within safety compliance, based on the International Residential Code.
Those citations were set aside after several residents complained about the enforcement at an August public forum in Valley Lee. No fines were ever issued, said Phil Shire, director of land use and growth management.
Small, above-ground portable pools will no longer be required to get the one-time permit, which cost $51 for those on a well and $31 for those on central water. In-ground pools will still require permits and all pools will still have to adhere to safety requirements listed in the building code, such as barriers around the pool.
Department policy says that if a portable pool has a four-foot wall, it suffices as a barrier, Shire said. The provisions of the St. Mary’s County Electrical Code are still applicable for the installation of pool filter systems.
In the Chesapeake Bay Critical Areas, land within 1,000 feet of tidal waters, there may still be an environmental permit required for a portable pool, Shire said.
The requirement for setbacks of a pool from property lines will still be addressed, he told the commissioners, but “we are not going to call out the troops” for enforcement, unless there is a complaint from a neighbor.
“There still be may some minor scuffles here and there, but there always are,” Shire said.
Neighborhood complaints instigated the wave of citations this summer, he said. It was not the department going out to look for problems, he said.
Commissioner Larry Jarboe ® said he was pleased the permit issue has been resolved. “I’m glad to see it’s happened in a reasonable fashion.”
jbabcock@somdnews.com
Portable pools in St. Mary’s County will no longer need building permits, the county commissioners decided Tuesday after dozens of residents found themselves cited for noncompliance last summer.
There were about 35 cases at the St. Mary’s County Department of Land Use and Growth Management of households that put up a portable pool without a permit or the pool was not within safety compliance, based on the International Residential Code.
Those citations were set aside after several residents complained about the enforcement at an August public forum in Valley Lee. No fines were ever issued, said Phil Shire, director of land use and growth management.
Small, above-ground portable pools will no longer be required to get the one-time permit, which cost $51 for those on a well and $31 for those on central water. In-ground pools will still require permits and all pools will still have to adhere to safety requirements listed in the building code, such as barriers around the pool.
Department policy says that if a portable pool has a four-foot wall, it suffices as a barrier, Shire said. The provisions of the St. Mary’s County Electrical Code are still applicable for the installation of pool filter systems.
In the Chesapeake Bay Critical Areas, land within 1,000 feet of tidal waters, there may still be an environmental permit required for a portable pool, Shire said.
The requirement for setbacks of a pool from property lines will still be addressed, he told the commissioners, but “we are not going to call out the troops” for enforcement, unless there is a complaint from a neighbor.
“There still be may some minor scuffles here and there, but there always are,” Shire said.
Neighborhood complaints instigated the wave of citations this summer, he said. It was not the department going out to look for problems, he said.
Commissioner Larry Jarboe ® said he was pleased the permit issue has been resolved. “I’m glad to see it’s happened in a reasonable fashion.”
jbabcock@somdnews.com
