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Cost to Build a Pool in San Diego, CA: what the permits say

How much does it cost to build a pool in San Diego? The usual pool & spa job filed with San Diego is $51,300, from 498 priced permits (October 2023 through September 2026); the middle half of firms file between $46,006 and $60,420. A filed value is what the contractor wrote on the permit, not a quote or the final bill.

$51,300usual filed value
$46,006–$60,420middle half of firms' usual jobs
498priced permits (95% of 525)
133firms on file
244days, permit issue to final
Sep 2026records through

How much does it cost to build a pool in San Diego?

The usual pool & spa job filed with San Diego is $51,300, from 498 priced permits, October 2023 through September 2026. The middle half of firms usually file between $46,006 and $60,420. Half of jobs were filed for less, half for more. A filed value is what the contractor wrote on the permit, not a quote or the final bill. A pool & spa permit here usually takes 244 days from issue to final inspection. How long permits take →

What the spread looks like

Approximately, from each firm's own spread: every firm's range of filed values, weighted by its 498 priced permits across 132 firms, pooled into one. Half of San Diego pool & spa permits were filed between $35,100 and $71,300.

PercentileFiled valueReads as
10th$21,6001 in 10 permits filed below
25th$35,1001 in 4 filed below
50th$51,900the middle permit
75th$71,3001 in 4 filed above
90th$103,0001 in 10 filed above

By home value

Firms split into thirds by the usual value of the homes they work on, with each third's usual filed value weighted by permits. Home values: San Diego County assessed values (Prop 13, below market).

Firms working onUsual home valueUsual filed valueFirmsPermits
Lower thirdunder $1,190,398$44,46043158
Middle third$1,190,398–$1,999,900$54,94844238
Upper third$2,094,946 and up$53,80844127

Busiest firms and what they usually charge

Top 10 by permits in the last 12 months. Usual is each firm's middle filed value; middle half is the range its middle half of jobs were filed in. Busy is not the same as careful: pick what you value to build a list.

FirmPermitsLast 12 moUsualMiddle halfFinished
Crown US Inc dba San Diego Pools5420$38,589$31,207–$58,45388.6%
Premier Pools & Spa1916$57,684$49,447–$97,053—
Majestic Pools & Spas4115$48,849$42,345–$69,09698.2%
Zier Pools419$60,252$51,300–$69,57193.1%
Decamp Pools169$53,808$34,485–$77,4257 of 7
PRP Aquatics Inc508$88,806$53,694–$126,32998.9%
Mission Pools268$42,921$28,072–$65,85080.2%
Catalina Pools198$54,264$29,828–$65,83584.1%
OC Poolscapes88$26,733$13,680–$32,917—
Sunsplash Pools87$77,178$30,609–$103,740—

Why filed values run low or high

  • Job values exist only on building permits.
  • The 10 busiest firms usually file $53,808; the 121 firms with fewer than 10 permits usually file $51,300.
  • Firms working on the most expensive third of homes (usual home value $2,094,946 and up) usually file $53,808, against $44,460 for the least expensive third.
  • One permit type covers small and large jobs: 1 in 10 pool & spa permits is filed under $21,600 and 1 in 10 over $103,000, 5 times as much.

Is your quote normal? Compare it with 498 filed values

Line your quote up against the file. In San Diego, 1 in 10 pool & spa filed values sit under $21,600, the middle half between $35,100 and $71,300, and 1 in 10 over $103,000.

  • $134,000Above $103,000: higher than 9 in 10 filed values for this work in San Diego.
  • $51,300Right at the usual $51,300: in the middle of the file.
  • $15,100Below $21,600: lower than 9 in 10. Ask what the quote leaves out.

When to schedule a pool build in San Diego

San Diego files the fewest pool & spa permits in September (52 against an average month of 100) and the most in January (130). If you can choose, ask for quotes in a quiet month. We have no prices by month, so this is about crews' schedules, not a discount. When each trade is busiest in San Diego →

How these numbers are made

Source: City of San Diego Development Services approvals. The window is October 2023 through September 2026; a permit filed after that isn't here yet.

Usual is the middle permit: half were filed for less, half for more. Only permits with a filed value count; a value of $0 or none is left out.

The spread is approximate: we keep seven points of each firm's own range of filed values, not every permit, and pool them.

Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. How the records work in San Diego →

Common questions

  • How many quotes should I get for a pool & spa job in San Diego?At least three. In the permit record the middle half of San Diego pool & spa firms usually file between $46,006 and $60,420 a job, so two ordinary firms can sit 1.3 times apart and both be normal for San Diego. A third quote shows which one is the outlier. Filed values are what contractors wrote on permits, not quotes, so use them to judge the spread, not to price your own job.
  • What range is normal for pool & spa jobs in San Diego?Half of permits were filed between $35,100 and $71,300; 8 in 10 between $21,600 and $103,000. These are approximate, pooled from each firm's own spread.
  • How much do pool builders charge in San Diego?The usual pool & spa job is filed at $51,300; the middle half of firms usually file between $46,006 and $60,420. The 10 firms with the most permits in the last 12 months usually file $53,808, about the same as the usual. See every firm's usual job →
  • Why do prices I see online differ from $51,300?$51,300 is the construction value contractors wrote on San Diego permits. Online figures are usually all-in ranges whose scope you can't check (design, fees, site work), and our file mixes small and large jobs of this type in one number. Use the spread above to see where a quote sits.
  • Do bigger houses get bigger bills?In the file, yes for the firms: those working on the upper third of homes by value usually file $53,808, the lower third $44,460. That is firms, not single jobs.
  • Where does this data come from?City of San Diego Development Services approvals, read October 2026. How the records work in San Diego →

Pool & Spa cost in other cities: Nashville Orlando Raleigh Miami Honolulu Albuquerque Scottsdale Mesa Cape Coral Anaheim Elk Grove Marin County (unincorporated) Sacramento County (unincorporated)

Other job costs in San Diego: Remodel & Alteration · ADU (Companion Unit) · Addition · Damage Repair · New Home · Foundation & Seismic Retrofit · Patio Cover, Garage & Accessory Structure