Do you need a permit for a hot tub? Nine more cities and counties

Key facts

Sources: New Orleans electrical permit fees; Oklahoma City Ordinance 27,602 fee schedule; Louisville Metro permits and electrical permit; New Orleans swimming pool permit and electrical permit; Indianapolis permit guide; 675 IAC 14-4.4-222; Oklahoma City swimming pool checklist; Windsor building FAQ; Des Moines ISPSC ordinance; Des Moines chapter 26; MABCD electrical permit form and permit page; Albuquerque 2024 UAC; 14.5.2.18 NMAC; Boise Title 9 Chapter 1B; Boise pool and spa checklist; Idaho DOPL electrical FAQ; ICC on ISPSC 305. Checked October 24, 2026.

Louisville and New Orleans

Louisville Metro lists Pool/Spa Residential among the residential building permits in its Metro Business Portal and says owners may apply for building permits without a contractor license. Electrical work needs a permit before it starts. Homeowner electrical permits are limited to full-time occupants who will stay at least a year, and fines for unpermitted work run $1,000 and then $2,000. New Orleans requires a permit to build or alter any type of swimming pool, usually issued the same day after an analyst review with a Residential Swimming Pool Acknowledgment; in the Vieux Carré, the Vieux Carré Commission must approve first, with submittals at least two weeks before its hearing. New Orleans electrical permits must be pulled by licensed electricians. The city's electrical permit page sets the fee at a $40 application fee plus $3 per new circuit plus $0.30 per amp of service amperage, so an application listing one new circuit and 50 amps works out to $40 + $3 + $15, or $58. The permit lapses after six months of inactivity.

Indianapolis: contractor-pulled electrical and a state GFCI rule

Indianapolis says hot tubs need structural, improvement location and drainage permits, but an above ground tub 30 inches deep or less and 15 feet or less across needs no structural permit, and one 18 inches deep or less also needs no improvement location permit. Our Indianapolis hot tub permit guide covers setbacks and the cover or fence rule. The Indianapolis permit guide says electrical permits are pulled by a licensed contractor. Statewide, 675 IAC 14-4.4-222 replaces Chapter 42 of the residential code and applies to all hot tubs and spas, permanent or storable: equipment and cords must be GFCI protected, 125 volt 15 and 20 amp receptacles within 20 feet of a storable spa must be GFCI protected, and an indoor listed packaged spa may be cord connected with GFCI protection on a cord no longer than 15 feet.

Oklahoma City and Windsor

Oklahoma City's swimming pool checklist asks for the address and legal description, cost, maximum depth, square footage, type, a site plan with distances to property lines and structures, flood elevation, and whether the pool is heated. It calls for a fence at least 4 feet tall with self-closing, self-latching gates. The city's fee schedule, as amended by Ordinance 27,602 in 2024, lists a swimming pool, hot tub, fountain or spray grounds permit at $75 each, up from $38; the electrical permit for the spa circuit is separate. In Windsor, Connecticut, every pool, even temporary or storable, needs a building permit, plus an electrical permit for the wiring; the town counts any body of water able to exceed 24 inches deep or with a permanent recirculating system, and says pools and spas or hot tubs require permits.

Des Moines and Wichita

Des Moines adopted the 2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code with local amendments, covering hot tubs and spas along with in-ground, above-ground and on-ground pools, and its electrical code requires a permit before any electrical work. Under the ISPSC, a spa with a lockable ASTM F1346 safety cover is exempt from barrier sections 305.2 to 305.7. In Wichita and Sedgwick County, MABCD's electrical permit form lists hot tub circuits as a permit item. Homeowners doing their own work file a Homeowner Declaration Form and either name a licensed subcontractor for each trade or schedule the homeowner exam, for a fee.

Albuquerque and Boise: above-ground exemptions

Albuquerque's 2024 Uniform Administrative Code exempts prefabricated swimming pools accessory to IRC buildings that are less than 54 inches deep, hold no more than 5,000 gallons and are installed entirely above ground. New Mexico's homeowner rule requires the owner to do the work personally or with W-2 employees, or self-perform a significant portion, and any subcontractor must be licensed and pull their own permit. Boise's residential code exempts prefabricated pools no more than 4 feet deep; otherwise the Residential Swimming Pool and Spa permit is applied for online from the 426 landing page or in person at (208) 608-7070. Idaho homeowners may buy electrical permits only for a primary or secondary residence and its outbuildings, and if someone else does part of the work, that person must be a licensed contractor.

Before you order

Check your spa's depth, gallons and electrical rating against your city's numbers, and get the permit answer in writing. Our first hot tub permit guide covers Portland, Chicago, Columbus, Nashville and six more, and the disconnect and GFCI guide explains the wiring.

Related guides

• Hot tub permits and wiring in Anchorage, Fargo, Sioux Falls, Billings, Cheyenne and Charleston WV
• Do you need a permit for a hot tub? What 10 cities and counties require
• Indianapolis hot tub permits: the 30 inch and 15 foot rule
• Does a hot tub need a fence? Safety cover laws
• Hot tub disconnect and GFCI: the 5 foot rule
• Can you wire your own sauna or hot tub?

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a permit for a hot tub in Louisville?

Louisville Metro lists Pool/Spa Residential among its residential building permits in the Metro Business Portal, and says a permit is required before any electrical work. Homeowner electrical permits are for full-time occupants staying at least a year, and work without a permit draws $1,000 and then $2,000 fines.

Can I wire my own hot tub in New Orleans?

No. New Orleans says electrical permits must be obtained by licensed electricians, and a permit is needed to install, repair, replace or alter wiring other than bulbs and fuses. Electrical Inspections is at (504) 658-7145. The electrical permit fee is $40 plus $3 per new circuit plus $0.30 per service amp.

Does a hot tub need a permit in Oklahoma City?

Oklahoma City's swimming pool checklist asks for the address, cost, maximum depth, square footage, type, a site plan, flood elevation and whether it is heated, with a 4 foot fence and self-closing, self-latching gates. Call 405-297-2525 to ask how a portable spa is classified, or 405-297-2371 for the electrical code. The fee schedule lists the swimming pool or hot tub permit at $75 (Ordinance 27,602); the electrical permit is separate.

Is an above-ground spa exempt from a permit in Albuquerque?

Albuquerque's adopted Uniform Administrative Code exempts prefabricated swimming pools accessory to IRC buildings that are less than 54 inches deep, hold no more than 5,000 gallons and sit entirely above ground. The text says swimming pools, so ask Building Safety whether it covers a spa, and plan for an electrical permit either way.

Who can wire a hot tub in Wichita and Sedgwick County?

MABCD lists hot tub circuits as electrical permit items. A homeowner doing the work must file the Homeowner Declaration Form and either designate a licensed subcontractor or schedule the homeowner exam for each trade, for a fee.

Do Indiana hot tubs need GFCI protection?

Yes. Indiana's rule 675 IAC 14-4.4-222 replaces IRC Chapter 42 and applies to all hot tubs and spas, permanent or storable. Equipment and cords must be GFCI protected, and 125 volt 15 and 20 amp receptacles within 20 feet of a storable spa must be GFCI protected.

Does a safety cover replace a fence for a hot tub?

Under the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, a spa with a lockable safety cover meeting ASTM F1346 is exempt from the barrier sections 305.2 to 305.7. Des Moines has adopted the 2018 ISPSC with local amendments; check whether your city has adopted it.

Keep reading

Browse our hot tubs collection, see all guides, or ask us a question about your project.