STATE LICENSE
ConditionalColorado Department of Public Health and …
There is no state pool trade license in Colorado. What exists instead is the Swimming Pools and Mineral Baths regulation, 5 CCR 1003-5, which regulates the facility rather than the contractor. Its operating rule is unambiguous: the owner or operator of each public or semi-public pool shall have on staff or under contract, for each facility, a current Certified Pool Operator, an Aquatic Facility Operator, an NSPI Tech I or another approved certification — and shall keep a written operating record of disinfectant levels, pH, calcium hardness, total alkalinity, flow meter readings, temperatures, balance calculations and respirator and gas canister checks, with at least one daily chemistry reading taken manually rather than from an electronic readout.
Construction is regulated the same way. At least thirty days before constructing, extending, enlarging, remodeling or modifying a public swimming area, complete plans and specifications with piping layout, equipment and mechanical specifications and design calculations go to the state for review, which may redirect them to the municipality. The professional consultation, evaluation, planning, design, surveying and supervision of construction must be performed by a Registered Professional Engineer, the owner notifies the state at the start and completion of the pool, and the facility may not be placed in use until everything is installed, operable and approved.
The state sets the license floor; the county or city permit office controls filing, inspections, and local rules wherever the job site sits.
Pool work is split between a state health regulation that governs the facility and a municipal licensing system that governs the builder. The state side is CDPHE: plan review at least thirty days before work, a Registered Professional Engineer behind the design, notification at start and completion, written as-built certification, no use before approval, and a Certified Pool Operator on staff or under contract at every public or semi-public facility with a daily written operating record. The regulation also lets the state redirect plans to the municipality, and expressly does not prohibit a municipality from requiring its own copy — and since December 15, 2020 certain local entities may apply the Model Aquatic Health Code and locally adopted pool and spa construction standards where they conflict. The building side is purely local: Aurora licenses Swimming Pool Contractors on registration plus three years of documented experience at $131 supervisor and $164 license; Denver issues a Swimming Pools supervisor certificate inside Specialty Class D at $60 with a $250 license; Pikes Peak names swimming pools among the single-trade examples in Building Contractor D with $1,000,000/$2,000,000 liability. Electrical bonding and lighting always come back to a state-licensed electrician.
The local offices section below names the exact permit desk for every Colorado county on file.
Each row names the issuing authority, cost, timeline, citation, and status behind the requirement — verified against the official source.
Published fees from the issuing authorities, as of September 2026. Local permit fees vary by project and jurisdiction — the basis is stated where a flat number does not exist.
The regulation reaches public and semi-public pools. Backyard residential pools are governed by the local building and electrical code and the city's pool contractor license, not by 5 CCR 1003-5's operator and plan-review rules.
Amendments adopted in October 2020, effective December 15, 2020, authorize certain local entities to use the Model Aquatic Health Code, 3rd Edition, and locally adopted pool and spa construction standards where the standards and the MAHC conflict.
At least one of the daily pool chemistry readings must be taken manually rather than from an electronic readout, and the regulation states a preference that it be the first reading of the day.
A practical sequence for a new pool service contractor in Colorado. Actual agency processing times are noted in the ledger above.
Each item names the issuing authority, cycle, and citation.
Statutory consequences with their citations — not estimates, not “commonly cited” guesses.
A public or semi-public pool shall not be placed in use until all facilities necessary for compliance with the regulation are installed and operable and approved by the state.
The water must have sufficient clarity at all times that the grate openings on the main drain are clearly visible from the deck; failure to meet this requirement is grounds for immediately closing the pool.
There is no state pool trade license, so the exposure is municipal: Aurora, Denver and the Pikes Peak region each require their own credential before a permit issues.
Inside city limits, the city office listed here issues the permit; the county office serves unincorporated areas. Every office links to its official page.
Every fact in this file was checked against these official sources on September 2026.
Pending verification: Whether applying algaecides or other EPA-registered pool chemicals for hire brings a pool service company inside the commercial applicator definition of the Pesticide Applicators' Act — confirm the scope with the Department of Agriculture before relying on an exemption · Current CDPHE plan review fee amounts for public swimming area submissions · Which local entities have adopted the Model Aquatic Health Code option available since December 15, 2020 · Aurora and Pikes Peak pool license renewal terms, which are not stated on the fee and license-type pages
General information, not legal advice. Always confirm requirements, deadlines, and forms with the issuing authority before filing or contracting.
Store licenses, permits, policies, and renewal dates in one place.