Pool compliance checker
Three questions, then the list of what you have to do, what it is called in your state, and what the law gives you time for.
Last checked
Tell us about the pool
This is a summary, not a compliance decision. Your council, certifier or pool inspector decides whether a barrier passes, and in NSW, Victoria and WA the standard it is measured against can depend on when the pool was built. Check with them, or with your state regulator, before you rely on this list.
No fence replaces an adult watching. Supervise children in and around water every time.
Showing every obligation.
- Required
The gate has to close and latch on its own
self-close and self-latch from any open positionSource: QBCC: Gates, latches and hinges
The wording here is from Queensland’s regulator. The exact gate rules depend on the standard your pool is held to, so confirm them with your inspector, and test the gate from wide open and from resting on the latch.
NSW, VIC, QLD, WA
- Required
Your barrier is judged against the standard for its build date
3 different standards, by construction dateSource: NSW Government: Owning a pool or spa (updated 16 March 2026)
An older pool may be assessed against an earlier standard, but alter the barrier and the current one applies. Ask your council or certifier which one your pool is held to.
NSW
- Required
A new pool is built to the current barrier standard
AS 1926.1-2012Source: NSW Government: Owning a pool or spa (updated 16 March 2026)
Ask your builder and certifier to confirm the barrier design against it before work starts.
NSW
- Required
Register the pool on the NSW Swimming Pool Register
must be registeredSource: NSW Government: Owning a pool or spa (updated 16 March 2026)
The registration certificate is what a buyer or tenant is given alongside the pool certificate.
NSW
- Required
Fence the hole while it is being built
child-resistant temporary fencingSource: NSW Government: Owning a pool or spa (updated 16 March 2026)
The permanent barrier comes last in most builds. The temporary one covers the months before it.
NSW
- Required
Nobody swims until the paperwork is done
until an occupation certificate is issuedSource: NSW Government: Owning a pool or spa (updated 16 March 2026)
A sign saying the pool is not to be used stays up until then.
NSW
- Worth knowing
Spas and blow-up pools count as pools
deeper than 30 cmSource: NSW Government: Owning a pool or spa (updated 16 March 2026)
Depth decides it, not whether the thing is permanent. A portable pool past that depth needs the same fence.
NSW
- Required
Put up a resuscitation sign that can actually be read
readable from 3 mSource: NSW Government: Owning a pool or spa (updated 16 March 2026)
Sun-bleached signs get written up. Replace an old one before anyone comes to inspect.
NSW
- Required
Supervision is part of the law, not just advice
children are properly supervisedSource: NSW Government: Owning a pool or spa (updated 16 March 2026)
A compliant fence is the back-up. An adult watching is the first line.
NSW
- Worth knowing
A compliance certificate runs out
3 yearsSource: NSW Government: Owning a pool or spa (updated 16 March 2026)
You need a current one when you sell or lease. A council or a registered pool inspector issues it.
NSW
- Worth knowing
A council inspection is capped by regulation
$150Source: Swimming Pools Regulation 2018 (NSW)
That is the cap for the first inspection after you become the owner. Later ones are capped lower. Private certifiers set their own price.
NSW
- Required
Attach the pool paperwork to the contract
a registration certificate plus a compliance, occupation or non-compliance certificateSource: NSW Government: Owning a pool or spa (updated 16 March 2026)
A brand new pool can use its occupation certificate instead, if it is recent enough.
NSW
- Worth knowing
Leave the paperwork off and the buyer can walk away
within 14 days of exchangeSource: NSW Government: Owning a pool or spa (updated 16 March 2026)
Getting the documents into the contract before exchange removes that risk.
NSW
- Worth knowing
Selling a unit or buying off the plan works differently
strata or community schemes of more than 2 lots, and off-the-plan salesSource: NSW Government: Owning a pool or spa (updated 16 March 2026)
The sale document rule does not apply to those. Ask your conveyancer what the scheme holds for a shared pool.
NSW
- Worth knowing
Selling on a non-compliance certificate hands the buyer a clock
90 days from settlementSource: NSW Government: Owning a pool or spa (updated 16 March 2026)
It is legal, and it becomes part of the price negotiation.
NSW
- Required
Give the tenant a copy of a valid certificate
a copy of the certificate of compliance or occupation certificateSource: NSW Government: Owning a pool or spa (updated 16 March 2026)
A certificate of non-compliance cannot be used for a tenancy, so the barrier has to pass first.
NSW
- Worth knowing
Letting a unit in a larger scheme is treated differently
strata or community schemes of more than 2 lotsSource: NSW Government: Owning a pool or spa (updated 16 March 2026)
The tenancy document rule does not apply there. The shared pool still has to be safe.
NSW
- Required
Your barrier is judged against the rules that applied when it was built
the rules in force when the pool was builtSource: Building Regulations 2018 (Vic), Part 9A, Authorised Version 031 (1 September 2026)
The council’s registration letter names the standard. Pools from before 8 April 1991 have their own set of requirements.
VIC
- Required
Register the pool or spa with your council
must be registered with councilSource: Building Regulations 2018 (Vic), Part 9A, Authorised Version 031 (1 September 2026)
Registration is what puts your barrier certificate on a schedule the council tracks.
VIC
- Required
Register a new pool soon after it is signed off
within 30 daysSource: Building Regulations 2018 (Vic), Part 9A, Authorised Version 031 (1 September 2026)
The building surveyor issues the first barrier certificate. You lodge it with the registration.
VIC
- Worth knowing
Relocatable pools and spas are in scope if they hold enough water
more than 300 mm of waterSource: Building Regulations 2018 (Vic), Part 9A, Authorised Version 031 (1 September 2026)
Not just the ones dug into the ground.
VIC
- Required
A relocatable pool left up has its own registration deadline
on or before the 4th daySource: Building Regulations 2018 (Vic), Part 9A, Authorised Version 031 (1 September 2026)
The landowner registers it, even when a renter put it up.
VIC
- Required
Lodge a barrier compliance certificate on a repeating cycle
every 4 yearsSource: Building Regulations 2018 (Vic), Part 9A, Authorised Version 031 (1 September 2026)
A registered inspector checks the barrier and issues the certificate; you lodge it with the council.
VIC
- Worth knowing
Ask for the certificate by its form number
Form 23Source: Building Regulations 2018 (Vic), Part 9A, Authorised Version 031 (1 September 2026)
Saying the form number saves a conversation when you book an inspector.
VIC
- Worth knowing
The council writes back with your next due date
the date your next certificate is dueSource: Building Regulations 2018 (Vic), Part 9A, Authorised Version 031 (1 September 2026)
Keep that letter. It is the reminder most owners rely on.
VIC
- Worth knowing
A failed barrier starts a repair clock
up to 60 daysSource: Building Regulations 2018 (Vic), Part 9A, Authorised Version 031 (1 September 2026)
Some faults skip the clock entirely, including a gate that will not close or can be opened by a small child.
VIC
- Worth knowing
Council fees are capped by state regulation
$23.83Source: Building Regulations 2018 (Vic), Part 9A, Authorised Version 031 (1 September 2026)
That is the most a council may charge to lodge a compliance certificate. Registration and a non-compliance lodgement have their own caps.
VIC
- Required
Hand the renter the compliance certificate when they ask
on requestSource: Consumer Affairs Victoria: Swimming pools and spas (updated 17 July 2025)
Victoria has no separate certificate for starting a lease. The four-yearly certificate is the one that counts.
VIC
- Required
A broken pool fence or gate is an urgent repair
an urgent repairSource: Consumer Affairs Victoria: Swimming pools and spas (updated 17 July 2025)
Urgent means it cannot wait for the next routine maintenance visit.
VIC
- Required
Every pool is held to the same Queensland standard
one standard for every pool (MP 3.4)Source: Queensland Government: Pool safety laws
Unlike NSW, Victoria and WA, an older Queensland pool is not measured against the rules of its build year.
QLD
- Required
Be on the pool safety register, and expect council to check
councils can inspect and fineSource: QBCC: Pool safety standard
Registration and compliance are both enforced, separately.
QLD
- Required
A temporary fence needs sign-off, and it has a time limit
up to 3 monthsSource: QBCC: Pool fences
Plan for the permanent fence to be finished before that runs out.
QLD
- Required
Get a pool safety certificate
2 yearsSource: QBCC: Buy, sell or lease a property with a pool
That is the life of a certificate for a pool only your household uses.
QLD
- Worth knowing
A shared pool runs on a shorter cycle
1 yearSource: QBCC: Buy, sell or lease a property with a pool
Units, townhouses and anything the body corporate looks after.
QLD
- Required
Non-shared pool: no certificate, no tenancy agreement
a current certificate before the lease is signedSource: QBCC: Buy, sell or lease a property with a pool
For a non-shared pool the certificate has to be in effect before the agreement is entered into.
QLD
- Worth knowing
Shared pool: a notice can stand in for a while
a Form 36 is lodged, then the pool owner has 90 daysSource: QBCC: Buy, sell or lease a property with a pool
Ask the body corporate for the current certificate first.
QLD
- Required
Give the buyer the certificate before settlement
before settlementSource: QBCC: Buy, sell or lease a property with a pool
If you already hold a current one, this is a copy job, not an inspection job.
QLD
- Worth knowing
Selling without one means lodging a notice
Form 36Source: QBCC: Buy, sell or lease a property with a pool
The notice goes to the QBCC and to the buyer. At auction the buyer gets it before the contract.
QLD
- Worth knowing
The buyer inherits a deadline
within 90 days of settlementSource: QBCC: Buy, sell or lease a property with a pool
Worth raising during negotiation, because it becomes their cost and their time.
QLD
- Required
An older barrier may be allowed to meet an older standard
AS 1926.1-1993 (pools installed before 1 May 2016)Source: WA Building and Energy: Swimming pool and spa safety barrier requirements (updated 7 May 2026)
Otherwise the current standards apply. Your local government can tell you which one it inspects your pool against.
WA
- Required
A new barrier is built to the current standards
AS 1926.1-2012 and AS 1926.2-2007Source: WA Building and Energy: Swimming pool and spa safety barrier requirements (updated 7 May 2026)
Child-resistant doors are generally not an option for an outdoor pool built now.
WA
- Required
Owners and occupiers both carry the barrier duty
a fine of up to $5,000Source: Building Regulations 2012 (WA), official version as at 1 May 2026
Whoever lives at the property carries it as well as the owner.
WA
- Worth knowing
Your local government comes to you
at least every 4 yearsSource: WA Building and Energy: Swimming pool and spa safety barrier requirements (updated 7 May 2026)
WA runs on council inspections rather than owner-lodged certificates. Let the inspector in when they ask.
WA
- Worth knowing
The inspection charge is capped by regulation
no more than $78 a yearSource: Building Regulations 2012 (WA), official version as at 1 May 2026
The annual charge applies whether or not your pool is inspected that year. The first inspection of a new pool has its own cap.
WA
- Worth knowing
Sort out the temporary barrier before digging starts
organised before construction startsSource: WA Building and Energy: Swimming pool and spa safety barrier requirements (updated 7 May 2026)
The permanent barrier is not there yet, and the pool is a hazard from the day it holds water.
WA
- Worth knowing
A new barrier is inspected soon after it is finished
within 30 daysSource: WA Building and Energy: Swimming pool and spa safety barrier requirements (updated 7 May 2026)
Tell your local government when the pool is complete so the first inspection can be booked.
WA
- Worth knowing
WA’s barrier guidance sets no separate certificate for a sale or lease
Building and Energy’s barrier page does not mention one, and we found no source that says otherwise. Ask your local government and your conveyancer or property manager before settlement or a new tenancy.
WA
Full New South Wales guide Full Victoria guide Full Queensland guide Full Western Australia guide
How to read the list
Anything marked required is a legal obligation in that state, taken from the regulator's page or the legislation. The rest is context: what a thing is called, who sets the fee, what happens if the barrier fails. Both kinds link to the source, because the exact wording matters if you end up disagreeing with a certifier. None of it replaces an inspection: the inspector, certifier or council decides whether your barrier complies.
Two habits save people money. Book the inspection before you list the property, not after the contract is drafted, because a failed barrier is a repair job with a queue in front of it. And ask the inspector what they will check before they arrive, so the pot plants and the wobbly gate are already dealt with.
What the checker does not cover
Local rules on top of state law, strata and body corporate arrangements beyond the basics, exemptions granted for individual pools, and pools in South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory. For those, the pool fence rules page sets out what we could source for each, and your council or territory regulator can tell you the rest.