Updated 2026-09-07

Building Code Glossary

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.

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Last updated September 7, 2026 · 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.

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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, 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 — 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 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	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

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 — 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 and the ICC 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.

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 publishes the current model text and the ICC adoption maps show which edition a jurisdiction has adopted; those sources control.

Source links

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.

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