A Charlotte man was killed at a rented pool party. Can county change rules?
Charlotte-area leaders appear limited in what they can do to regulate residential swimming pool rentals after a fatal weekend shooting at a pool party.
Police said a 20-year-old man was killed and four other people were wounded in a shooting Sunday at a “party gone wrong” in north Charlotte. A man who rents a room in the house where the shooting happened told The Charlotte Observer the property owner rents the home’s pool out online.
Mecklenburg County previously barred residents from renting out residential pools by the hour, an increasingly popular practice nationwide. But a change in state law last year forced the county to roll back its regulations.
Officials say that same law limits what they could do in response to the weekend’s fatal shooting.
Private pool rentals on the rise
The Observer’s news partner WSOC-TV reported the pool where the weekend shooting happened was rented on Swimply, an AirBnB-like app for residential pools and other backyard amenities.
Swimply’s website says its service is available in more than 150 cities across the U.S., Canada and Australia. There were 41 listings in the Charlotte area on the app as of Tuesday afternoon. The pool where the shooting occurred no longer appeared to be among them.
Users have to verify their phone number and email address to make an account on the app, which also asks for a date of birth, picture and short bio of the user when setting up an account.
Listings on the Swimply app says whether parties are allowed at the venue and also include details on the maximum number of guests allowed, access to restrooms and parking and any age or pet restrictions.
The reservation process asks users for a guest count, saying “you can always add more guests later” but that “arriving with more guests that specified in your reservation will result in a penalty.” The app also encourages users to write a message to the host during the reservation process about the reason for renting. Hosts have to accept reservation requests unless the listing is an “instant book” option.
The app’s settings include a “guest verification” page featuring two options: verifying identity through a service called Stripe or by completing a booking.
An Observer reporter testing the app was able to get to the final stages of booking a pool and listing a pool on the app without verifying their age or identity.
NC law change opens up pool rentals in Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg County previously tried to crack down on residential pool rentals on apps such as Swimply. The county said in 2024 renting out a residential pool made it a public pool, which therefore needed a permit.
“It’s about the safety of our residents, especially children,” Chrystal Swinger, Mecklenburg County Public Health Environmental Health Division director, said at the time.
But a bill that made it through the North Carolina General Assembly last year amended state law to strip counties of their ability to regulate private pool rentals.
Mecklenburg County commissioners voted just last week to officially remove the county’s previous rules on private pool rentals to reflect the change in state law.
Will Charlotte leaders, agencies crack down on pool rentals?
In response to questions from an Observer reporter on whether the weekend shooting will change anything, the county reiterated last year’s state law change removed its “jurisdiction and oversight” over residential pool rentals.
“We are always concerned about the health and wellness of all citizens and encourage those that engage in third-party pool rentals to ensure the safety of the pool and its users,” spokesman Myles Bell said, adding the county does provide safety tips for private pool owners and users.
Commission Chairman Mark Jerrell told the Observer the board has “not had a discussion about” trying to put in place new pool regulations as of Tuesday and that he was “not aware of a commissioner or staff raising the issue” yet.
Asked if Charlotte will consider regulating pool rentals in light of the shooting, city spokesman Jack VanderToll told the Observer pool regulations “fall under Mecklenburg County Public Health.” VanderToll directed questions about safety recommendations for
CMPD told the Observer the department doesn’t make laws or ordinances and will enforce what elected officials put on the books.
The legislator listed as the primary sponsor of House Bill 926, the bill that changed state law, Nash County Republican Rep. Allen Chesser, did not respond to questions from an Observer reporter about whether the statute allows pool rental regulations related to public safety or if could be amended to allow for safety rules.
This story was originally published March 25, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
