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For the installation of an above-ground pool administrative consent is required if any of the following apply:

• Swimming pool is more than 10 m²;
• Installed within 3 metres of the limits of your property;
• Installed for a period of more than 3 months in the year (15 days in a protected zone).

Where consent is needed you will need to submit a works declaration (déclaration préalable de travaux) before it is installed.

The regulations that apply depend primarily on the size of the pool.

Pool of less than 10m2

An in-ground pool less than 10m2 does not, in principle, require any administrative consent.

However, this exemption does not apply if the property is located in a protected area (site classé/zone protégé), and particular conditions may also apply if the property is in an area where a formal local plan (Plan Local d’Urbanisme - PLU) is in place. Check with your local council.

Pool between 10m2 and 100m2

For swimming pools with a pool area of between 10 and 100m2, before construction starts applicants are required to submit a works declaration.

Where the pool has a cover higher than 1.8m, then a full planning application is required.

The 3-metre boundary rule applies in all cases. The local plan may impose more stringent distance requirements.

Tom Easdown, of planning and architectural consultants French Plans comments that: "More and more planning departments and communes are insisting that pools be within a certain distance of the property - usually 10m but sometimes more. This can have an effect on placement of the pool within the plot."

Th works declaration must be displayed on the property. It must remain there for the duration of the construction of the pool and be visible to passers by.

Pool houses, showers and pool enclosures are also subject to rules, often regarding size and materials, which could require a building permit.

There are safety requirements that must be respected, which involves either the installation of a fence, an alarm or a cover.

The construction or installation of a swimming pool has consequences for your local property rates (taxe foncière/taxe d'habitation), as it leads to an increase in the rental value of the property, which is used as a basis for the determination of your rates bill

The rule applies if the swimming pool, whether in-ground, semi-in-ground or above-ground, cannot be moved without being demolished. It constitutes an element of built amenity forming an outbuilding which must be taken into account for the establishment of the local taxes.

Inflatable or tubular or kit swimming pools are not included in the establishment of these local taxes.

The declaration must be filed to the tax department no later than 90 days after completion of the work Cerfa form n°6704 at the tax office in the department where the property is located.

Separately, if a works declaration is required, there is also a liability for the local planning taxes, called the taxe d'aménagement.

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