Nocatee Pool Builder for Preserve, Lake and Intracoastal Homes

How Nocatee Is Governed, and Why It Matters for Your Pool

Nocatee is a master-planned community created by The PARC Group, which broke ground in 2005. It is not a city. Most of it lies in unincorporated St. Johns County, where the county issues building permits. A smaller share of the original development falls inside the City of Jacksonville in Duval County, where the permit comes from the city instead. A mailing address does not tell you which side a home is on, so we confirm the county from your parcel record before any drawings are prepared.

The bigger variable is architectural review. Nocatee is made up of dozens of neighborhoods, and the villages publish their own homeowner architectural guidelines. Approval comes before the permit, and the rules differ from one village to the next. Two examples from published guidelines:

• Crosswater and The Outlook at Twenty Mile. Submittals go to the developer’s architectural review, which commits to a decision within 15 working days of a complete package. Pools need a screen enclosure or an approved pool fence, enclosures cannot exceed 13 feet in height or be visible from the street in front of the home without approval, screen should be charcoal on a dark bronze frame, and metal roofs over enclosures are not allowed. Pumps and heaters must be screened from the street with landscaping.
• River Landing at Twenty Mile. This gated neighborhood of custom homes has its own Architectural Review Board. Pools and spas belong behind the house or in a concealed courtyard, at least 10 feet from the rear property line. On lakefront homesites, a pool without a screen enclosure is limited to a deck height of 30 inches above finished grade. Enclosures cannot extend past the side walls of the house, and exterior lighting must be low-voltage LED.

We pull the current guidelines for your neighborhood at the start and design to them.

Preserve, Lake and Lagoon Lots

Nocatee is laced with protected land. The Nocatee Greenway weaves more than 6,000 acres of preserved land through the town, and many homesites back to a wooded preserve or a lake. Those views are the reason many owners chose the lot, and they shape what the pool can do.

• Conservation areas stay untouched. Village guidelines prohibit entering or disturbing conservation and tree preservation areas. Construction access, staging and the final pool footprint all have to stay on the buildable part of the lot.
• Pond easements. Lake lots often include drainage, access and maintenance easements that the association uses to reach the ponds. Fences cannot be built in them, which affects where a pool barrier can go and how the yard is enclosed.
• Eagle protection. In River Landing, a group of homesites sits within an eagle protection zone where a 330-foot preserved area must not be disturbed. If your lot carries a restriction like this, we plan construction around it.
• Open edges, low profile. A pool fence instead of a full screen enclosure, a low deck and a flush spa keep the view open.

Tolomato River and Intracoastal Frontage

Nocatee’s eastern edge follows the Intracoastal Waterway and the Tolomato River, and much of that shoreline is protected. The Nocatee Preserve, about 2,400 acres donated to St. Johns County, runs more than three miles along the Intracoastal, and Nocatee Landing at its southern trailhead sits beside the Tolomato River.

Homes with Intracoastal views, such as those in River Landing at Twenty Mile, look across open water and marsh. That setting suits a vanishing edge or a raised spa with perimeter overflow facing east toward the sunrise. Open water also brings steady wind, so we account for it in edge design, water features and fire placement. Nocatee sits west of the Intracoastal with no ocean frontage, so the state’s Coastal Construction Control Line does not apply here.

New Construction and Homes Without a Pool

Much of Nocatee is still building out, and owners usually come to us in one of two situations.

• Before or during construction. If your home is still being built, whether a custom home in River Landing or a new home elsewhere in Nocatee, we can design the pool alongside the house. Planning together lets plumbing, electrical, gas, drainage and the outdoor kitchen go in at the right time. See how we work with home builders.
• After closing. If your builder did not include a pool, or offered only a standard package, we design one for the finished home around its setbacks, easements and equipment access.

Design Ideas That Fit Nocatee

• Preserve-facing lounge pool: a long, low pool with a sun shelf and a pool fence instead of a full enclosure, so the woods stay in view.
• Family resort layout: beach entry, a grotto or waterfall and a lagoon-style shape for homes with kids.
• Intracoastal sunrise pool: a vanishing edge and raised spa oriented east across the marsh.
• Courtyard pool for a narrower lot: a geometric pool and spa tucked into a concealed courtyard, which several village guidelines favor.

What a Custom Pool in Nocatee Costs

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

A custom pool and spa with full deck on a typical Nocatee lot usually lands in Signature. Intracoastal homes with vanishing edges, and estate lots with outdoor kitchens, fire features and larger decks, move into Monument. If an older or builder-installed pool is being replaced, demolition adds $8,000 to $20,000. We build new pools and complete rebuilds only.

Our Nocatee Process

• Welcome call. We learn your village, lot type, whether the home is built or under construction, and your budget band.
• On-site design consultation. We review the survey, easements, preserve lines and village guidelines, and confirm whether St. Johns County or the City of Jacksonville will permit the work.
• The Signature Experience. A paid design phase delivers your 3D design. We then prepare the village ARB submittal, coordinate engineering and permits, and build under a dedicated project manager with real-time updates and a final walkthrough.

Nocatee Pool FAQs

Is Nocatee in St. Johns County or Duval County?

Mostly St. Johns County, where Nocatee is unincorporated and the county issues pool permits. Part of the original development lies within the City of Jacksonville in Duval County, where the city permits instead. Mailing addresses do not settle the question, so we check the parcel record before design starts.

Do I need ARB approval for a pool in Nocatee?

Yes. Each village has homeowner architectural guidelines, and pool plans need approval before construction. Published guidelines cover screen enclosure height and color, pool barriers, equipment screening and setbacks. Some neighborhoods, such as River Landing, have their own Architectural Review Board. We prepare and submit the package for you.

Can I skip the screen enclosure on a preserve or lake lot?

Often, yes. Florida law requires a pool barrier, and village guidelines generally allow either a screen enclosure or an approved pool fence. Some neighborhoods add limits for open pools, such as River Landing’s 30-inch maximum deck height on lakefront homesites. We confirm what your village allows.

My builder didn’t include a pool. Can you add one later?

Yes. We design custom pools for finished homes as well as new construction. Before design, we confirm setbacks, easements, preserve lines and equipment access to the backyard, since side yards can be tight on some lots.

How much does a pool cost in Nocatee?

Most Nocatee projects fall in our Signature tier ($175,000 to $325,000). Waterfront and estate lots with vanishing edges or full outdoor living packages often reach Monument ($325,000 and up). Our Foundation tier starts at $120,000. Have an older pool? We also do full rip-and-replace pool remodeling in Nocatee, tearing out the old shell and rebuilding it from the ground up.

Nearby, we also build in Ponte Vedra Beach, Palencia and St. Augustine.