Pool Permit Processing Time: Days From Application to Issue in 12 US Cities, 2019 to 2026

The short version

• In 2025, the median new residential pool permit took 70 days from application to issue in Austin, 67 in San Diego, 61 in Los Angeles and 59 in Cape Coral (City of Austin, City of San Diego, LADBS, City of Cape Coral).
• San Antonio issued its median pool permit 1 day after application in 2025, and 38.7% the same day (City of San Antonio).
• Across eight cities tracked since 2019, the median of city medians rose from 17 days in 2019 to a high of 52.8 days in 2023 and stood at 38.5 days in 2025 (PC&S analysis of city permit records).
• The share of pool permits issued within 30 days fell from 71.3% in 2019 to 37.7% in 2025, using the median across the same eight cities (PC&S analysis).
• Same-day pool permits disappeared in Los Angeles and San Diego in 2020: the same-day share fell from 32.2% to 0.0% in Los Angeles and from 29.2% to 0.0% in San Diego between Q1 and Q4 2020 (LADBS, City of San Diego).
• Applications filed in December took 17% longer than a typical month to be issued, measured as an index of 117 across eight cities for applications filed 2019 to 2023 (PC&S analysis).
• From January to August 2026, 6 of 11 jurisdictions issued pool permits faster than in the same months of 2025, led by New Orleans (38 to 19 days); San Diego slowed most (75 to 88 days) (PC&S analysis).

What the permit data shows

1. Austin, Texas had the longest median pool permit processing time of 12 jurisdictions in 2025 at 70 days, with 10% of permits taking 275 days or more (City of Austin).
2. Mesa, Arizona issued 88.4% of new pool permits within 30 days of application in 2025, with a median of 18 days (City of Mesa).
3. San Antonio, Texas had a median of 1 day from application to pool permit issue in 2025, and 98.3% of permits were issued within 30 days (City of San Antonio).
4. In 2025, 7 of 12 jurisdictions had a latest-full-year median of 35 days or less, and 4 of 12 (Austin, San Diego, Los Angeles and Cape Coral) were above 55 days (PC&S analysis).
5. All 8 cities tracked since 2019 had a longer median processing time in 2021 than in 2019; 6 of 8 were faster in 2025 than in 2021, yet 7 of 8 were still slower in 2025 than in 2019 (PC&S analysis).
6. San Diego, California pool permits went from a median of 1 day in 2019 to 114 days in 2022 and 67 days in 2025 (City of San Diego).
7. Los Angeles pool permits went from a median of 12 days in 2019 to 79 days in 2023 and 61 days in 2025 (LADBS).
8. In Los Angeles, the median pool permit issued in Q1 2020 took 6 days; by Q4 2020 it took 64 days (LADBS).
9. Raleigh, North Carolina pool permit volume rose 195.6% from 2019 to 2021 while its median processing time rose only 3 days, from 29 to 32 days (City of Raleigh).
10. Across eight cities, the rank correlation between the 2019 to 2021 rise in pool permit volume and the rise in median processing time was -0.19, so the cities with the biggest booms were not the ones that slowed most (PC&S analysis).
11. Pool permit applications filed from October to December took a pooled median of 53 days to issue, compared with 42 days for January to March, across eight cities for applications filed 2019 to 2023 (PC&S analysis).
12. New Orleans cut its median pool permit time from 38 days in January to August 2025 to 19 days in January to August 2026 (City of New Orleans).
13. Montgomery County, Maryland says a pool permit for an adequately prepared application may take up to 17 days (Montgomery County DPS); 12.6% of 2025 permits were issued within 17 days of application (county permit data).
14. In Orlando, Florida the median 2025 pool permit took 30 business days from application to issue, and 50.2% were issued within 30 business days (City of Orlando).
15. Recorded fees on 2025 new residential pool permits had a median of $546 in New Orleans and $392 in Raleigh (City of New Orleans, City of Raleigh).

How we measured pool permit processing time from city records

This report counts calendar days between the application date and the issue date recorded on each new residential in-ground pool permit. It uses the same permit universe as our pool permit count report, so the two can be read together.

We started from the 14 jurisdictions in our pool construction statistics report and kept the 12 that publish both an application date and an issue date on each permit. Las Vegas publishes only an issue date (City of Las Vegas) and Fort Worth only a filing date (City of Fort Worth), so both were dropped.

The analysis covers 36,403 new residential pool permits in scope. Of these, 35,931 have a valid duration; 472 (1.3%) were excluded because the application date was missing, came after the issue date, or sat more than 730 days before issue.

Pool permit processing time by city in 2025

The gap between the fastest and slowest jurisdictions is wide. Texas holds both ends: San Antonio issued its median pool permit in 1 day and Austin in 70 days in 2025.

In 2025, Austin’s median was 70 days, San Diego’s 67, Los Angeles’s 61 and Cape Coral’s 59 (City of Austin, City of San Diego, LADBS, City of Cape Coral). Austin’s median was 3.9 times Mesa’s 18 days (City of Mesa).

The slow tail matters as much as the median. In 2025, 10% of Austin pool permits took 275 days or more, and 10% of Los Angeles permits took 274 days or more. In Mesa, the 90th percentile was 34 days.

Did the 2021 pool boom slow pool permit processing time? Trend 2019 to 2025

Every one of the eight cities with records back to 2019 took longer to issue pool permits in 2021 than in 2019. Most have come down from their peak, but 7 of 8 were still slower in 2025 than in 2019.

The median of the eight city medians was 17 days in 2019, 29 in 2020, 45 in 2021, 40.5 in 2022, 52.8 in 2023, 41.8 in 2024 and 38.5 in 2025 (PC&S analysis). The share issued within 30 days, again the median across the eight cities, went from 71.3% in 2019 to 31.3% in 2021 and 37.7% in 2025.

Volume explains only part of it. Our pool construction statistics report found that new pool permits in nine Sun Belt cities rose 54.0% from 2019 to 2021 and fell 47.7% from 2021 to 2025 (PC&S Research Desk). Processing times did not fall back by the same proportion.

The rank correlation between the 2019 to 2021 volume change and the change in median days was -0.19 across the eight cities. Raleigh’s volume rose 195.6% while its median rose 3 days; San Diego’s volume rose 43.1% while its median rose 95 days.

The 2020 counter closures and the end of same-day pool permits in Los Angeles and San Diego

The steepest change in the data is a step, not a slope. In Los Angeles and San Diego, roughly a third of pool permits were issued the day of application until early 2020; by the end of 2020 almost none were.

In Los Angeles, 32.2% of pool permits issued in Q1 2020 were issued the day of application; in Q4 2020 the share was 0.0% and the median was 64 days, up from 6 days (LADBS). LADBS says it modified public counter operations in March 2020 and that drop-off screening “created inefficiencies” and “a prolonged response” (LADBS).

In San Diego, the same-day share fell from 29.2% in Q1 2020 to 0.0% in Q2 2020, and the median went from 5 days to 53 days (City of San Diego). From 4 May 2020 the city began accepting online submittals for all new projects (Times of San Diego).

Does the month you apply change pool permit processing time?

Most months sit close to a city’s typical time. The exception is the year-end: applications filed in November and December take longer, consistent with holiday closures falling inside the review window.

For 21,270 applications filed 2019 to 2023 in eight cities, the month index was 91 for January, 106 for November and 117 for December, where 100 is each city’s typical median (PC&S analysis). Pooled, October to December applications took a median of 53 days to issue, against 42 days for January to March and 43 days for both April to June and July to September.

Pool permit processing time in 2026 so far: January to August vs 2025

Comparing the same eight months in both years, more jurisdictions got faster than slower. The largest improvements came in New Orleans, Cape Coral and Nashville.

From January to August 2026, the median fell from 38 to 19 days in New Orleans (City of New Orleans), 58 to 40 days in Cape Coral (City of Cape Coral) and 42 to 28 days in Nashville (Metro Nashville). It rose from 75 to 88 days in San Diego (City of San Diego) and from 61 to 64.5 days in Los Angeles (LADBS).

Published permit deadlines compared with observed pool permit processing time

Florida and Texas set statutory clocks for building permit decisions, and some cities publish their own targets. Our measure is not a compliance test, because those clocks start at a complete application and pause for corrections, but the comparison shows how far typical owner waits sit from the published numbers.

• Florida: a local government must approve, approve with conditions or deny a complete and sufficient residential or accessory-structure application under 7,500 square feet within 30 business days, or reduce the permit fee by 10% for each business day late unless an exception applies (Florida Statutes s. 553.792). In 2025, Orlando’s median was 30 business days and Cape Coral’s 42 business days from application to issue; 50.2% and 33.1% respectively were issued within 30 business days (PC&S analysis).
• Texas: by the 45th day after an application, a municipality must grant or deny the permit, give written reasons for the delay, or agree a deadline with the applicant (Texas Local Government Code s. 214.904). In 2025, 24.1% of Austin and 98.6% of San Antonio pool permits were issued within 45 calendar days (PC&S analysis).
• Montgomery County, Maryland: up to 17 days to issue a pool permit for an adequately prepared application (Montgomery County DPS). The 2025 median was 35 days, 18 days longer, and 12.6% of permits were issued within 17 days (PC&S analysis).
• Mesa, Arizona: written comments or approval within 10 working days, counting Monday to Thursday (City of Mesa). The 2025 median from application to issue was 18 calendar days (PC&S analysis).

Why pool permits take longer in some cities

The data point to process design more than to pool demand. Cities where pool permits move through counter or express review show short medians; cities where most pool permits enter full plan review with correction cycles show long ones.

• Plan review cycles: LADBS says regular plan check plans are assigned within a few days and returned “within weeks depending on workload”, and an expedited review costs 50% more of the plan check fee (LADBS).
• Repeat designs: Montgomery County says permits for the same model pool built in other locations may be issued without building plan review (Montgomery County DPS). Florida sets a 12-business-day clock for site-specific permits issued under a master building permit (Florida Statutes s. 553.792).
• Incomplete applications: Florida requires local governments to tell applicants within 5 business days what is missing (Florida Statutes s. 553.792); Austin deems an application abandoned if it is not pursued or issued within 180 days of filing (City of Austin).
• Timing: applications filed in December took 17% longer than a typical month across eight cities, 2019 to 2023 (PC&S analysis).

For barrier rules that pool plans must show, see pool fence laws by state. For who may pull a pool permit, see pool contractor license requirements.

Measures we built from the data

Download the calculation sheet (CSV)

Latest data in this edition

• 2026-10First edition. Permit records pulled 3 to 5 October 2026; complete through August 2026 in all 11 jurisdictions with 2026 data.
• 2026-08January to August 2026: 6 of 11 jurisdictions issued pool permits faster than in January to August 2025; San Diego (+13 days) slowed most.
• 2025-01Cape Coral, Florida published permit layer starts in January 2025; its 2025 median was 59 days, falling to 40 days in January to August 2026.

Quick answers

Questions and answers

How we graded sources

Tier 1: primary and government sources (25)

• City of Austin: Issued Construction Permits (3syk-w9eu)
• LA Department of Building and Safety: Building and Safety: Building Permits Issued from 2020 to Present (pi9x-tg5x)
• LA Department of Building and Safety: Building and Safety: Building Permits Issued Between 2010 and 2019 (dyxf-7hc4)
• City of San Diego Development Services: Development Permits (approvals issued file and data dictionary)
• City of Orlando: Permit Applications (ryhf-m453)
• City of Mesa: Building Permits (dzpk-hxfb)
• City of New Orleans: Permits (rcm3-fn58)
• City of Raleigh: Building Permits (ArcGIS feature service)
• Montgomery County Government, Maryland: Residential Permit (m88u-pqki)
• City of San Antonio: Building Permits: Permits Issued and data dictionary
• City of Baton Rouge / Parish of East Baton Rouge: EBR Building Permits (7fq7-8j7r)
• Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County: Building Permits Issued (ArcGIS feature service)
• City of Cape Coral: Building Permits (OpenData MapServer layer 1)
• The Florida Senate: Florida Statutes s. 553.792, Building permit application to local government (2025)
• LA Department of Building and Safety: New LADBS Submittal and Verifications Procedures
• LA Department of Building and Safety: Regular Plan Check
• LA Department of Building and Safety: Code Enforcement Bureau Fees Explained
• City of Mesa: Residential Construction (building permit and plan review)
• Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services: Residential Swimming Pool
• Metro Nashville Codes and Building Safety: Building Permits Central: Residential Pool Permitting Instructions
• City of Orlando: Residential Swimming Pool and Spa Checklist
• City of San Antonio Development Services: Residential Swimming Pool or Spa Permit Application
• City of Austin: International Swimming Pool and Spa Code: proposed adoption and local amendments
• City of Las Vegas: Building Permits (OpenData_Building_Permits_, checked for date fields; not used)
• City of Fort Worth: CFW Open Data Development Permits (checked for date fields; not used)

Tier 2: trade bodies, public companies, market research (2)

• FindLaw (reproducing the Texas statute): Texas Local Government Code s. 214.904, Time for Issuance of Municipal Building Permit (text current as of 1 January 2026)
• PC&S Research Desk: Pool Construction Statistics: New Pool Permits in 14 US Markets, 2015 to 2026

Tier 3: journalism and expert commentary (1)

• Times of San Diego: City of San Diego Pivots to Electronic Permitting During COVID-19 Pandemic (27 April 2020)

Sources

1. City of Austin. Issued Construction Permits (3syk-w9eu). Accessed 2026-10-03.
2. LA Department of Building and Safety. Building and Safety: Building Permits Issued from 2020 to Present (pi9x-tg5x). Accessed 2026-10-05.
3. LA Department of Building and Safety. Building and Safety: Building Permits Issued Between 2010 and 2019 (dyxf-7hc4). Accessed 2026-10-05.
4. City of San Diego Development Services. Development Permits (approvals issued file and data dictionary). Accessed 2026-10-05.
5. City of Orlando. Permit Applications (ryhf-m453). Accessed 2026-10-05.
6. City of Mesa. Building Permits (dzpk-hxfb). Accessed 2026-10-03.
7. City of New Orleans. Permits (rcm3-fn58). Accessed 2026-10-03.
8. City of Raleigh. Building Permits (ArcGIS feature service). Accessed 2026-10-03.
9. Montgomery County Government, Maryland. Residential Permit (m88u-pqki). Accessed 2026-10-03.
10. City of San Antonio. Building Permits: Permits Issued and data dictionary. Accessed 2026-10-05.
11. City of Baton Rouge / Parish of East Baton Rouge. EBR Building Permits (7fq7-8j7r). Accessed 2026-10-03.
12. Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. Building Permits Issued (ArcGIS feature service). Accessed 2026-10-03.
13. City of Cape Coral. Building Permits (OpenData MapServer layer 1). Accessed 2026-10-03.
14. The Florida Senate. Florida Statutes s. 553.792, Building permit application to local government (2025). Accessed 2026-10-05.
15. FindLaw (reproducing the Texas statute). Texas Local Government Code s. 214.904, Time for Issuance of Municipal Building Permit (text current as of 1 January 2026). Accessed 2026-10-05.
16. LA Department of Building and Safety. New LADBS Submittal and Verifications Procedures. Accessed 2026-10-05.
17. LA Department of Building and Safety. Regular Plan Check. Accessed 2026-10-05.
18. LA Department of Building and Safety. Code Enforcement Bureau Fees Explained. Accessed 2026-10-05.
19. Times of San Diego. City of San Diego Pivots to Electronic Permitting During COVID-19 Pandemic (27 April 2020). Accessed 2026-10-05.
20. City of Mesa. Residential Construction (building permit and plan review). Accessed 2026-10-05.
21. Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services. Residential Swimming Pool. Accessed 2026-10-05.
22. Metro Nashville Codes and Building Safety. Building Permits Central: Residential Pool Permitting Instructions. Accessed 2026-10-05.
23. City of Orlando. Residential Swimming Pool and Spa Checklist. Accessed 2026-10-05.
24. City of San Antonio Development Services. Residential Swimming Pool or Spa Permit Application. Accessed 2026-10-05.
25. City of Austin. International Swimming Pool and Spa Code: proposed adoption and local amendments. Accessed 2026-10-05.
26. City of Las Vegas. Building Permits (OpenData_Building_Permits_, checked for date fields; not used). Accessed 2026-10-03.
27. City of Fort Worth. CFW Open Data Development Permits (checked for date fields; not used). Accessed 2026-10-03.
28. PC&S Research Desk. Pool Construction Statistics: New Pool Permits in 14 US Markets, 2015 to 2026. Accessed 2026-10-05.