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 safety compliance is to prevent these drownings while specifically focusing on pool fence and barriers.

Pool 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 QLD, all residential pools must be registered with the QBCC Swimming Pool Register.

Failure to register your pool can result in a fine.

A Form 23 pool safety certificate certifies a swimming pool or swimming pool spa's fences and barriers meet the state safety requirements.

In 2015, QLD laws required all properties with a swimming pool or spa to comply with the pool safety laws with valid safety certification, such as

• Form 23 pool safety certificate
• Form 26 pool safety non-conformity notice, or
• relevant occupation certificate

In Queensland, pool safety certificates are issued by pool safety inspectors. This certificate needs to be renewed every 2 years. 

If a pool safety inspector finds a pool does not meet the swimming pool spa fences and barriers safety requirements, a Form 26 non-conformity notice is issued, allowing the property up to 90 days to complete any necessary rectification works.

In 2015, QLD laws required all properties with a swimming pool or spa to comply with the pool safety laws with valid safety certification, such as

• pool safety certificate
• Form 26 pool safety non-conformity notice, or
• relevant occupation certificate

Pool safety certificates are valid for 2 years.

As part of the delicious paperwork to maintain a wonderfully safe standard of living, a pool safety 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

In QLD, the requirements for pool and spa barriers and fences are ruled by the QLD Pool Safety Standard - which can be read >here.

This standard covers

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

In QLD, pool safety certificates are issued by Pool Safety Inspectors. 

Essentially, the pool safety inspector's role is to

1. inspect pools, spas and barriers, and
2. lodge the inspection and details through the QLD Pool Safety Register.

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 provided with a detailed report including photos with descriptions and explanations on rectifications. This is emailed to you, by law, within 2 business days of the inspection.

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 pool safety certificate
• not compliant, you’ll receive your Form 26 non-conformity notice with a report for rectifications. 

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

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 26 non-conformity notice is issued. This allows you up to 90-days for any necessary rectification works to take place and solve those pool safety issues before handed across to council.

If your pool is not compliant, by law, we have to notify Council 90 days after the first inspection.

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?
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