“Thank you for bringing that to our attention,” Whitmire said. “It's a serious problem.”
Records show from January 2023 to May 2025, inspectors wrote 43,927 violations for health and safety issues like algae-filled water, failing pool pumps, no ring buoys and improperly installed drain covers. But the city only wrote citations for 1,995 of those violations, or just five percent of the time. Citations can carry hefty fines in municipal court, more than $1,000 in some cases.
In a statement, a Houston Health Department spokesperson said the agency tries to work with operators to get pools safety reopened, and many times they’re able to do so without formal penalties.
“Enforcement actions, including citations, are determined by the level of violation and whether it has been corrected by the time of a follow-up,” said Tucker Wilson, Deputy
Assistant Director of Communications and Public Affairs.
But KHOU 11 Investigates discovered several repeat offenders—pools written up for dozens of violations since 2023 but were never written a single citation by city health inspectors.
Mayor Whitmire blamed the prior administration for giving pool operators a
long leash to get into compliance with health and safety standards.
“It was left to me with the department that had inspectors that did not take it as serious as you and I,” he said.
“Philosophically, pools ought to be safe philosophically, the health department needs to do their job. Philosophically, the
director ought to be held accountable,” Whitmire said.
Under city code, the Houston Health Department is required to inspect “commercial” pools at least once per year. Those include pools at apartment complexes, townhomes, condominiums, neighborhood HOA pools, as well as fitness centers, hotel
pools, and City of Houston public park pools.
If you would like to learn more about the inspection history of your neighborhood pool, click
here.