Inground pools in Hartville, Ohio

The Village of Hartville is a small incorporated village inside Lake Township. The 44632 mailing address covers far more than the village limits, including homes near Quail Hollow Park on Congress Lake Avenue and out toward the township's muck farms. Lake Local Schools serves most of both. Before we design anything, we confirm on the county records whether your parcel is in the village or the township, because the paperwork and the setbacks change with it.

In the village, single-family lots in the residential district start at 15,000 square feet with 100 feet of width, a 40 foot rear yard and 10 foot side yards. Township lots vary more, from subdivision lots to acreage along the farm roads.

Section 4.15 of the Village of Hartville zoning code covers pools and spas:

• The wall of an inground pool or spa must be at least 6 feet from the rear and side property lines and at least 10 feet from any street.
• All pools and spas go in the rear yard.
• Any pool 24 inches or deeper needs an enclosure at least 4 feet high around the pool area.
• Every gate must be self-closing and self-latching, with the latch at least 4 feet off the ground.

The village caps fences at 6 feet in the rear yard and 4 feet in the side yard, so a tall privacy fence that wraps past the corner of the house has to step down.

Paperwork in the village is local. The village zoning department issues zoning permits, and its permit list names inground pools. The village's residential building department then issues the building and electrical permits and inspects the work with state-certified inspectors. Contractors have to register with the village before any permit is issued, which we take care of. The village's permit packet says a pool needs only a final inspection, and it sets a 38 inch minimum depth for deck and post footings, which we build to for any deck or structure around the pool. Plumbing goes through the Stark County Health Department.

Outside the village, the Lake Township zoning resolution governs. Its accessory structure table puts pools, hot tubs and spas at least 10 feet from side and rear lot lines, and Section 405.D adds the safety rules:

• Every inground pool needs a township zoning certificate.
• The pool must be entirely surrounded by a wall or fence at least 48 inches high, and access must go through self-closing, self-latching gates or doors.
• No pool can be filled with water until a permanent fence and gate are complete. A temporary fence that meets the same standard is allowed for up to 60 days.
• Chlorinated water has to be disposed of in line with the township's stormwater discharge rules.

That fill rule shapes a fiberglass schedule. We fill a fiberglass shell while we backfill it, so the water inside balances the soil outside. In Lake Township we either have the permanent fence ready or put up a compliant temporary fence before the shell arrives, then finish the permanent one within the 60 days.

Building and electrical permits for township homes come from the Stark County Building Department on Whipple Avenue in Canton, which administers the county and state building codes. We get the township certificate in hand first, then file with the county.

Hartville's farm history comes from its soil. Some of the flat ground around the village was once lakes, bogs and swamps, and it left thick black organic soil that growers have farmed for lettuce, radishes and onions for generations. When we sampled the USDA soil survey around Hartville, Carlisle muck and Willette muck came up alongside Luray silt loam on the old lake plain, with Wooster and Chili silt loams on the rises.

Those soils behave very differently. Carlisle muck is organic material formed in depressions, very poorly drained, with a water table that the USDA puts between 2 feet above the surface and 1 foot below it from September to June. Luray and Willette are also very poorly drained. Organic soil compresses under load, and a pool shell needs firm, stable ground around and beneath it. On the higher Wooster and Chili ground, which is well drained, a pool goes in like anywhere else. If your yard sits in a muck pocket, we will say so plainly, look for a better spot on the lot, and talk through what building there would really involve.

On solid ground, our usual recommendation is a fiberglass pool from Liberty Composites. It installs quickly, needs little finish upkeep, and a smooth one-piece shell holds up well through Ohio freeze and thaw. Owners who want a custom shape or a spa built in often choose an ICF concrete pool, whose insulated walls keep the water warmer into September. Latham vinyl liner pools are the budget-friendly custom option. Many Hartville families add a patio or outdoor kitchen, which we design with the pool so the drainage works as one system.

Fiberglass packages start at $68,400 installed and include the shell, Pentair lighting, pump, filter and heater, a 4 foot concrete deck and the equipment hookup. The rest depends on the site: the required fence, a bigger patio, hauling away spoils, pumping water out of a wet dig, and the electrical run from your panel to the equipment. We price all of it up front and can set you up with lenders we work with, including PoolLoan.net and HFS Financial.

Hartville is a straightforward drive south from Ravenna. We also build in Uniontown, Green, Louisville, Tallmadge and Alliance, so neighbors across northern Stark County get the same crew and the same planning.