Swimming Pool Injuries & Drowning: Who Is Liable?

In short

Whoever owns or controls a pool can be responsible for an injury or drowning caused by a danger they knew about or should have found. In Michigan, what they owed depends on why the person was there: customers and hotel guests are generally invitees, and social guests are licensees (M Civ JI 19.01, 19.03, 19.06).
'More children ages 1–4 die from drowning than any other cause of death' (CDC, January 2026). The CPSC counted an average of 376 reported pool- or spa-related drowning deaths a year among children under 15 in 2021–2023; 77% were younger than 5, and 71% died at a home.
Public pools and spas, including hotel, club and apartment-complex pools, must have anti-entrapment devices or systems that meet federal standards (15 U.S.C. § 8003). Michigan's public pool rules add fences with self-closing, latching gates, depth markings, rescue equipment and, at some pools, lifeguards (Mich Admin Code R 325.2111 to R 325.2199).
Pools run by a Michigan city, school or the State are often protected by governmental immunity. The public-building exception reaches failures to repair and maintain, not design, and written notice is due within 120 days of the injury (MCL 691.1406; Renny v Department of Transportation, 2007).
Most Michigan pool injury and wrongful death lawsuits must be filed within 3 years. A child can also sue up to a year after turning 18, and an estate may get extra time after a death (MCL 600.5805(2), 600.5851(1), 600.5852).

A child slipped through a gate to a backyard pool. A swimmer hit the bottom of a hotel pool that was shallower than it looked. Someone you love was pulled from the water at an apartment complex or a city pool. If you’re overwhelmed and unsure what to do first, that’s a normal response to something no family should have to go through.

Here’s the plain answer. Whoever owns or controls a pool can be responsible when they didn’t use reasonable care about a danger they knew about, or should have found, such as a broken gate latch, a missing drain cover or wrong depth markings. This is usually a premises liability claim, and what the owner owed depends on the kind of pool and why the person was there. In Michigan, pools run by a city, a school or the State come with immunity rules and a written notice that can be due within 120 days. Michigan’s rules are in the boxes marked “In Michigan.”

If this just happened:

Emergency: the American Red Cross says to get the person out of the water without putting yourself in danger, have someone call 911, and begin rescue breathing and CPR. If you're alone, give 2 minutes of care, then call. If a child is missing, check the water first.
After a near-drowning, even if the person seems fine: everyone who has had a non-fatal drowning should be checked by a health care provider, because lung problems are common even when someone seems OK at first, and anyone who needed any resuscitation, even rescue breathing alone, should go to the hospital (MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine).
After a dive into shallow water: try to keep the head and neck steady and in line with the body as much as possible during the rescue and CPR. Once the person is out of the water, don't move them unless they're in immediate danger (MedlinePlus).
If grief or shock feels like too much: call, text or chat 988 for free, confidential support, 24 hours a day (SAMHSA).

The hard part is usually proof. The fence, the gate, the drain cover, the video and the pool’s records are in the owner’s hands, and the owner’s insurer handles claims like this every day.

Hurt at a pool, or lost someone, and not sure where you stand? Get a free case review. Four quick questions, no cost, no obligation.

How common are pool drownings and injuries?

According to the CDC, “More children ages 1–4 die from drowning than any other cause of death” (Drowning Facts, updated January 27, 2026). More than 4,500 people drowned each year in the U.S. in 2020–2022, and drowning among children ages 1–4 rose 28% from 2019 to 2022 (CDC, 2024).

Most drownings of children ages 1–4 happen in swimming pools (CDC). The Consumer Product Safety Commission counted an average of 376 reported pool- or spa-related drowning deaths a year among children under 15 in 2021–2023. Of those children, 77% were younger than 5, and 71% died at a home, their own or someone else’s. From 2023 through 2025, an estimated 5,900 children under 15 a year were treated in emergency departments after non-fatal pool or spa drownings, and 42% of them were admitted to the hospital or transferred to another one (CPSC, May 2026).

What injuries happen at pools?

Drowning and non-fatal drowning. A non-fatal drowning can end with anything from no injury to “very serious injuries such as brain damage or permanent disability” (CDC). Someone who is drowning usually can’t shout for help (MedlinePlus).
Diving injuries. Diving into shallow water is a major cause of spinal cord injury, and an injury high in the spine can weaken or paralyze the arms and legs (MedlinePlus).
Drain entrapment. A drain or other suction outlet can trap a swimmer’s hair, a limb or the body; CPSC staff knew of 11 victims in 2014–2018, all under 15, 2 of whom died (CPSC, 2019). The federal pool safety law is named for Virginia Graeme Baker, a 7-year-old who died in 2002 after a drain entrapment in a hot tub (CPSC).
Chemical injuries. Pool chemicals led to an estimated 13,508 emergency department visits in 2015–2017, more than a third for children under 18, most often when people breathed fumes or dust, chemicals weren’t secured away from children, or chemicals were added just before someone got in the water (CDC, 2019).

Who is responsible for a pool injury or drowning?

Usually whoever owned or controlled the pool: a homeowner, a landlord or condominium association, a hotel or club, or a city or school. The companies that built the pool or made its equipment can share responsibility.

In Michigan: What matters is "who has possession and control over the land where a person was injured, not merely who owns the land" (Janini v London Townhouses Condominium Ass'n, 2024). Customers, hotel guests and others there for the owner's business are generally invitees, owed reasonable care about dangers the owner knew of or should have found (M Civ JI 19.01, 19.03). "A social guest is a licensee, not an invitee," owed a warning about dangers the owner knew or should have known of, if the guest had no reason to know of them (M Civ JI 19.01, 19.06). Since 2023, an obvious danger no longer automatically ends an invitee's claim; it bears on whether the owner acted reasonably and on each side's share of fault (Kandil-Elsayed v F & E Oil, Inc). The injured person's share reduces the damages, and above 50% rules out noneconomic damages, such as pain and suffering (MCL 600.2959). In May 2026, the Supreme Court agreed to reconsider these categories (Molitoris v Saint Mary Magdalen Catholic Church).

Backyard and neighbors’ pools

Most child pool drownings happen at a home, the child’s own or someone else’s, such as a relative’s, a friend’s or a neighbor’s (CPSC). A child who was invited over is usually a social guest; a child who wandered in uninvited is a trespasser, but special rules for children may apply (below). If the owner is someone you know, it may help to know that homeowners policies typically include liability coverage for claims others make against the homeowner, and premises medical coverage, which “pays the medical expenses of others accidentally injured on your property” (Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services).

Apartment, condominium and HOA pools

The landlord or association usually controls a shared pool. In Michigan, pools at apartment complexes, clubs and subdivisions are “public swimming pools” under state law (though not a pool serving four or fewer apartment or condominium units), so they need a state license and must follow the state pool rules below (MCL 333.12521, 333.12527).

Hotel and resort pools

In Michigan, hotel guests are generally invitees, “entitled to the highest level of protection under premises liability law” (Janini; M Civ JI 19.01). A hotel pool is usually a licensed public swimming pool (MCL 333.12521, 333.12527), but it may have no lifeguard. The state rules require lifeguards only at pools “owned or operated by a government, a governmental subdivision or agency, a public corporation, or a school,” pools with more than 2,400 square feet of water surface in the enclosure, and pools with a diving board. If lifeguards aren’t required and aren’t provided, a sign in letters at least 4 inches high must warn that no lifeguard is on duty (Mich Admin Code R 325.2198). See injury claims against hotels.

City, school and state pools

Claims over a government-run pool face extra hurdles. See claims over dangerous public property, which also covers notice rules in other states.

In Michigan:

Immunity. A city, county, school district, public university or the State is immune from tort liability while carrying out a governmental function, broadly defined as an activity "expressly or impliedly mandated or authorized" by law, unless the governmental immunity act makes an exception (MCL 691.1401, 691.1407(1)).
Public buildings. An agency is liable for a dangerous or defective condition of a public building it controls and keeps open to the public if it knew or should have known of the defect and didn't fix it, or protect the public, within a reasonable time (MCL 691.1406). In 1998, the Supreme Court let a ninth-grader's claim go forward after he fractured his spine diving into his high school's pool, where the depth markers were allegedly wrong and the floor uneven; a claim that is really about supervision doesn't fit (Sewell v Southfield Public Schools). In 2007, the Court limited the exception to failures to repair and maintain, not design, overruling Sewell to the extent it allowed design claims (Renny v Department of Transportation). An outdoor pool may not count at all: in 1994, in the drowning of a boy who got into a closed city pool through a gap in its chained gate, the Court of Appeals held that the pool and its surrounding fence "do not constitute a public building" (Summers v City of Detroit). Ask a lawyer whether your pool counts as part of a public building.
Lifeguards and other employees. They're immune unless their conduct amounts to "gross negligence that is the proximate cause of the injury or damage," meaning "conduct so reckless as to demonstrate a substantial lack of concern for whether an injury results" (MCL 691.1407(2)(c), (8)(a)). In 2015, the Supreme Court held a state facility's lifeguard immune in a 19-year-old student's drowning, although students described him as distracted; as the Court explained in 2017, the family couldn't show, beyond speculation, that his inattention caused the death (Beals v Michigan; Ray v Swager).
Notice. A public-building claim needs written notice within 120 days of the injury, giving the exact location and nature of the defect, the injury and the names of known witnesses, served in person or by certified mail, return receipt requested, on someone who can legally accept court papers for the agency; for the State, it's filed in triplicate with the clerk of the Court of Claims (MCL 691.1404(2), 691.1406).

Pool builders and product makers

A claim can also reach whoever built the pool or made a part that failed, such as a drain cover, ladder, slide or diving board. In Michigan, a claim that an injury came from how a product was designed, made, sold or labeled, or from its warnings or instructions, is a product liability claim (MCL 600.2945(h), (i)); see how product liability claims work. Drain covers made or sold in the U.S. must meet the federal entrapment standard, now ANSI/APSP/ICC-16 2017 (15 U.S.C. § 8003(b); 16 CFR 1450.3). Waterpark pools are public swimming pools under Michigan law too (MCL 333.12521); for rides, see amusement park injury claims.

When to talk to a pool accident attorney

Talk to one early, before the pool is repaired or a deadline passes, especially in these cases:

A drowning or a brain injury. A non-fatal drowning can cause “very serious injuries such as brain damage or permanent disability” (CDC).
A city, school or state pool. Claims against a government face extra hurdles. In Michigan, written notice of a public-building claim is due within 120 days of the injury (MCL 691.1406).
An apartment, condominium or hotel pool. The owner, a manager and the companies that built the pool or made its equipment may share responsibility. In Michigan, the duty follows “possession and control,” not just ownership (Janini).
A failed drain cover or other product. A claim against its maker is a product liability claim (in Michigan, MCL 600.2945(h)), and the part is key evidence, so ask in writing for it to be kept.

Not sure who controlled the pool, or which rules it had to follow? Get a free case review. Four quick questions, no cost, no obligation.

What safety rules do pool owners have to follow?

Three sets of rules come up most often: a federal drain-safety law, state rules for pools open to the public or to groups, and local codes for home pools.

Federal drain safety. Since December 2008, the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act has required every public pool and spa in the U.S. to have anti-entrapment devices or systems meeting the federal standard, and one with a single main drain that isn’t unblockable needs another safeguard, such as a safety vacuum release system (15 U.S.C. § 8003(c)(1)). “Public” includes pools open to the public, members-only pools, hotel pools and pools for residents of apartment complexes and residential developments (15 U.S.C. § 8003(c)(2)). The law doesn’t itself require fences around home pools; its barrier rules are conditions for federal safety grants to states (15 U.S.C. §§ 8004(b), 8005(a)).

In Michigan: "Public swimming pools" include pools at hotels, apartment complexes, clubs, schools, parks, camps, subdivisions and waterparks, but not a pool at a one- to four-family home (MCL 333.12521). They must be licensed, and the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) or the local health department inspects them and can order one closed (MCL 333.12524, 333.12527, 333.12531). The state rules require, among other things (Mich Admin Code R 325.2111 to R 325.2199):

a wall or fence at least 4 feet high that doesn't give ready footing for climbing, with self-closing, latching, lockable entrances kept closed (R 325.2128, 325.2191)
depth markings, and "no diving" markings where the water is less than 5 feet deep (R 325.2132)
at most pools, a rescue pole, a throwing rope with a ring buoy or rescue bag, a spineboard, a first aid kit and an emergency phone (R 325.2165)
where lifeguards are required, generally 1 for every 75 people in the pool, trained in lifeguarding and CPR and free of distracting activities (R 325.2198)
chemicals in labeled original containers, secured from unauthorized access (R 325.2191)
daily records of rescues, submersions and accidents given medical attention, reported monthly to EGLE or the local health department (R 325.2199)

Home pools. Whether a home pool must be fenced depends on state and local codes. The CPSC’s barrier guidelines, which “are not a CPSC standard, nor are they mandatory requirements,” call for a barrier at least 48 inches high and walk-through gates that open outward, away from the pool, and close and latch by themselves; “Some states and localities have incorporated these guidelines into their building codes” (CPSC Pub. 362). The CDC recommends a four-sided fence at least 4 feet high with self-closing, self-latching gates, and says a four-sided isolation fence, separating the pool area from the house and yard, reduces a child’s risk of drowning by 83% compared with three-sided property-line fencing (CDC).

A backyard pool with a wooden deck that runs from the house to the water, with no fence in between

What if a child was hurt?

Children get extra protection, even when they weren’t supposed to be near the pool. Under the attractive nuisance doctrine, an owner can be liable when a trespassing child is hurt by a dangerous artificial condition if, among other conditions, the owner knew or had reason to know children were likely to trespass there, the child was too young to see the risk, and the value of keeping the condition and the burden of removing the danger were slight compared with the risk (Restatement (Second) of Torts § 339, as summarized by Cornell’s Legal Information Institute). Courts differ on ordinary pools: Indiana, for example, has held that the doctrine doesn’t apply to a swimming pool without a hidden danger, because children generally understand the risk of drowning (LII). See how the attractive nuisance doctrine protects children.

In Michigan: The Trespass Liability Act of 2014 writes essentially the same test into law for a child trespasser hurt by an artificial condition (MCL 554.583(2)(d); M Civ JI 19.07A). Jurors are also told that "children act upon childish instincts and impulses," so a defendant who knew or should have known children were likely nearby "is required to exercise greater vigilance" (M Civ JI 10.07). A child under seven "cannot be charged with negligence," and an older child is measured against a reasonably careful child of the same age, mental capacity and experience (M Civ JI 13.08, 10.06). Damages can include the reasonable cost of necessary medical care, past and future, and the earning capacity a child loses after turning 18 (M Civ JI 50.05, 50.07). Medical bills a parent pays while the child is a minor are usually the parent's own claim, not the child's (Gumienny v Hess, 1938).

What if someone died?

When a drowning takes a life, the family may have a wrongful death claim against whoever was responsible, under the same rules about control, notice and immunity described above.

How long do you have to file?

Each state sets its own deadlines, and claims against a government can need written notice much sooner. For other states, see injury deadlines in every state.

In Michigan:

Most injury and death claims: 3 years from the injury or death (MCL 600.5805(2)).
Children: someone hurt before turning 18 can also sue up to one year after their 18th birthday, even if the 3 years have run (MCL 600.5851(1)), but notice deadlines for claims against a government still apply. A parent's own claim for the child's medical bills and lost services doesn't get that extra time, so plan on 3 years from the injury (MCL 600.5805(2); Walter v City of Flint, 1972).
After a death: if the person died before their deadline ran out, or within 30 days after, the personal representative has 2 years after letters of authority are issued, but no more than 3 years after the original deadline (MCL 600.5852(1), (4)).
City, school and state pools: written notice within 120 days for a public-building claim (MCL 691.1406). Other injury claims against the State need a sworn claim or notice filed with the Court of Claims within 6 months (MCL 600.6431(1), (2), (4)). A lawsuit against a local agency follows the usual deadlines, and a claim against the State must be filed in the Court of Claims within 3 years (MCL 691.1411(1), (3); 600.6452(1)).
Defective products: 3 years (MCL 600.5805(12)).
Builders and designers: a claim against a contractor over a defective or unsafe improvement to real property, or against the licensed architect or engineer who designed it or supervised its construction, must be brought within 6 years after the improvement was occupied, used or accepted, or, if their gross negligence caused the injury, within 1 year after the defect was discovered or should have been, and never more than 10 years after (MCL 600.5839(1)).

See every Michigan injury deadline in one place.

What to do next

Get medical care, and follow up. After a near-drowning, get checked even if the person seems fine (MedlinePlus), and tell every provider how the injury happened.
Save the evidence, and put requests in writing. Photograph the fence, gates, latches, drain covers, depth markings and signs before anything is repaired, and get witnesses’ names. Ask the owner or manager in writing to keep video, maintenance and chemical logs, lifeguard records and any part that failed. In Michigan, public swimming pools report rescues, submersions and accidents given medical attention to EGLE or the local health department (R 325.2199); you can request public records in writing from a public body’s FOIA coordinator, though some are exempt (MCL 15.233(1)).
Find out who ran the pool, and whether it’s public. If a Michigan city, school or state agency ran it, a 120-day notice deadline may apply, and it started on the day of the injury.
Be careful what you say and sign. You don’t have to give the other side’s insurer a recorded statement, and it’s safer not to before you’ve had advice. Don’t sign a release before you know the full extent of the injuries; see talking to an insurance adjuster.
Talk to a lawyer well before the first deadline. Get a free case review, or compare Michigan injury lawyers.

What waiting can cost

Evidence. Gates, latches and drain covers get repaired or replaced, and video gets recorded over.
A claim against a Michigan city, school or the State. Notice for a public-building claim is due within 120 days of the injury (MCL 691.1406). Plan on 120 days even when a child was hurt: a longer 180-day period for children doesn’t clearly cover every agency (MCL 691.1404(3)).
The right to sue. Most Michigan claims must be filed within 3 years (MCL 600.5805(2)).

What a good outcome looks like

Whoever was responsible for the pool answers for what it should have done, whether that was a fence, a gate latch, a drain cover or a lifeguard. Medical care, including care a child will need in the years ahead, is paid for by those responsible, every notice goes out on time, and if someone died, the family is compensated for the losses the law recognizes. From wondering whether anyone can be held responsible to knowing who controlled the pool, which rules it had to follow and which deadlines apply to your family.

For more guides on injuries caused by unsafe property, browse slip, fall and unsafe property claims.

Frequently asked questions

Who is responsible if a child drowns or is hurt in a neighbor's pool?

It depends on how the child got there and what the owner knew. In Michigan, a child invited over as a social guest is a licensee, owed a warning about dangers the owner knew or should have known of, if the child had no reason to know of them (M Civ JI 19.01, 19.06). A child who wandered in uninvited is a trespasser, but an owner can still be liable for an artificial condition, such as a pool, if the owner knew or had reason to know children were likely to trespass there and realized or should have realized the condition posed an unreasonable risk of death or serious bodily harm to a child, the child was too young to realize the risk, the value of keeping the condition and the burden of removing the danger were slight compared with the risk, and the owner didn't use reasonable care (MCL 554.583(2)(d)). Homeowners policies typically include liability coverage for claims others make against the homeowner (Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services).

Does a hotel or apartment pool in Michigan need a lifeguard?

Not always. Michigan's public pool rules require lifeguards, except at wading pools and spas, only when the pool is 'owned or operated by a government, a governmental subdivision or agency, a public corporation, or a school,' has more than 2,400 square feet of water surface in the enclosure, or has a diving board. Then there must generally be 1 lifeguard for every 75 people in the pool. Where lifeguards aren't required and aren't provided, the owner must prominently post a sign, in letters at least 4 inches high, warning that no lifeguard is on duty (Mich Admin Code R 325.2198).

Can you sue a city or school after a drowning at a public pool in Michigan?

Sometimes, but governmental immunity makes it hard. A government agency is immune while carrying out a governmental function unless an exception applies (MCL 691.1407(1)). The public-building exception covers a dangerous or defective condition of a public building that the agency failed to repair or maintain, not its design, and written notice is due within 120 days of the injury (MCL 691.1406; Renny v Department of Transportation, 2007). An outdoor city pool and its fence have been held not to be a public building at all (Summers v City of Detroit, 1994). A lifeguard or other employee is immune unless their gross negligence was 'the proximate cause' of the injury (MCL 691.1407(2)(c)); in Beals v Michigan (2015), a lifeguard at a state facility was held immune in a student's drowning.

Is a swimming pool an attractive nuisance?

It can be, depending on the facts and the state. The doctrine can let a trespassing child recover for an injury from a dangerous artificial condition when, among other conditions, the owner knew or had reason to know children were likely to trespass there, the child was too young to realize the risk, and the value of keeping the condition and the burden of removing the danger were slight compared with the risk (Restatement (Second) of Torts § 339, as summarized by Cornell's Legal Information Institute). Courts differ on ordinary pools: Indiana, for example, has held that the doctrine doesn't apply to a swimming pool without a hidden danger. Michigan's version is in its Trespass Liability Act (MCL 554.583(2)(d)).

How long do you have to file a pool injury or drowning claim in Michigan?

Generally 3 years from the injury or death (MCL 600.5805(2)). A child hurt before turning 18 can also sue up to one year after their 18th birthday, even if the 3 years have run (MCL 600.5851(1)). A parent's own claim for the child's medical bills doesn't get that extra time, so plan on 3 years from the injury (Walter v City of Flint, 1972). If the person died before their deadline ran out, the estate's personal representative may have up to 2 years after letters of authority are issued, but no more than 3 years after the original deadline (MCL 600.5852). A claim against a city, school or the State under the public-building exception needs written notice within 120 days of the injury (MCL 691.1406).

Should someone see a doctor after a near-drowning if they seem fine?

Yes. MedlinePlus, from the National Library of Medicine, says everyone who has had a non-fatal drowning should be checked by a health care provider, because lung complications are common even when the person quickly seems OK. Anyone who needed any form of resuscitation, even rescue breathing alone, should be taken to a hospital for evaluation, even if they seem alert and are breathing well.

When should I talk to a pool accident attorney?

As early as you can after a drowning or any serious pool injury, before the pool is repaired or a deadline passes. It matters most if a city, school or the State ran the pool: in Michigan, written notice of a public-building claim is due within 120 days of the injury (MCL 691.1406). A lawyer can also help sort out who is responsible at an apartment, condominium or hotel pool, where whoever controlled the pool may not be its owner (Janini v London Townhouses Condominium Ass'n, 2024), and whether the maker of a failed drain cover or other product shares the blame.

Sources

Drowning Facts (updated January 27, 2026) · Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Risk Factors for Drowning (updated January 27, 2026) · Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Preventing Drowning (updated September 29, 2025) · Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Vital Signs: Drowning Increases in the U.S. (updated June 18, 2024) · Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Pool Chemical Injuries in Public and Residential Settings — United States, 2008–2017, and New York, 2018 (MMWR, May 17, 2019) · Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, via PubMed Central (National Library of Medicine)
Pool or Spa Submersion: Estimated Nonfatal Drowning Injuries and Reported Drownings, 2026 Report (May 2026) · U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
2014–2018 Reported Circulation/Suction Entrapment Incidents Associated with Pools, Spas, and Whirlpool Bathtubs, 2019 Report (May 2019) · U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
CPSC Hails Successes of Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act as Law Hits 10-Year Mark (December 19, 2017) · U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Safety Barrier Guidelines for Residential Pools (Publication 362) · U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
15 U.S.C. § 8003, Federal swimming pool and spa drain cover standard · Office of the Law Revision Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives
15 U.S.C. § 8004, Swimming pool safety grant program · Office of the Law Revision Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives
15 U.S.C. § 8005, Minimum State law requirements · Office of the Law Revision Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives
16 CFR 1450.3, Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act regulations: incorporation by reference (ANSI/APSP/ICC-16 2017) · Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR)
Non-fatal drowning (MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, reviewed October 14, 2025) · National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health
Spinal cord trauma (MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, reviewed April 13, 2026) · National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health
Water Safety · American Red Cross
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline · Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Public Act and Rules Governing Public Swimming Pools (Rev. 11/2025) · Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy
Mich Admin Code R 325.2111 to R 325.2199, Public swimming pools · Michigan Office of Administrative Hearings and Rules
MCL 333.12521, Public swimming pools: definitions · Michigan Legislature
MCL 333.12524, Public swimming pools: periodic inspections · Michigan Legislature
MCL 333.12527, Public swimming pools: license required · Michigan Legislature
MCL 333.12531, Order to prohibit use of a swimming pool · Michigan Legislature
MCL 691.1401, Governmental tort liability act: definitions · Michigan Legislature
MCL 691.1404, Notice of injury and defect; service; notice to the State; injured children · Michigan Legislature
MCL 691.1406, Public buildings; dangerous condition; notice · Michigan Legislature
MCL 691.1407, Governmental immunity from tort liability; gross negligence · Michigan Legislature
MCL 691.1411, Claims against government agencies; limitation of actions · Michigan Legislature
MCL 600.6431, Court of Claims; notice of intention to file a claim against the State · Michigan Legislature
MCL 600.6452, Court of Claims; limitation of actions against the State · Michigan Legislature
MCL 600.5805, Injuries to persons or property; periods of limitations · Michigan Legislature
MCL 600.5851, Claims by minors; year of grace · Michigan Legislature
MCL 600.5852, Death before the period of limitations has run; personal representative · Michigan Legislature
MCL 600.2922, Death by wrongful act, neglect, or fault of another · Michigan Legislature
MCL 600.5839, Limitations on actions against architects, engineers and contractors · Michigan Legislature
MCL 600.2945, Product liability actions: definitions · Michigan Legislature
MCL 600.2959, Comparative fault; reduced damages · Michigan Legislature
MCL 554.583, Trespass liability act: duty of care to trespassers, including child trespassers · Michigan Legislature
MCL 554.139, Residential leases; covenants of fitness and repair · Michigan Legislature
MCL 15.233, Freedom of Information Act: right to inspect or receive copies of public records · Michigan Legislature
Sewell v Southfield Public Schools, 456 Mich 670 (1998) · Michigan Supreme Court, via the Caselaw Access Project, Harvard Law School
Renny v Department of Transportation, 478 Mich 490 (2007) · Michigan Supreme Court, via the Caselaw Access Project, Harvard Law School
Beals v Michigan, 497 Mich 363 (2015) · Michigan Supreme Court, via the Caselaw Access Project, Harvard Law School
Ray v Swager, 501 Mich 52 (2017) · Michigan Supreme Court
Kandil-Elsayed v F & E Oil, Inc; Pinsky v Kroger Co of Mich, 512 Mich 95 (decided July 28, 2023) · Michigan Supreme Court
Janini v London Townhouses Condominium Ass'n (Docket No. 164158, decided July 11, 2024) · Michigan Supreme Court
Allison v AEW Capital Management, LLP, 481 Mich 419 (2008) · Michigan Supreme Court
Molitoris v Saint Mary Magdalen Catholic Church, No. 166699, order granting leave to appeal (May 22, 2026) · Michigan Supreme Court
Michigan Model Civil Jury Instructions (updated July 21, 2026): M Civ JI 10.06, 10.07, 12.03, 12.05, 13.08, 19.01, 19.03, 19.06, 19.07A, 50.05 and 50.07 · Michigan Supreme Court, Committee on Model Civil Jury Instructions
Attractive nuisance doctrine · Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
Your Guide to Homeowners Insurance: For Michigan Consumers · Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services
Gumienny v Hess, 285 Mich 411 (1938) · Michigan Supreme Court, via the Caselaw Access Project (Harvard Law School)
Walter v City of Flint, 40 Mich App 613 (1972) · Michigan Court of Appeals, via the Caselaw Access Project (Harvard Law School)
Summers v City of Detroit, 206 Mich App 46 (1994) · Michigan Court of Appeals, via the Caselaw Access Project (Harvard Law School)

Updated September 29, 2026

This guide is general information, not legal advice, and laws change. For advice about your situation, talk to a lawyer licensed in your state. Reading this page or contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Swimming Pool Injuries