Pools and Spas

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On 1 December 2019, new laws to improve swimming pool and spa safety came into effect in Victoria.

They introduce new registration, inspection and certification requirements for property owners.

As a pool or spa owner you need to complete the following:

  1. Register your pool with your local council.
  2. Organise an inspection of your pool barrier by a registered swimming pool inspector.
  3. Rectify any issues identified by your pool inspection.
  4. Submit a certificate of compliance to your council by the due date.

This includes in-ground and above ground pools and spas, inflatable pools, indoor pools and spa pools, children’s paddling and wading pools, spas, jacuzzis, hot tubs and swim spas and portable spas.

This does not include bodies of water such as birdbaths, fishponds, fountains, spas inside a building/bathroom that are used for personal hygiene and contain a drain plug, water supply/storage tanks and dams, rivers, creeks and lakes.

For more information, including cut-off dates, see:

Registration Fees

Type of Fee or Penalty Amount (2022-2023)
Pool or spa registration fee: A one-off fee payable to the relevant council for the registration of your pool or spa. $32.87
Information search fee (if applicable): This fee enables the council to conduct the appropriate searches to determine the date of construction of your pool or spa and any associated building permits, which determines the applicable barrier standard. The information search fee only applies to pools or spas constructed before 1 June 2020. $48.78
Failure to register swimming pool or spa within relevant timeframe: up to $1,652.20

 

Registering a pool AND spa

A pool and spa can be registered in a single application, however if they are protected by separate barrier systems there may be differences in the standards to which they are inspected depending on construction dates for each one.

If the swimming pools are enclosed separately by individual barriers, then each swimming pool and spa must be registered under a separate application, and two (or more) sets of fees would be payable.

Failure to Comply

Building Regulations state that it will be an offence not to register within the required timeframe of 1 November 2020 which will be subject to a penalty. Whilst Council must issue a Notice to Register a Pool (prior to issuing a Building Infringement Notice), discretion will be made on individual circumstances on delay in registering a pool.

Registration Confirmation

When you complete your application to register your swimming pool or spa, Council will confirm the date of the construction of the swimming pool, the relevant standard that the safety barrier must comply with and the date that the certificate of compliance for the safety barrier(s) must be lodged by.

Once the swimming pool and/or spa has been registered with Council, it will remain on the register until the owner removes or decommissions the swimming pool or spa and applies to Council to remove it from the permanent pool/spa register.

 

 

 

Water Safety

We encourage the active supervision of young children in and around swimming pools and spas at all times.

 

Swimming pool and spa owners have a legal obligation to ensure that they maintain the effective operation of swimming pool and spa safety barriers. Gates and doors must remain closed, except when entering the pool or spa.

 

For more information on keeping children safe around pools and spas, visit Life Saving Victoria and Kidsafe Victoria.

 

Pool Barrier Guidelines

Pools installed before 8 April 1991
Pools installed between 8 April 1991 and 30 April 2010
Pools installed from 1 May 2010

 

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