Quick answer
A Marietta mailing address does not tell you which office issues the pool permit. Properties may be inside the City of Marietta, in unincorporated Cobb County or in another incorporated city. Confirm jurisdiction before building the submittal checklist.
City and County reviews differ, but both require the pool to be coordinated with zoning, the site plan, barrier, utilities and applicable trade work.
City or County first?
Use official parcel and jurisdiction information rather than the postal city alone. East Cobb is not a separate permitting jurisdiction; many East Cobb projects are reviewed by Cobb County, while a property inside Marietta follows the City process.
City of Marietta site planning
Marietta’s official pool guidance calls for construction information and a site plan showing property and setback lines, easements, existing structures, the pool and related improvements, floodplain and stream information where applicable, disturbance limits, erosion controls, spot elevations and utilities.
The City’s current construction guide states that septic approval from Cobb & Douglas Public Health is required before City submission when the associated home uses septic. It also identifies the related electrical permit as part of the pool-permit sequence.
Drainage and pool water
The City’s site-review checklist requires positive drainage away from structures and addresses how pool drain or overflow water reaches an approved destination. This is a good homeowner reminder: the pool’s routine overflow and the property’s stormwater are separate design questions, and neither should be left to an improvised hose at closeout.
Cobb County projects
Cobb County uses its own building, zoning and portal workflow. A County project should use the current pool and barrier documents rather than the Marietta checklist. Septic properties may also involve Cobb & Douglas Public Health.
The complete backyard can add separate wall, structure, grading, stormwater or variance work. Confirm each component against the County’s current process.
Impervious area and variances
Setback or coverage constraints can limit the pool, court, patio or accessory structure. Start with a compliant layout, then test design changes before relying on discretionary relief.
A variance application does not guarantee approval. Stormwater measures, screening, permeable assemblies or a smaller design may support a proposal, but the reviewing body decides the case on the applicable standards and evidence.
A practical Cobb example
A broad rear yard may appear to fit a pool, sport court and covered structure. The rear setback, drainage easement and lot-coverage calculation can put those features in competition. Reducing patio, changing the court orientation or phasing the structure may preserve the highest priorities without depending on several layers of relief.
That analysis should happen before the owner invests in separate pool, architectural and landscape plans that assume every feature will fit unchanged.
Questions homeowners should ask
- Is the property inside Marietta or unincorporated Cobb?
- Does the survey show setbacks, easements, streams and utilities?
- Is the home on sewer or septic?
- How will pool overflow and site runoff be managed?
- Are retaining walls or structures included?
- Does the plan require zoning relief or additional stormwater work?
- Which inspections must occur before plumbing, bonding or reinforcing is covered?
Official resources
What to collect before the jurisdiction review
Start with the current survey, parcel information, deed or plat easements, septic records when applicable and any prior plans for walls, additions or drainage improvements. Confirm whether unpermitted existing work affects the proposed area.
Photos after heavy rain and notes about standing water are useful. They help the team distinguish a drawing assumption from the way the property actually behaves before new hardscape changes the drainage pattern.
- City of Marietta building permits
- City of Marietta pool construction and permitting guide
- City of Marietta pool site-plan checklist
For an unincorporated property, use Cobb County’s current portal and documents rather than submitting through the City route.
Next step
Review Buildable Area, Setbacks and Impervious Coverage and Residential Drainage Systems. Then start with jurisdiction and property confirmation.