# Spa or Hot Tub: Building Code Definition > How the IRC 2009 define spa or hot tub, where the wording differs, and which chapters depend on the term. - Canonical: https://harth.build/resources/glossary/spa-or-hot-tub/ - Last updated: 2026-09-07 - Data source: Definitions quoted from the 2009 International Codes as transcribed in this site's building-codes collection, with the source chapter linked for each quotation. Usage counts are computed over the chapters hosted here, one copy per code. The [ICC code library](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) publishes the current model text and the [ICC adoption maps](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) show which edition a jurisdiction has adopted; those sources control. ## Key facts | Fact | Value | | --- | --- | | Defined in | IRC 2009 (2009 editions transcribed in this corpus) | | Primary source | IRC 2009 Swimming Pools (model text, not a jurisdiction's adopted text) | | Chapters using the term | 1 (counted across the codes hosted here) | | Wording identical across codes | Single code (compare before citing one code's wording under another) | ## Direct answer Spa or hot tub is a defined term in the International Residential Code (IRC) 2009, in Swimming Pools. The code's own words are: “A hydromassage pool, or tub for recreational or therapeutic use, not located in health care facilities, designed for immersion of users, and usually having a filter, heater, and motor-driven blower. They are installed indoors or outdoors, on the ground or supporting structure, or in the ground or supporting structure. Generally, a spa or hot tub …” No other I-Code in this corpus defines it, so the IRC 2009 definition is the one to work from. The term is used in 1 chapters of this corpus, most often in Swimming Pools (IRC 2009). These pages transcribe the 2009 model text; verify the definition against the edition and amendments your authority having jurisdiction has adopted. *Content and cited inputs reviewed by [Scott Barrington](https://nz.linkedin.com/in/barrington), Harth founder and architectural technology specialist · Published 2026-09-07 · Updated 2026-09-07.* ## What does this term mean? **Spa or Hot Tub** — IRC 2009, Swimming Pools: > A hydromassage pool, or tub for recreational or therapeutic use, not located in health care facilities, designed for immersion of users, and usually having a filter, heater, and motor-driven blower. They are installed indoors or outdoors, on the ground or supporting structure, or in the ground or supporting structure. Generally, a spa or hot tub is not designed or intended to have its contents drained or discharged after each use. ![Labeled code-term definition diagram: Spa or Hot Tub: Building Code Definition](https://efwwel0vyt9vy5so.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/images/glossary/spa-or-hot-tub/diagram-1344.webp) *How the IRC 2009 define spa or hot tub, where the wording differs, and which chapters depend on the term.* ## What must be verified before using this guidance? **Spa or Hot Tub** is defined once in this corpus, in the [Swimming Pools](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/maryland/irc-2009/swimming-pools.md) chapter of the International Residential Code (IRC) 2009: > A hydromassage pool, or tub for recreational or therapeutic use, not located in health care facilities, designed for immersion of users, and usually having a filter, heater, and motor-driven blower. They are installed indoors or outdoors, on the ground or supporting structure, or in the ground or supporting structure. Generally, a spa or hot tub is not designed or intended to have its contents drained or discharged after each use. ## Where spa or hot tub is used in the code The term appears in 1 chapters of the 2009 I-Codes hosted here. The chapters that lean on it hardest are the ones to read next. | Chapter | Code | Mentions | | --- | --- | --- | | [Swimming Pools](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/maryland/irc-2009/swimming-pools.md) | IRC 2009 | 27 | ### The term in use How the code actually writes about spa or hot tub, quoted from the 2009 text hosted here: > This receptacle shall be located not more than 6 feet, 6 inches (1981 mm) above the floor, platform or grade level serving the pool, spa or hot tub. — [IRC 2009 §E4203.1.2](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/maryland/irc-2009/swimming-pools.md) ## The terms spa or hot tub is built out of The definition above leans on 1 other defined term. Each carries its own code definition, and a local amendment to any of them changes what spa or hot tub covers: - **[Structure](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/structure.md)** — IPC 2009: That which is built or constructed or a portion thereof. ## Spa or Hot Tub: what to open, and in what order Every row is a document this term depends on. The [ICC code library](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) and the [ICC adoption maps](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) cover the middle rows. | Check | Where | Confirmed | | --- | --- | --- | | Read the definition in the adopted IRC | Swimming Pools | | | Re-check the requirement that uses it | Swimming Pools (IRC 2009) | | | Confirm the dependent definition | Structure | | | Local amendment to any of the above | Jurisdiction's amendment list | | **A research aid, not a code determination.** The authority having jurisdiction decides which edition and which amendments apply. ## Where can you explore related guidance? - [Explore all glossary guidance](https://harth.build/resources/glossary.md) - [Structure: Building Code Definition](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/structure.md) - [Pool: Building Code Definition](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/pool.md) - [Fountain: Building Code Definition](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/fountain.md) - [Code Official: Building Code Definition](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/code-official.md) ## Sources and method Definitions quoted from the 2009 International Codes as transcribed in this site's building-codes collection, with the source chapter linked for each quotation. Usage counts are computed over the chapters hosted here, one copy per code. The [ICC code library](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) publishes the current model text and the [ICC adoption maps](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) show which edition a jurisdiction has adopted; those sources control. ### Source links - [codes.iccsafe.org](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) - [iccsafe.org](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the code definition of spa or hot tub? The International Residential Code (IRC) 2009 defines it in Swimming Pools as: “A hydromassage pool, or tub for recreational or therapeutic use, not located in health care facilities, designed for immersion of users, and usually having a filter, heater, and motor-driven blower. They are installed indoors or outdoors, on the ground or supporting structure, or in the ground or supporting structure. Generally, a spa or hot tub is not designed or intended to have its contents drained or discharged after each use.” The 2009 model text is reproduced here; the definition that binds your project is the one in the edition your jurisdiction has adopted, as amended locally. ### Which parts of the code depend on spa or hot tub? In this corpus the term is used across 1 chapters, led by Swimming Pools in the IRC 2009. Those are the sections whose scope moves if the definition is amended locally, so read them together with Chapter 2 rather than on their own. --- - Continue in Harth (open this topic in the Harth agent): https://app.harth.build/agent?context=%2Fresources%2Fglossary%2Fspa-or-hot-tub%2F - View this page in a browser: https://harth.build/resources/glossary/spa-or-hot-tub/ - All resources for agents: https://harth.build/llms.txt