North Aurora eyes rules for portable pools

North Aurora officials are considering whether portable aboveground swimming pools should be subject to the same rules as permanent pools.

The community development committee will discuss the matter at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday at the village hall, 25 E. State St.

The pools are available at toy, home improvement and general merchandise retailers. A 20-foot-diameter, 4-foot deep portable pool can be had for $549 at walmart.com, whereas an 18-foot, 4-foot deep permanent pool costs $1,999.

"We've had a lot of people putting them up over the last few years," said Scott Buening, the village's community development director, about why the matter is being discussed.

People putting up permanent pools have to obtain a building permit. Pools are considered accessory buildings, and the village only allows pools to be placed in rear yards. And by state law, all pools less than 4 feet tall must be fenced in. The village regulates where fencing may be installed. But people putting up portable pools haven't been putting up fences, Buening said. The fences are intended to keep children from getting in an unattended pool and drowning.

There are two types of portable pools. One is a flexible liner attached to an inflated ring; as water fills the pool, the ring rises. The others have metal frames to which a liner is attached. Manufacturers advertise that they can be set up and filled in about an hour, unlike traditional aboveground pools. Traditional pools usually have metal walls and support posts that are sunk several inches into the ground. Sometimes material such as sand is placed underneath the liner to provide a more even, comfortable pool bottom.