Royal Pools by Adams designs and builds custom inground swimming pools throughout Santa Cruz and the surrounding county, from the Westside terraces to the redwood valleys. We are a Diamond Certified, award-winning pool construction company headquartered in San Jose, about 40 minutes over Highway 17, and we have been building Bay Area pools since 1969. Our five-step program takes your project from first sketch to first swim.
Or call (408) 371-8000
Santa Cruz builds on some of the best-preserved uplifted marine terraces in California, which gives most city lots a flat, workable pad with the mountains rising behind. The craft here is in the details an over-the-hill builder rarely mentions. Coastal properties may need a Coastal Development Permit determination: in the county’s coastal zone a pool can qualify for an exemption below the size thresholds, but never on a beach, a wetland, or within 50 feet of a coastal bluff, so we confirm your parcel’s status during permitting. The marine layer keeps summer air mild, so efficient heating and an automatic cover are part of the design conversation, not an afterthought. And jurisdiction matters: city lots permit through Santa Cruz Building and Safety on Center Street, while Soquel, Felton, and Aptos are unincorporated county territory running through the Unified Permit Center’s electronic ePlan system, where anything holding water over 18 inches deep needs a permit and mountain parcels may need soils reports. We have been building on both sides of the hill since 1969.
Every photo below is from a real Royal Pools by Adams project. See more in our project gallery.
Royal Pools by Adams is part of the Adams Pool Group, a family-run organization that has been building and finishing pools since 1953. Every 28 Palms project is backed by the same leadership team that oversees every Royal pool in the Bay Area.
Owner & CEO, Adams Pool Group
General Manager, Royal Pools by Adams
We design and build pools across Santa Cruz and the county’s coastal and mountain communities:
Terrace lots near West Cliff Drive, where compact and small-footprint designs fit beach-town yards.
Between the harbor and Pleasure Point, with classic cottage lots we design to the era.
Unincorporated county territory, where permits run through the Unified Permit Center and we manage the ePlan submittal.
Redwood-canopy parcels at the gateway to Henry Cowell, where access and root-zone planning lead the design.
The warmer valley between the coast and the summit, an incorporated city with its own permit process.
The mid-county coast, on Soquel Creek district groundwater, with its own city and county permit paths we navigate for you.
Yes. Inside city limits, permits go through the City of Santa Cruz Building and Safety Division at 809 Center Street. In Soquel, Felton, Aptos, and other unincorporated areas, they go through the county’s Unified Permit Center at 701 Ocean Street, where plans are submitted electronically through ePlan and anything holding water over 18 inches deep counts as a pool. We confirm jurisdiction first and manage either path.
Sometimes, and it is worth checking early. In the county’s coastal zone a pool can be exempt when it falls under the size thresholds (500 square feet, or 250 in the appeal jurisdiction), but the exemption never applies on a beach, on a wetland, or within 50 feet of a coastal bluff. The city runs its own certified coastal program. We determine your parcel’s coastal-zone status during design, a step few pool builders even mention.
Yes. Mountain parcels can require soils reports, environmental review, and septic clearance where applicable, and heavily treed San Lorenzo Valley lots add canopy, root-zone, and access planning to the design. Our engineering-first approach is built for exactly this terrain.
The City of Santa Cruz Water Department, one of the region’s few surface-water-dominant systems, drawing roughly 90 percent of its supply from the San Lorenzo River watershed and North Coast streams. Mid-county homes in Capitola, Soquel, and Aptos are on Soquel Creek Water District groundwater instead. We confirm your provider and schedule the fill with you.
Absolutely, with the right equipment. Coastal fog keeps summer air mild, so our coastal builds treat efficient heating and a solar or automatic cover as standard equipment rather than upgrades, and we design with the afternoon wind in mind. Inland pockets like Scotts Valley swim noticeably warmer.
Beautifully. For homes near the Mission Hill historic district or on compact Seabright and Circles lots, we design plunge pools, spas, and small-footprint geometric pools that suit the era and the yard, rather than forcing a suburban template onto a beach-town parcel.
Prefer to plan your project in person? Our San Jose showroom at 2258 Camden Ave is about 40 minutes from Santa Cruz: take Highway 17 North over the summit and exit at Camden Avenue as you come down into San Jose. Get directions from Santa Cruz →
Cities Near Santa Cruz, CA
Start with a free design consultation at your home or in our San Jose showroom.
Royal Pools by Adams | 2258 Camden Ave, San Jose, CA 95124 | (408) 371-8000 | Mon-Fri 8am-4pm | CSLB #278052
