LAKEWOOD — With summer soon to be in full swing, Lakewood-Busti building inspector and code enforcement officer Jeffrey Swanson wants residents both in and outside of town boundaries to be aware of mandatory permitting processes for pools, sheds and other outdoor amenities.

Swanson said that all pools housing water of more than 2 feet in depth must have a permit. He said that contracted pool projects and do-it-yourself summer pools require a permitting process in order to ensure property boundaries aren’t being crossed and that pools are installed safely.

Locking ladders, pool alarms, fall protection measures and more need to be installed and up to code, and Swanson’s expressed a desire “to bring awareness” for those wanting to expand their options for summer fun.

He said that pools in the past have had holiday lights strung around the edges or other electrical appliances close to them without grounded power. New pools installed in concrete, above-ground pools, spas and hot tubs all need permits.

Creating sheds, decks and other outdoor fixtures with sawn lumber has its own set of regulations — something Swanson said he’s also had trouble enforcing. Whereas New York State dictates that only structures bigger than 144 square feet need building permits, the town of Busti requires all new structures of any size to be permitted.

Swanson wanted to remind residents that they must comply with property setbacks. In the village of Lakewood, fences aren’t built directly on property lines and instead there is up to two feet of leeway on the opposite side of the fence that is built by a property owner. This allows for whoever builds a fence in the village to maintain the structure on both sides.

Permit applications can be retrieved from the village website for Lakewood residents. Town residents can contact the Busti town office at 763-8561 to begin the permitting process for pools and other fixtures.

In other news, the Busti Town Board approved a local law cited as an amendment to a 2018 local law to extend a moratorium on commercial wind facilities, specifically wind turbines. The current moratorium expires this month and has been extended through the end of November.

Town Supervisor Jesse Robbins also read aloud a letter from Lakewood Deputy Mayor Ted McCague following the town’s $10,000 donation to the village to help fund herbicide applications in May.

“We wish to convey our sincere thanks for the kind assistance you’ve provided us in connection with this year’s herbicide treatment program,” the letter read. “The quality and condition of Chautauqua Lake binds our town and village in a common goal.”

With Busti’s assistance, Lakewood was able to have 74.5 acres of the lake treated, which also amounted to 100% of the village’s permitted treatment area.

Follow Eric Zavinski at twitter.com/EZavinski