Inground pools, Evanston
Inground pools in Evanston, IL
Evanston allows backyard pools, but only in the rear yard and only with 10 feet clear on every side. On a deep Ridge lot that is workable. On a 40 foot lot it rarely is.
- Permits
- City of Evanston Building and Development Services Division (Community Development Department)
- Contractor registration
- Evanston requires every contractor working under a permit to be registered with the City before the permit is issued, with proof of insurance and, for state regulated trades, a copy of the state licence. Source
- ZIP codes served
- 60201, 60202
Where a pool can go
The zoning code lists swimming pools as a rear yard accessory use in residential districts, no closer than 10 feet to any property line. Side yards and front yards are out. Detached accessory structures together may cover no more than 40 percent of the rear yard, and never push the lot past its coverage limit. Use is limited to the people who live in the house and their guests.
The impervious surface sum
A pool counts as impervious surface along with the house, garage, driveway, walks and patios. The cap is 45 percent of the lot in R1, 55 percent in R2 and 60 percent in R3. On a 7,200 square foot R1 lot that is 3,240 square feet of hard surface in total. The house, a garage off the alley and the driveway use up a good share of that before any pool, so we measure before we draw anything.
Which Evanston lots work
The Ridge district nomination puts the average lot there at about a quarter acre, with generous setbacks, and Lakeshore has lots approaching two acres along the lake. Those can take a pool. South Evanston is different. The Oakton district lots are 4,375 to 8,525 square feet, many 40 feet wide. Ten feet off each side leaves 20 feet, before the coverage sum, so a full size pool is usually not realistic there.
Permits, fences and digging
Only small prefabricated pools no more than 24 inches deep, holding no more than 1,200 gallons and installed entirely above ground skip the building permit. An inground pool needs one and is reviewed under the 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, which Evanston has adopted. The pool fence needs its own certificate of zoning compliance, and the City allows five business days for zoning review on fence permits. Excavation near a property line requires a temporary construction fence, inspected before the permit is issued.
Historic districts and neighbours
In the Lakeshore, Ridge and Northeast Evanston districts, permitted exterior work visible from a street, alley or sidewalk needs a Certificate of Appropriateness, and alleys count. A pool house or fence seen from the alley may need review. Digging and construction are limited to 7am to 7pm on weekdays and 8am to 5pm on Saturdays, which your neighbours will appreciate.
What the work looks like
How the job goes, stage by stage.
Illustrative photos of each stage, so you can see what the weeks look like.
Can I put a pool in my side yard in Evanston?
No. The zoning code allows private pools in rear yards only, and at least 10 feet from every property line.
Does a pool count against my lot coverage in Evanston?
It counts toward the impervious surface limit, which is 45 percent of the lot in R1, 55 percent in R2 and 60 percent in R3, together with the house, garage and paving.
Free walkthrough
Inground pools in Evanston.
We look at what you want to change, tell you what the house and the town will allow, and roughly what it involves. Nothing to sign.
Call (773) 900-4815