Inground pools in Barberton, Ohio

O.C. Barber founded Barberton in 1891 and moved Diamond Match manufacturing there a few years later. The town grew so fast it earned the nickname the Magic City. Lake Anna, named for Barber's daughter, sits in the middle of the original village, and the city had 25,191 people at the 2020 census on about 9 square miles. Wolf Creek, which forms the Barberton Reservoir that supplies the city's water, and the Tuscarawas River both run through the area.

Lot sizes vary a lot across a city that grew that quickly around its mills. Before suggesting a pool, the first thing to check is your lot area and the 5 percent math, because that number tells us which shells are even on the table.

Table 1140B of the Barberton Development Code limits a residential pool to 5 percent of the lot area. Some rough numbers, using a shell's outside length and width:

• A 7,500 square foot lot allows about 375 square feet of pool. A Liberty Enrichment at 9 by 17 or a Dignity at 10 by 20 fits. A Hero at 12 by 26 comes in close to the line.
• A 10,000 square foot lot allows about 500 square feet, which opens up shells like the Victory at 11 by 22 and the Anthem at 14 by 30.
• To fit a 16 by 40 model like the Devotion or the Virtuous, you need roughly 12,800 square feet of lot.

We confirm with the Building Department exactly how it measures pool area before the design is final. The good news is that pools are left out of the 30 percent rear yard coverage cap that applies to sheds and garages, so the deck and patio around the pool are a separate question.

Barberton's ground changes block by block. Many of the points we sampled in the USDA soil survey came back as Chili, a well drained soil in gravelly glacial outwash, and those digs usually go well. Canfield silt loam, on the till uplands, has a dense fragipan 15 to 30 inches down and a perched water table from November to April.

The low areas are a different story. Sebring silt loam formed in old lake sediments, and the USDA puts its seasonal water table anywhere from 6 inches above the surface to 9 inches below it from October to June, with frequent ponding in heavy rain and snowmelt. Fitchville, nearby, is somewhat poorly drained. On those lots we plan for dewatering and for how water will get away from the pool once it is in.

Then there is the industrial side of the city's history. Parts of Barberton map as urban land, meaning ground that has been graded and built over, and one of our sample points came back as a map unit the USDA calls Udorthents, chemical waste. That is not typical of a residential back yard, but it is a reason we look at the site, and dig a test hole if the history is unclear, before quoting.

Section 1140.01 sends pools to Tables 1140A and 1140B of the Development Code. Table 1140D prohibits residential pools in the front, corner side and interior side yards in the RS, RT and RA districts, and the city's pool handout reads that as rear yard only. The setbacks are 10 feet from any lot line and 10 feet from the house or any other accessory building.

The fence has to be at least 5 feet high, around the pool or around the entire lot. That is taller than the 4 foot minimum common across Northeast Ohio. Back and interior side yard fences can go up to 6.5 feet, solid or open. Chain link has to be galvanized and is allowed only in rear and interior side yards, and where a fence runs along a building wall, it must stay at least 3 feet off it.

The Development Code doesn't spell out gate or latch details for pool fences. Ohio's residential code dropped its own pool section, so there is no statewide rule filling that gap. We build gates that close and latch on their own anyway, and we confirm the gate detail with the Building Department when we submit.

Barberton runs its own Building Department on West Park Avenue, and pool work goes there, not to the County of Summit. A building permit application goes in with a plot plan showing where the pool sits and how far it is from each property line. Pool contractors have to be registered with the city, and applications can be filed through the city's online portal. The building permit doesn't cover the electrical work, which needs its own permit, and running a gas line to a heater needs a plumbing permit. Electric and gas can share a trench if they are 36 inches apart, and the trench is inspected before it is backfilled.

The fence permit has a twist. For most fences, the city wants a pin survey by a licensed surveyor with the plot plan. The exceptions are ornamental fences 4.5 feet or lower and fences where every adjoining owner gives written approval. A 5 foot pool fence is taller than that, so plan on the survey or the neighbors' signatures.

On most Barberton lots we recommend a Liberty fiberglass pool sized to the 5 percent rule. Our installed packages start at $68,400 for the Dignity and Enrichment and include Pentair LED lights, a variable-speed pump, a DE filter, a pool heater and a 4 foot concrete deck. The 5 foot fence, the survey, extra patio, spoils haul-off, dewatering on wet lots and the power run from your panel are priced separately. ICF concrete lets us build an exact size when a standard shell lands just over the limit, and Latham vinyl liner pools come in custom sizes too. Financing is available through lenders such as PoolLoan.net and HFS Financial.

Barberton is about 21 miles from our Ravenna shop. We also build in Akron, Copley, Wadsworth, Fairlawn and Canal Fulton.