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Atoka planning commission proposes new pool rules: backwash pits, entrapment protections and inspections
Summary
The Atoka planning commission presented a first-reading ordinance to regulate residential and commercial pools: revised backwash-pit standards, new entrapment-protection measures, alignment with state water-entry alarm requirements and a final inspection before issuing a certificate of occupancy.
The Atoka Board of Mayor and Aldermen heard a first reading April 14 of a proposed ordinance that would establish detailed regulations for swimming pools and related facilities, including new technical requirements for backwash pits, entrapment-protection standards, alarm rules and an expanded inspection process.
Jim Atkinson, the planning consultant who shepherded the code changes through the planning commission, told the board the proposal has four principal elements: (1) revised backwash-pit design standards with diagrams for contractors to reduce off-site discharge, (2) entrapment-protection rules that add accepted engineering options (for example, dual drains where required), (3) a shift to the Tennessee Code Annotated (TCA) water-entry alarm requirement and removal of a separate door-alarm mandate that the planning commission judged redundant, and (4) an added final inspection step to confirm compliance with drains, alarms, fencing and gates before a certificate of occupancy is issued.
Atkinson said the revised backwash-pit standard was developed with contractor input and should function better than the current requirement; he also noted the ordinance covers both below-ground and above-ground pools and applies at depths of 36 inches or more where specified. The measure passed its first consideration by unanimous roll-call vote; the board will return for a future second reading and final adoption.
Aldermen and staff asked technical questions about scope (confirmation that both above- and below-ground pools are covered) and the depth threshold; Atkinson and staff clarified the ordinance is intended to make compliance clearer for residents and builders while aligning town code with state requirements.
If adopted after subsequent readings, the ordinance would give building inspectors an expanded checklist and provide contractors with standardized design guidance intended to reduce off-site drainage and improve pool safety.
