Pools & Water Attractions

Announcements

The Wisconsin Department of Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) has revised ATCP 76: Safety, Maintenance and Operation of Public Swimming Pools in order to clarify the code, adapt to new technologies and best practices, eliminate the need for some variances, and to align with language used in other recreation codes. 

The code formally went into effect on September 24th, 2023 but an educational approach will be taken for the first year to allow facility operators to get used to the new code. 

DATCP has provided detailed information regarded changes including recorded webinars.

Program Services - Public Swimming Pools

We are contracted by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection to license and inspect public pools and water attractions. Licenses can be issued to individuals, partnerships, corporations or other legal entities. A public pool does not include an inflated movable pool; an individual therapeutic pod, tub or bath; a pool that serves fewer than 3 individual residences; or a pool that is used solely for animal training, therapy, or exercise and the only individuals in the pool are the animal trainer/handler, animal health or wellness professional or the animal's individual owner. 
 

License types

  • Pool - A structure, basin, chamber, or tank used for wading, swimming, diving, water recreation or therapy such as an exercise pool, mobile pool, whirlpool or cold soak pool.
  • Water Attraction - A pool with design and operational features that provide a patron recreational activity other than conventional swimming that involves partial or total immersion of the body, including an activity pool, interactive play attraction, leisure river, plunge pool, vortex pool, vanishing edge pool, waterslide, run-out slide, drop slide, pool slide, wave pool, zero-depth entry pool, and any public pool with features except wading pools. 
  • Water attraction, with up to two slides or waterslides per basin - Any of the previously listed types of pools are converted to this category if a waterslide is present. A waterslide is a slide where a water flow of greater than 100 gallons/minute is intended to carry a rider down a flume.  There is a charge for each additional slide over two. 

Prerequisites for New Pool Construction

Before building a new public pool, the operator must contract a Wisconsin registered engineer to design and submit plans to the Department of Safety and Professional Services for review. After approval is granted and construction is complete our department will begin the licensing process. Visit our New Operator Guidelines page for more information on our licensing process. 

Pools must be constructed to meet SPS 390 - Design & Construction of Public Swimming Pools & Water Attractions

Operator Monthly Reporting Forms

  • Pools with controllers
  • Pools without controllers
  • Whirlpools with controllers
  • Whirlpools without controllers

Factsheets

Administrative Codes

Application

Reports & Forms

Links

CDC - Healthy Swimming

CDC - Fecal Incident Response Recommendations for Pool Staff