Three girls were all smiles as they jumped into an inflatable pool in an Olathe neighborhood.
Dave Morris took the plunge and bought the smaller of two pools set up next to each other to give his granddaughter some summer fun.
Other kids routinely join in.
"You'll find five, six, seven kids in here on the weekend on a Saturday afternoon, especially a warm one," Morris said.
"I think an inflatable pool is a good way to start if you want to do that to see what it's like," Roger Land said.
Land is president of Pepper's Pool & Spa. He has installed more than a thousand pools in his 30-plus years in the business, including one in Kansas City's northland he showed the 41 Action News Investigators.
Pools like the above-ground type Land installed require a building permit, some construction and a location away from either underground or overhead electric cables.
Inflatable pools don't require a construction permit, but Land says it's difficult to get parts for them.
"They're harder to take care of because the filter systems on them are not as good,” Land said.
While most pools, including the above-ground and in-ground pools, are subject to regulation in most metro communities, there does appear to be a gap with inflatable pool code enforcement.
"We want to be as reasonable as we can on this issue,” said City of Olathe Spokesman Tim Danneberg. "Do we go looking in people's backyards? No,” he said.
Danneberg says any inflatable pool within Olathe city limits with over two feet of water is required to have fencing to prevent kids from wandering in.
"You can't prevent it,” Morris said. "You always worry about it, I don't think really, it's not been an issue," he said.
Other areas such as KCMO, Overland Park, Independence and unincorporated Johnson County follow that same standard set forth by the 2012 International Building Code.
Danneberg says several years ago, Olathe leaders went to retailers to encourage them to explain that regulation to their customers.
But when the 41 Action News Investigators asked Danneberg what incentive is there for retailers to tell customers purchasing a $300 pool they may also need several thousand dollars in fencing, he said, "Well I can't speak to that."
"The cities don't keep track of all those pools," said Todd Rogers, Johnson County's Environmental Division Director. "They just have certain regulations and requirements," he said.
Rogers' agency periodically checks public pools.
But he says residential pools can be more problematic with keeping the proper chemical balances and avoiding property pitfalls like power lines.
"There's all kinds of obstacles and things in the right of way in people's yards and in different locations that people have to think about when they're installing one of those inflatable pools," he said.
Morris said the safety of the children playing in the two inflatable pools behind his home is important.
"There's always somebody here with the kids, not out here by themselves", he said.
The office manager in Morris' complex also said there are neighborhood rules for pools.
But she also said in 20-plus years, she's never had a pool problem.
Cities vary to some extent on fencing and location requirements for pools.
The city of Leawood doesn't allow any above ground pools.
Check with your city or neighborhood association to find out what requirements there are for pools in your specific area.
Here are a few links you may find helpful:
City of Independence Guidelines for Residential Swimming Pools
KCMO Building Permit Exempt Work
Overland Park Guidelines for Residential Swimming Pools, Hot Tubs & Spas
