Recreational Water Facility Inspections

All Recreational Water Facilities are inspected by the Health Department. This includes swimming pools, wading pools, hot tubs, bathing beaches, water parks, and any other public swimming areas.

Any person who wishes to operate a recreational water facility must first apply for and obtain a permit from the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources & then from the Health Department. Permits are issued following a review of facility’s application and plans to assure compliance with West Virginia law. Routine inspections during the operation of the facility assess the operator's success in assuring that routine practices are conducted in a safe and sanitary manner.

Keep in mind that any inspection report is a "snapshot" of the day and time of the inspection. On any given day, a facility could have fewer or more violations than noted in the report.

Inspection Frequency:


All Recreational Water Facilities are inspected at least twice per year. This includes seasonal facilities. Recreational Water Facilities can be inspected more often if there is a need, such as complexity of the operation or poor history of compliance.

The Health Department also checks the chemistry (chlorine and pH) of all operating Recreational Water Facilities every 2 weeks. This is a compliance visit and not a full inspection, but can result in an inspection if issues are noted.

Inspection Types
  • Routine: A regular inspection of the facility. This is a full inspection that assesses the entire facility and staff for the purpose of safety, sanitation, and compliance with the rules. These are unannounced (aka surprise) inspections.

  • Follow-up Inspection:· An inspection to assess correction of specific violations that were noted during a routine, complaint, or opening inspection. These are typically scheduled since the facility is usually given a deadline (such as 10 days) to correct the violation(s.)

  • Complaint:· An inspection of the facility to assess potential violations noted in a complaint that was received by the Health Department. All complaints are investigated within 10 days, with priority given to complaints about illness or injury.

  • Opening: : An inspection of a new facility prior to opening or of a facility that has changed ownership to assess whether the facility qualifies for a permit. The assessment looks at whether the facility has been built/remodeled/upgraded according to the plans that they submitted to the Health Department and that the facility meets all current applicable West Virginia laws.