Florida Commercial Pool Resurfacing: Permits, Notice of Resurfacing & Paperwork Checklist

The paperwork at a glance

For a public, HOA, condo, or hotel pool, resurfacing is treated as a repair or alteration of a regulated facility, not routine upkeep. In practice that means paperwork with two different agencies: the local building department (permits and inspections under the Florida Building Code) and the county health department (the Florida Department of Health, which permits and inspects public pools). Reviewed against official sources in October 2026.

Document or step	What it is	Goes to
Building permit (repair/alteration)	Authorizes the work. Resurfacing a pool interior to its original specifications is classed as a repair or alteration under Florida Building Code (FBC) Section 454.1.10.	City or county building department
Notice of Resurfacing	State form describing the project, contractor, and finish colors, with a building code checklist and an owner certification.	County health department (DOH)
DH 4157	Verification of entrapment safety features. Needed when suction outlet drain covers, sumps, or other anti-entrapment features are replaced.	County health department (DOH)
Reopening approval	Final building inspection, plus any health department inspection or approval required before the pool goes back into service.	Building department and DOH

Requirements vary by county and even by city, so the right first step is always to confirm with the building department that has jurisdiction over the property and with the county health department.

How the permit process usually runs

1. Confirm requirements locally. Ask the building department what it needs for a public pool resurfacing and ask the county health department whether it wants the Notice of Resurfacing and any other forms.
2. Pull the building permit. The licensed contractor applies, typically with the owner's authorization. Pools in a city with its own building department are permitted by that city, not the county.
3. File the Notice of Resurfacing with the county health department. State guidance asks contractors to submit it about two weeks before work starts on a public pool, and notes that the health department's sign-off on page two is very likely needed for the building department to issue the permit.
4. Do the work under inspection. Electrical and bonding items, such as underwater lights and ladder bonding, are inspected by the building authority.
5. Close out and reopen. Final building inspection and any required health department approval come before swimmers do. Broward's health department states that a modified pool needs an initial operating permit and a satisfactory operating inspection before it is used again.

Build this into your schedule. Paperwork lead time is a real part of how long the closure lasts. See our resurfacing timeline guide for the physical phases of the job.

The Notice of Resurfacing form, section by section

The state's Notice of Resurfacing of Public Swimming Pool is a two-page form issued by the Florida Department of Health under Rule 64E-9, F.A.C. It asks for:

• Facility and pool: project name, address, county, and the pool's DOH operating permit number.
• Owner: name and contact information for the owner (for an HOA or condo, the association).
• Building department: the department with jurisdiction over the property.
• Contractor: the contractor's name and certified pool contractor (CPC) license number.
• Building code compliance checklist: the resurfacing items listed in the next section.
• Colors: the pool interior finish color and the replacement tile color, written in.
• Owner certification: the owner or the owner's representative agrees to operate the pool under Chapter 514, Florida Statutes, and Chapter 64E-9, F.A.C., and to keep the pool compliant with FBC Section 454.1. If someone other than the owner signs, written authorization from the owner is attached.
• Health department section: a DOH engineer or authorized staff member marks the notice recommended for approval or denial and signs it.

Which version? The form has been revised over time, and the state now lists the resurfacing notification as voluntary guidance for DOH and building departments. Some county health offices still publish the 2019 form, and many building departments still want the signed notice. Always download the current version from your county health department's website, and confirm whether your local offices require it.

The building code checklist (FBC 454.1.10.1)

These are the items the notice's checklist covers. They are installed or corrected during the tile and fittings stage, so a contractor who only applies finish can't satisfy them alone.

Item	What the code requires
Gutter lip	Leveled to within 1/4 inch between the highest and lowest point. The downward slope from the lip to the drain is maintained as designed, or increased, up to new-construction standards.
Step markings	Tile step markings installed per FBC 454.1.2.5.3. Where code calls for "dark," that means a Munsell color value of 0 to 4. They must also be slip resistant.
Slope break	Where applicable, a slope break marking, with a safety line installed 2 feet before it.
Depth and NO DIVING markers	Installed per FBC 454.1.2.3.
Ladders	3 to 6 inches of clearance from the pool wall. Cross-braced ladders replace non-cross-braced ones. Equipotential bonding is inspected by the building authority.
Step risers	If resurfacing affects riser heights, no riser may exceed 12 inches and the intermediate risers must be made uniform.
Protruding step treads	Removed and replaced with a cross-braced ladder, or rebuilt to meet code.

The checklist on the form we reviewed (dated 12/30/2019) cites the 2020 edition of the code. Florida updates the Building Code on a cycle, so section numbers and details can change. Your building department enforces the edition currently in effect.

Finish color is regulated too

FBC Section 454.1.2.4 requires pool floors and walls to be white or light pastel and to reflect rather than absorb light. The interior finish must be a nonpigmented white cementitious binder with a sand or aggregate component, and the manufacturer's test results must show a dry lightness (CIE L) of 80.0 or greater and a wet luminous reflectance (CIE Y) of 50.0 or greater. The same color requirement applies to fiberglass, thermoplastic, and stainless steel pools.

That's why the notice asks you to write in the finish and tile colors. Before you fall in love with a color, ask the contractor for the finish manufacturer's test data showing it meets these values.

Drain covers and the anti-entrapment form

If suction outlet drain covers, sumps, or other anti-entrapment safety features are replaced during the project, the health department needs a completed DH 4157 under Section 514.0315, Florida Statutes. Replacing worn drain covers is a common part of a commercial resurfacing, so ask whether this form applies to your project. Drain covers should be certified to the current standard and rated for the system's flow, in line with the federal Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act. Ask for the product and its flow rating in writing.

What a complete resurfacing bid should cover

Paperwork is only one line on a good bid. When a board or property manager compares proposals, check that each contractor has priced the same scope. A complete commercial scope typically includes:

• Permits and fees, building and electrical, included in the price rather than passed through, plus health department coordination and any pre-reopening inspection.
• Equipment inspection with the pool running, before draining: pumps, filters, flow meter, chemical feed, valves, and anti-entrapment system, with a written report.
• Leak detection before draining: pressure testing of lines, with a written report of any leaks found, so repairs happen before the new finish goes on.
• Groundwater check and hydrostatic protection while the pool is empty.
• Drain and dechlorinate with discharge handled under local rules, with no untreated water to a lake, storm inlet, or landscaping.
• Surface prep: hydroblasting, undercutting at tile lines and fittings, sounding for hollow spots, and a bonding agent approved by the finish manufacturer.
• Fittings and safety items: new certified main drain covers, return fittings, underwater lights reset with new gaskets, waterline and step-edge tile, and depth and NO DIVING markers.
• The finish, with the product named, applied by a manufacturer-approved applicator.
• Refill and start-up under a Certified Pool Operator: brushing, chemistry within Chapter 64E-9 ranges, filter cleaning, and a daily log.
• Restoration of deck, pavers, landscaping, and irrigation disturbed by the work, and a written warranty.

Pricing the unknowns matters just as much. Hollow or delaminated finish, shell cracks, leaks in fittings, and dewatering can't be known until the pool is drained. Look for bids that state a unit price for each in advance, so surprises are billed at a number you agreed to before work started. Our cost guide and contractor guide go deeper on both.

Ask every bidder for the same supporting documents: their Florida DBPR license and local business tax receipt, a certificate of insurance, product data for the finish, tile, and drain covers, a written start-up procedure with the Certified Pool Operator's certificate, and commercial references.

Who to call to confirm local requirements

• Broward County: the Florida Department of Health in Broward County states that written approval from the building department must be obtained before a public pool is modified, and that a modified pool needs an initial operating permit and a satisfactory operating inspection before reuse. Its page doesn't address resurfacing specifically, so questions go to the environmental health office (BrowardEHChanges@FLHealth.gov).
• Palm Beach County: the Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County posts the Pool Resurfacing Notification form on its pools and spas page, and lists 561-450-1287 for questions.
• Building department: whichever city or county issues permits for the property's address. This is the office that issues the resurfacing permit and final inspection.

State-level resources: the Florida Department of Health public swimming pools page and Florida Administrative Code Chapter 64E-9.