Shade and sun
Where the afternoon shade falls matters more than most people expect.
Scottsdale, Arizona
Planning a new pool in Scottsdale
For homeowners who want a custom inground pool and want to understand the design, the city permit, and the build before they sign.
This is an independent referral guide. It connects homeowners with independent providers and may receive compensation. It is not a licensed contractor and it does not do the work.
The lot decides more than the catalog does
Scottsdale pools get built on everything from compact south Scottsdale lots to sloped desert parcels near the McDowell Mountains. The same shape can be easy on one and complicated on the other.
Before any shape talk, find your plat, your easements, and your HOA rules. The City of Scottsdale wants a site plan that shows setbacks, the access route, a staging area, and the pool fence, and it approves the pool plan only after the fence or wall plan. Those details often decide what is possible.
Easements
A pool, its deck, and its equipment cannot sit in an easement.
The barrier
Part of the permit, and required whether or not children live in the home.
Access
Side yard width decides what equipment can reach the backyard.
Where to start
Custom pool design
Shape, depth, shade, and how the pool sits against the view and the house. Design comes before any dig.
Read this servicePermits and engineering
What Scottsdale asks for before a pool permit is issued, and why the fence plan is part of it.
Read this serviceThe build, step by step
Design, permit, dig, steel, shell, plumbing and electrical, deck, interior finish, and startup.
Read this serviceAcross Scottsdale
Central master planned areas, gated golf communities, and desert lots each bring different questions.
Scottsdale service areaHow lots and rules change across the city.McCormick RanchCentral Scottsdale, established lots, association review.Gainey RanchGated golf community, smaller yards, strict review.North ScottsdaleDesert lots, ESL zoning, rock and slope.Local guidePermits, barriers, and NAOS in plain words.Common questionsPermits, cost factors, and how this guide works.
Quick answers
Is this a pool builder?
No. Scottsdale Pool Construction Guide is an independent referral site. It may be paid for an introduction. It does not build pools.
Does the city require a permit?
Yes. The City of Scottsdale says a pool permit is required to install a pool, and a new fence needs its own permit.
Will you tell me what a pool costs?
No. This guide does not publish prices. A builder can price a design after seeing the yard.
Tell us about the yard
Say which part of Scottsdale you are in, how big the backyard is, and whether you have an HOA or a NAOS easement.