Longwood Pool Builder for Wooded Estates and Full Rebuilds

One Mailing Address, Two Possible Permit Offices

Longwood is an incorporated city of about 17,000 people, with its own building division that reviews permits alongside the city’s fire and zoning staff. But the Longwood name covers far more ground than the city does. Many of the area’s estate neighborhoods, including Sweetwater Oaks, The Springs and Alaqua Lakes, carry a Longwood 32779 address while sitting in unincorporated Seminole County (Sweetwater Oaks, for example, falls within the Wekiwa Springs census-designated place). Those homes permit through the Seminole County Building Division, under county rules. We confirm which side of the line your parcel sits on before any design work, because the setback rules differ.

Inside Longwood city limits

Longwood’s development code lets pools, hot tubs, decks and screen enclosures extend into side and rear setbacks, but they must stay at least seven feet from the property line in most districts (three feet in the MDR-7 and MDR-15 districts), and pool pumps and similar equipment need five feet. Recorded HOA documents or a development order can change those numbers. If the pool is not inside a screen enclosure, the city requires a fence consistent with the Florida Building Code. In the downtown historic district, accessory structures are capped at ten percent of the lot area, which matters on smaller historic lots.

In unincorporated Seminole County

County lots follow county rules. A pool must sit 30 feet from the ordinary high water line to the water’s edge, or 25 feet to a screen enclosure, measured from lakes and wet retention ponds alike. Closer to the Wekiva River, parcels inside the Wekiva River Protection Area carry an undisturbed setback from wetlands and the 100-year floodplain of 50 feet on average and 25 feet at minimum, and no development or fill is allowed in those areas. Any wetland permit has to come from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection or the St. Johns River Water Management District before the county issues a building permit. Every county pool permit also needs a signed Residential Swimming Pool Safety Affirmation spelling out how the pool is isolated from the house and neighbors.

Big trees and tight access

Mature oaks and pines are a big part of why people buy in Longwood, and they shape every pool we build here. In unincorporated Seminole County, a developed single-family lot of three acres or less is generally exempt from the county arbor permit, though wetland impacts still need separate permitting and many HOAs set their own tree rules. Being exempt is not the same as being careless: we plan excavation lines, equipment routes and material staging around the root zones of the trees you want to keep.

Longwood Neighborhoods and What They Ask of a Pool

• Sweetwater Oaks: about 1,400 homes under mature oaks and pines, with most built between the early 1970s and late 1980s, a private community beach on Lake Brantley and its own architectural review committee. Many original pools here are ready for a full rebuild.
• The Springs: a gated community built around Sanlando Springs, which ran as a public swimming attraction until the property was sold for private residential development in 1970. The spring feeds the Wekiva River, so wetland and floodplain lines deserve a close look on lots near the water.
• Alaqua Lakes: a guard-gated golf community with a Longwood address, home to the Legacy Club. Our Alaqua Lakes pool builder page covers it in detail.
• In-city Longwood: established streets near the historic downtown, where the city’s seven-foot rule and historic district lot coverage limits set the footprint.

Design Ideas That Suit Longwood Lots

• A full reset of a 1970s or 1980s pool. A rip-and-replace rebuild lets us change the shape, depth, plumbing, equipment and deck elevation instead of patching an aging shell.
• Modern lines on a classic house. A rectangular pool with large-format coping can update a ranch or Colonial-style home. Browse our modern luxury pools.
• A raised spa with perimeter overflow placed where the canopy gives afternoon shade. See our champagne spa page.
• Layered LED lighting and fire features that make a shaded yard feel open after dark.
• A sun shelf or beach entry positioned for the sunniest part of the yard, so loungers are not sitting in deep shade.
• Smart automation to run pumps, heat and lighting from your phone, so you can adjust filtration when the trees drop leaves.

What a Longwood Pool Costs

Every price comes from a site-specific design, and our published tiers set realistic expectations:

• Foundation: $120,000 to $175,000
• Signature: $175,000 to $325,000, our most-built tier
• Monument: $325,000 to $1,000,000+

Longwood’s estate neighborhoods typically land in our Signature and Monument tiers. The biggest cost drivers here are demolition of an existing pool ($8,000 to $20,000), tree protection and tight equipment access on wooded lots, wetland or floodplain setbacks near the Wekiva system, new barrier fencing or screen enclosures, and the outdoor living scope around the pool. Our pricing page breaks down what each tier includes.

How a Longwood Project Runs

1. Welcome call. We check whether your parcel is in the City of Longwood or unincorporated Seminole County, whether it sits near lakes, wetlands or the Wekiva River Protection Area, and whether an old pool comes out first.

2. On-site design consultation. We walk the yard, review the survey, mark setbacks and the trees worth saving, and plan how equipment will get in and out.

3. The Signature Experience. A paid design phase produces your custom 3D design (read why we charge a design fee). We coordinate engineering, submit to your HOA and the correct permit office, and build under a dedicated project manager with real-time tracking, ending with a final walkthrough.

Longwood Pool Questions

Who issues my pool permit if I live in Longwood?

It depends on the parcel, not the mailing address. Homes inside city limits permit through the City of Longwood. Many neighborhoods with a Longwood address, including Sweetwater Oaks, The Springs and Alaqua Lakes, are in unincorporated Seminole County and permit through the county. We confirm jurisdiction first, then pull the permit as a Florida Certified Pool Contractor (CPC1461548).

How close to my property line can a Longwood pool be?

Inside city limits, pools, decks and screen enclosures generally must stay at least seven feet from the property line, with pool equipment at five feet, unless HOA documents set different terms. In unincorporated areas, county zoning and lake or wetland setbacks apply instead. We draw every line on your survey before design.

Do I need to remove trees to build a pool?

Not always. We design around the trees you want to keep and plan access to protect their roots. In unincorporated Seminole County, developed single-family lots of three acres or less are generally exempt from the county arbor permit, but wetland impacts are not, and your HOA may have its own rules.

Is it better to rebuild an older Longwood pool?

We only build new pools and full rip-and-replace rebuilds, not resurfacing or repairs. Many Longwood pools date to the 1970s and 1980s, and when you want a new shape, a spa, updated plumbing or a different deck level, a rebuild is the cleaner path. Demolition adds $8,000 to $20,000.

Can you work with our builder on a new Longwood home?

Yes. Designing the pool alongside the house lets us set deck elevations, door locations and equipment space before the slab is poured, and coordinate pool plumbing, electrical, gas and barrier requirements with the build schedule. It is usually simpler and cleaner than adding a pool later. See how we partner with custom home builders.