FAQ’s

All property owners with a pool or a spa have new obligations from 1 December 2019 under Victorian law to register their pool or spa with their local council by 1 November 2020, and then obtain a Certification of Barrier Compliance by having their safety barrier certified as meeting the Australian

There are 3 different deadlines in which you must lodge a Certificate of Barrier Compliance with your local council, as determined by the Victorian Building Authority. The deadlines differ based upon the date range in which your pool or spa was constructed, as specified by your local council following registration.

Construction Date Range

On or before 30 June 1994 – 1st of June 2022
From 1 July 1994 until 30 April 2010 – 1st of June 2023
From 1 May 2010 until 31 October 2020 – 1st of June 2024

There is a fine of up to $1,652.20 for failure to lodge a Certificate of Barrier Compliance within the set timeframes.

You need only register your pool or spa with your local council once, however you will need to arrange for an inspection to obtain a new Certificate of Barrier Compliance every 4 years.

If your pool is not compliant, we will issue a report detailing matters requiring rectification giving a maximum of 60 days to comply. If after a Re-Inspection, the matters have not been rectified, but substantial works have been attended to, we can give you a further 7 days. If substantial works have not occurred or no attempt made to rectify the non-compliance matters, we are required by Law to issue a Non-Compliance Certificate.

Failure to comply may incur an Infringement Notice and fines from your council in accordance with Victorian Building Authority regulations.

If you are concerned your pool or spa may not be compliant, we encourage you to book our preliminary barrier inspection service as an initial step before inspection, allowing you time to address any issues in your own time rather than regulatory timelines, while not triggering any additional council imposed fees.

1. Replacing / installing a boundry fence that forms part of a pool / spa barrier;
2. Replacing / altering sections, parts or components of a barrier that when combined comprise more than 50% of the existing barrier length;
3. Replacing / altering posts or footings of a barrier;
4. The use of materials in the barrier that are not commonly used for the same purposes as the material being replaced in the barrier;
5. An increase or decrease in the length of the barrier, or the size of the area enclosed by the barrier;
6. Replacing / altering any part of a retaining wall that forms part of the barrier, and;
7. Installing a new pool / spa barrier.

Upon application for registration of the swimming pool or spa, Council will determine the date of construction and the applicable barrier standard and inform the applicant in writing.

A certificate of compliance needs to be provided to Council within every four years after the first certificate of pool and spa barrier compliance was lodged with Council

You must advise your council that the registered pool or spa no longer exists or is no longer capable of containing water to a depth of greater than 300 mm. 

Your council will perform a final inspection and before they remove it from the Swimming Pool and Spa Register.