Fiberglass
Fast to install and easy to clean. What a light shell needs on wet sand.
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Bay County pool prices, before anyone visits
Inground Pool Builders in Panama City, FL
Choose a pool type, a size and extras like a screen cage, and get a price range backed by sources and real county permit values. If you want a firm number, one local builder can follow up. Free to you.
- Checked against 79 Bay County pool permits
- Every range sourced and dated
- One builder, not a call list
A backyard pool dig under way.
The 60-second cost estimator
Estimate your Panama City pool
Make a few selections for a ballpark installed cost. No contact information needed.
Simple by design
Here's how it works.
From a rough number to a real quote, without filling your phone with sales calls.
STEP 01
Price it
Pick fiberglass, vinyl or gunite, a size, and extras such as a cage. Your range shows at once.
STEP 02
Send your request
Tell us your town and anything about the yard. It takes a minute.
STEP 03
One local builder calls
One licensed builder who works your area gets in touch, sees the yard and quotes.
One request. One local company. We never sell your details to a list.
Straightforward pricing
What does a pool cost in Panama City?
Builders here don't post prices, so we built ranges for the pool itself from cost guides and Bay County's published pool permits.
| Pool type | Pool only, small to large | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Vinyl liner | $36,000–82,000 | Least up front; liner replaced every several years |
| Fiberglass | $44,000–105,000 | Quick to set; keep it full on wet ground |
| Gunite | $52,000–140,000 | Any shape; what most local volume builders pour |
| Screen enclosure | +$14,000–38,000 | Can serve as the required barrier |
Our estimates from This Old House, River Pools and Fixr (2025–2026), set against January and August 2025 Bay County pool permits, November 2026. Deck, spa and heat are extra.
Find your fit
Plan for the Panhandle.
Sand, groundwater, a long swim season and real hurricanes all shape what to build.
Screen enclosures
Cage costs, the 130–140 mph wind zone, and when a cage is your barrier.
Learn more →Sand & water table
Leon and Lynn Haven soils, pumping the dig, and relief valves.
Learn more →Permits & barriers
City or county office, the Florida barrier law, and CPC licenses.
Learn more →Written for Bay County
Sand underfoot, storms overhead.
Much of Bay County is flatwoods sand where groundwater rises close to the surface for months, and Michael showed in 2018 what a Category 5 does to a backyard. A good build plans for both: water control in the dig, a relief valve, an engineered cage, and a pool left full when the next storm comes. Read about the soil.
Your next step
Get one firm quote.
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Panama City FL Pool Builders is a referral service, not the company doing the work. We may be paid by the builder if we refer your project. You pay us nothing.
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Before you build
Permits, barriers & licenses
Permits: Panama City, Panama City Beach, Lynn Haven and Callaway issue their own; unincorporated lots use Bay County Building Safety on W 11th St.
Barriers: Florida needs one before the pool is filled: 48 in tall, gates that swing out and self-latch, or a qualifying screen cage.
Licenses: look for a state CPC number and check it on DBPR before you pay a deposit.
Read the full guide →Good questions
Frequently asked questions.
How much does an inground pool cost in Panama City, FL?
Plan on roughly $36,000–82,000 for a vinyl liner pool, $44,000–105,000 for fiberglass and $52,000–140,000 for gunite, depending on size (our estimates). Decking, a fence or screen cage and the permit come on top. Bay County's own monthly reports list 79 residential pool permits in January and August 2025 alone, valued from $30,000 to $194,000, with a middle value of roughly $60,000–68,000 (Jan 2025, Aug 2025).
What do real Bay County pool permits say about price?
Unincorporated Bay County publishes every permit it takes in. Across January and August 2025, half of the 79 residential pool permits were valued between about $48,000 and $97,000 (January, August). Contractors declare those values, and some leave out the deck or enclosure, so treat them as a reality check rather than a quote.
Which pool type costs least to put in?
A vinyl liner pool, on day one. The liner wears out and is replaced every several years, gunite needs fresh plaster now and then, and fiberglass usually costs the least to look after over time (This Old House).
Is fiberglass or gunite better on the Panhandle?
Both get built here, but most permits we read were pulled by gunite builders. Fiberglass goes in quickly and its gelcoat shrugs off algae in the heat; the catch is that a light shell needs care where groundwater is high. Gunite takes any shape and suits a sun shelf or raised spa.
Does a screen enclosure count as the pool fence in Florida?
It can. Bay County's pool notice names a reinforced screen enclosure as one kind of wall that may serve as the barrier, provided it meets the code's height, opening and gate rules (Form B30). If a house wall forms one side, its doors and windows need alarms or self-latching hardware.
Will a screen cage survive a hurricane?
Bay County sits in the 130–140 mph design wind zone on the 2023 Florida Building Code map (county map), and enclosure frames have their own wind tables in that code. Ask for the engineering sheet with your quote, and ask who rescreens and checks the frame after a storm.
Does the water table matter for a pool here?
On many lots, yes. Leon soil, first described in Panama City Beach, can hold water 6–18 in down for months each year, and the Lynn Haven series can sit wet right at the surface (USDA, USDA). Higher sand ridges drain far better. Builders pump the hole and fit a relief valve.
Should I empty the pool before a hurricane?
No. UF/IFAS advises leaving the water in, moving loose furniture indoors (not into the pool) and running the pump until the power goes (UF/IFAS). An emptied pool on wet ground can shift or lift.