Statistics show the majority of drownings in private swimming pools occurred with children aged 0-4 years, with inadequate pool fencing a major factor contributing to these drownings.

The ultimate goal for pool compliance is to prevent these drownings while specifically focusing on pool fence and barriers.

Pool barrier compliance means your pool meets the legal pool safety requirements for your state for

• height and strength of barriers
• non-climbable zones
• gates and their latching requirements,
• preventing direct access from a building into a pool area, and
• adequate signage

As the first step to preventing children drownings aged 0-4 in private swimming pools, state pool registers were set up to track and monitor each pool.

In VIC, all residential pools must be registered with their local council, which you can locate >here.

If you are a property owner.

• selling or leasing a property with a swimming pool or spa
• building a new swimming pool or spa on a property
• new fence being built around an existing swimming pool or spa
• bought a property with a pool or spa 90 days from settlement
• run a family day care, home care or at-home child care facility
• requested by your bank applying for or refinancing your home loan
• directed by council

If you are a property manager of a pool owner for any of the above situations, you need to contact the property owner and make sure they register their pool.

Failure to register your pool or spa, you may face an on-the-spot fines of $330 and penalties up to $1,652.20.

You can also receive a written notice from your council requiring you register your pool or spa.

You will have to check with your local council which you can locate >here.

Yes. It is mandatory for al VIC property owners to apply to register any pool or spa on their property.

A pool safety compliance certificate certifies a swimming pool or swimming pool spa’s fences and barriers meet the state safety requirements. 

In Victoria, inspections of your pool or spa barrier and pool certificates of barrier compliance are issued by 

• a registered building surveyor
• a registered building inspector (Pool Safety)
• a municipal building surveyor

This certificate needs to be renewed every 4 years.

If building surveyor or pool safety inspector finds a pool does not meet the swimming pool spa fences and barriers safety requirements, a certificate of barrier non-compliance is issued.

Depending upon the rectification work required, this certificate is valid for up to 7 days or 60 days, allowing any necessary rectification works to be completed.

In 2019, VIC laws required all properties with a swimming pool or spa pool to comply with the pool safety laws with valid safety certification, such as

• Form 23 certificate of barrier compliance 
• Form 24 certificate of barrier non compliance, or
• relevant occupation certificate

As part of the delicious paperwork to maintain a wonderfully safe standard of living, a pool safety barrier compliance certificate is needed when

• selling or leasing a property with a swimming pool or spa
• building a new swimming pool or spa on a property
• a new fence is being built around an existing swimming pool or spa
• a property is purchased with a pool or spa 90 days from settlement
• running a family day care, home care or at-home child care facility
• requested by your bank applying for or refinancing your home loan, or
• directed by council

After you apply to register your pool or spa, council determines the date of construction of your pool or spa and the applicable barrier standard which is determined by the date your pool or spa was constructed.

In VIC, the requirements for pool and spa barriers and fences depend on when the pool and barriers were constructed. This is confirmed by council.

The VIC Building Authority has 5 pool safety standards — which can be read >here. They are set according to when the pool was constructed

• PART 9A BUILDING REGULATIONS 2018 AND AS 1926.1-1993 for swimming pool barriers constructed before 8 April, 1991
• AS 1926.1 – 1986 which applies to pools barriers constructed between 8 April 1991 and 31 October 1994
• AS 1926.1 – 1993 which applies to pool barriers constructed from 1 November 1994 to 30 April 2010
• AS 1926.2-2007 which applies to pool barriers constructed from 1 May 2010 to 30 April 2013
• AS 1926.1 – 2012 which applies to pool barriers constructed after 1 May 2013

These standards cover

• pool and spa fences and barriers
• NCZ non-climbable zone
• pool gate latch safety, and
• CPR Signage

In VIC, pool compliance certificates are issued by registered building surveyor or pool safety inspector

Essentially, the pool safety inspector’s role is to

• inspect the property’s pool and spa barriers, and 
• issue Form 23 certificate of barrier compliance or Form 24 certificate of barrier non-compliance

Armed with a tape measure, your pool safety inspector completes an onsite inspection within 45 minutes. They’ll check your pool, spa and barriers are compliant and write up a detailed report is written up including photos with descriptions and explanations on rectifications. And, you don’t have to be present for the inspection – check the next FAQ.

As long as we have access to the pool area, you don’t need to be present – which saves you time (when we always want to save you time and money). If you’re concerned you won’t understand exactly what issues you need to address, you are emailed a detailed report including photos with descriptions and explanations on rectifications.

Read our article “Our Response To COVID-19 (coronavirus) > here – and how we maintain the health of our customers and community as our number one priority – with easy-to-use online and automated systems in addition to rigorous hygiene procedures (we do love the smell of fresh chlorine in the morning!)

Once the inspection is complete, your paperwork reaches you. 

If your pool is

• compliant, you’ve got a gold star in pool safety and receive your Form 23 certificate of barrier compliance
• not compliant, you’ll receive your Form 24 certificate of barrier non-compliance certificate with a report for rectifications.

Once rectification work is complete, your pool safety inspector returns to inspect all over again to issue your Form 23 certificate of barrier compliance.

That’s OK. Pools are frequently not compliant because small rectifications are required.

If a pool safety inspector finds a pool does not meet the swimming pool spa fences and barriers safety requirements, a Form 24 Certificate of Barrier Non-Compliance is issued. This is valid for up to 60 days, allowing any necessary rectification works to take place and solve those pool safety issues.

If your pool is still not compliant after those 60 days have passed, by law, Council must be notified.

Rectifications may require the skills of a contractor builder. Be sure to pick the right builder who gets the job right the first time and saves you from spending money unnecessarily.

The best questions to ask your builder are

Do you know pool safety compliance?
I’m in NSW or VIC: do you understand what standard do I comply to?
Do you know how to do the rectification works to meet pool safety compliance?

You certainly can DIY Pool Safety – and do all the hard work before the pool safety inspector arrives.

Check

• trees and vegetation are not in the 900mm arc of the non-climbable zone
• fences are at least 1800mm high with no more than 100mm gaps in between and under fences
• gates are self-closing
• CPR sign is in the vicinity of the pool

Need more details? The Ultimate PoolSS Safety Checklist has everything you need to navigate the Pool Safety Australian Standard >here