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By Beth Barnett and
Benjamin Basch,
American Pool Enterprises
16
A P R I L , 2 0 1 8
© iStockphoto.com
CONT I NU E S ON PAGE 18
I
n the State of New Jersey, public recreational
bathing facilities are governed by the New Jersey
State Sanitary Code Chapter IX Public Recreational
Bathing, N.J.A.C. 8:26 (the “Code”). In January of
2018, the New Jersey Department of Health formally
adopted amendments to the Code aimed at improving
the safety and operation of swimming pools across the
State. With an effective date of January 16, 2018,
swimming pool owners, community managers and
board of directors should rely on multi-family industry
professionals to review the updates and adjust their
operating plans as required. This article is designed
to give a basic, but not exhaustive, overview of
the changes to the Code and provide readers with
insight as to how their community may be affected
by the new rules.
While a community may refer to its swimming pool
as a “private” amenity, the state of New Jersey con-
tinues to define a community pool serving more than
two residential units as a public recreational bathing
facility that must comply with the provisions set forth
in the Code. The purpose of the Code is to set safety
and sanitary expectations for swimming pools operat-
ing throughout the state in the interest of public health.
Now that we have taken a moment to explain what
Chapter IX of the Code is and how it applies to com-
munity swimming pools, it is time to dive into the new
changes that are most relevant to community manag-
ers and boards of directors. The changes are broken
down below into four main sections: Administrative;
Equipment; Supervision and Management; and
Mechanical.
Administrative
The new Code requires that a specific checklist be
completed and signed by the pool owner or their
Trained Pool Operator (TPO ) at least 21 days prior
to the pool opening each season. This document can