My electrician is telling me that code requires me to put 3' of rebar in 1' squares all around my pool in the concrete..... for bonding purposes. I have a few in-ground pools around me and I don't think I have seen anyone using rebar all the way around. Does this seem right???

NEC 680.26 is the specific article that deals with equipotential bonding of pools. Section 680.26(B)(2) is the specific section. It states that you can either bond to the rebar OR have a copper bonding loop 18 to 24" from the inside wall all the way around the pool. However, your inspector has the last word. Don't win the battle and lose the war with him/her.

Rebar reaching out at least 3' from the water in a concrete deck around a pool is extremely common. There are some alternatives, such as replacing the rebar with #8 copper wire, or using certain kinds of steel mesh to form the grid, but they are almost always more expensive.

Here is a document I found that is very helpful. But yes, a grid is necessary for proper bonding. http://www.mikeholt.com/files/PDF/Pooldownload.pdf

The good thing is that I live in a village that doesn't have an inspector.. I want to make sure that I do it correctly so that I don't have any floating fish if you know what I mean... I guess I am going to go with the over 800 ft of rebar. **** more work.