Your Step-by-Step Guide to Pool Barrier Compliance

Stage 1: Get registered with council

Registration is the starting point. If you own land with a pool or spa, you must register it with your local council. Contact your council or visit its website to find out how and what fees apply.

You complete a registration form and pay a registration fee. For pools and spas built or started before 1 November 2020, an information search fee also applies. After you register, council writes to you confirming the following details.

• That your pool or spa has been registered
• The date of construction and barrier standard
• Your right to appeal the date of construction
• The date your first or next certificate of barrier compliance must be lodged

Keep this letter safe. It tells us exactly which standard your barrier must meet.

Stage 2: Book a time with us

Call or email us to book. You speak directly with Cameron, the inspector who will attend, not a call centre or booking agent. Bookings are often available the next day, including Saturdays, and we always arrive at the agreed time.

Before the inspection, Cameron calls you to confirm the details, check which barrier standard applies to your pool or spa and answer any questions you have about the day.

It is a good chance to mention anything you are unsure about, such as a recent change to the yard, new landscaping near the barrier or a gate that has been playing up lately. The more we know beforehand, the smoother the inspection.

To help the day run smoothly, have your council letter handy, make sure we can reach every part of the barrier and let tenants know.

Move furniture, pot plants and toys away from the fence before we arrive, and test that every gate closes and latches by itself from fully open, half open and nearly closed.

Stage 3: Inspection and certificate

We arrive at the agreed time and meticulously evaluate the whole barrier against the applicable standard, including fence height, gaps, gates, latches, climbable objects and any doors, windows or walls that form part of the barrier. Everything is measured, not eyeballed.

Here is what happens next.

• If it complies, we issue your Form 23, often the same day
• If it doesn’t, you may receive a written notice listing the fixes, with up to 60 days to complete them. Some serious issues mean a certificate of barrier non-compliance is lodged with council straight away

Either way, we give clear advice on how to make the barrier compliant, because our job is to help you get there. Our building and pool construction experience means practical, cost-effective fixes.

Only a registered building surveyor, building inspector, pool inspector or municipal building surveyor can certify a barrier. Our inspectors are BPC-licensed Registered Building Inspectors.

Stage 4: Lodge your certificate

Once you have your certificate, lodge it with your council within 30 days of the date it was issued. Check your council’s website for how to lodge, as each council has its own process, and note that a lodgement fee applies when you do.

Timing matters. A certificate is only valid for 30 days after it is issued, and if it isn’t lodged in that time, a new inspection and a new certificate are needed.

Not lodging a certificate is an offence and can lead to an on-the-spot fine. After lodgement, council confirms in writing when your next one is due.

Diarise that date, and keep your barrier in good working order in the meantime by testing the gate and keeping the clear zone clear.