Swimming pool and spa registration and fencing

All swimming pools and spas must have a safety barrier to restrict access to the pool area by children under the age of 5.

  • Property owners must ensure these barriers are maintained to reduce the risk of unsupervised children gaining access.
  • Residents must also ensure these barriers are always closed, except when entering the pool or spa.

This applies to all swimming pools and spas capable of containing water deeper than 30cm, including:

  • in-ground pools and spas
  • above-ground pools and spas
  • indoor pools and spas
  • relocatable (including inflatable) pools, spas and hot tubs.

Register your pool or spa

Submit Certificate of Barrier Compliance (Form 23)

Pool and spa mandatory registration

The State Government has introduced mandatory registration of all pools and spa in Victoria. Any pool or spa should have been registered by 1 November 2020, but Maroondah City Council is still accepting registrations.

New pools should be registered within 30 days of receiving an Occupancy Permit or Certificate of Final Inspection.

See more detail about the new regulations and which pools and spas it applies to

Building a new pool or spa?

Before you can construct any new swimming pool or spa, you will need to apply for a building permit.

Any new pool or spa also needs to be registered within 30 days of receiving the Certificate of Final Inspection and Form 23 Certificate of Barrier Compliance. 

See how to apply for a building permit for a new pool or spa

Pool and spa registration process

Pictorial of the pool and spa registration process. Register

Step 1. Register your pool

Property owners, including landlords, are required to register their pool or spa with Council. The cost of registration is set by the Victorian Government and is $34.20, including a search fee.

You can register your swimming pool or spa with Council using the its online portal. You'll start by entering the pool address:

Register your pool or spa now

Please don’t have your pool inspected yet. Council will send you a letter telling you the barrier standard that applies to you pool or spa, as well as the date by which you need to provide your certificate of compliance.

If you have a pool and a spa

  • If you have a separate pool and spa they must be registered separately, unless they are contained within the same swimming pool barrier.

If you don’t register your pool or spa

  • It is an offence not to register within the required timeframe and is subject to a fine of $384.60.

Council will maintain the register of swimming pools and spas within the municipality and uses owner registrations, existing Council records and aerial photography to ensure the database is up-to-date.

Once your swimming pool or spa has been registered with Council, it will remain registered until it is removed or decommissioned and the owner applies to take it off the register.

Step 2. Receive information from Council

We will send you a letter that tells you:

  • when the swimming pool was built
  • the relevant safety barrier standard
  • the date the safety barriers must be certified by.

Don’t do anything further until you receive this letter. Due to the current number of pool and spa registrations and the investigation each involves, it might take some time for you to receive this letter.

You cannot proceed to having an inspection without your letter from Council.

Step 3. Inspect and repair

You need to have your safety barriers inspected by a registered building practitioner.

The swimming pool and spa barriers must be inspected and certified by a registered building surveyor or a registered building inspector. This certification will state that your barriers comply with the applicable barrier standard referenced in your letter from Council.

Timeframes

The date your barriers must be certified will depend on when the pool was built:

  • Pools constructed on or before 30 June 1994 - certification must be lodged by 1 June 2022*
  • Pools constructed on or after 1 July 1994 but before 1 May 2010 - certification must be lodged by 1 June 2023*
  • Pools constructed on or after 1 May 2010 but before 1 June 2020 - certification must be lodged by 1 June 2024*

Please note: once the Registered Pool Inspector commences the Compliance Inspection process, they administer the timelines specified in the Building Regulations to achieve compliance. If the timeline exceeds the council notified timeframes, please send an email to maroondah@maroondah.vic.go.au requesting an Extension of Time with a copy of the Inspectors Report.

If a Certificate of Barrier of Compliance is not issued within 60 days from the first inspection or if the barrier is not capable of being made compliant with the applicable standard the Registered Pool Inspector will send a Barrier of Non Compliance (Form 24) to the owner and council to notify us of the condition of the pool barrier.  Council will investigate and determine to either grant additional time using a Barrier Improvement Notice (Form 25) or issue a Building Notice.

Who can inspect my safety barriers? 

Swimming pool/spa barrier inspections can only be carried out by:

  • a registered building surveyor
  • a registered building inspector

Any building surveyor or building inspector who is registered with the Victorian Building Authority is able to inspect and certify your safety barriers. 

How to find a registered building surveyor or building inspector

We suggest searching the internet for ‘Pool Compliance Inspections Melbourne’ and contacting a few different practitioners to obtain a quote. You can check if the practitioner is registered using the VBA's Find a registered practitioner search tool

Find out more about registered/licensed practitioners on VBA's Find a practitioner webpage.

Find out more about the inspection process, who can inspect them, and the costs involved

What happens if I don’t have my barriers inspected?

It is an offence to fail to provide a Certificate of Pool and Spa Barrier Compliance by the prescribed time or to fail to comply with an order or direction from Council. This may result in fines or prosecution.

Have you received a Barrier Improvement Notice (Form 25) from Council?

If you have received a Barrier Improvement Notice (Form25) from Council, this means we have received a Certificate of non-compliance (Form 24) from your Registered pool inspector advising Council your pool barrier needs to be maintained to achieve compliance with the Building Regulations. Accompanying the Notice is a copy of the Certificate of Barrier Non- Compliance from your swimming pool inspector.

Your next steps:

  • Fix the items on the certificate of Barrier Non compliance provided by the registered pool inspector
  • Contact your registered Pool inspector to book a follow-up Barrier inspection before the expiry date of the Barrier Improvement Notice (Form 25), if compliant the pool Inspector will issue a Certificate of Barrier Compliance (Form 23)
  • Lodge the Certificate of Barrier Compliance (Form23) with council to attach the Certificate to the registration of your pool/spa pool by the expiry date on the Barrier Improvement Notice (Form 25)

Step 4. Lodge your compliance certificate

If the inspector is satisfied that the safety barrier is compliant with the applicable barrier standard:

  1. They will issue a Certificate of Pool and Spa Barrier Compliance and provide a copy to the owner.
  2. The owner, or their agent, must provide a copy of the certificate to Council within 20 days of the certificate issue date.
    Submit your Certificate of Compliance (Form 23)
  3. Council will record details of the certificate on the register.

The cost of lodging the certificate with Council is set by the Victorian Government and is $21.90.

Step 5. Inspect and certify every 4 years

You only have to register your pool once.

Inspections and the submission of certificates of compliance must be completed every 4 years. We’ll send you a reminder.

Ongoing Compliance Requirements (every 4 years)

After you register your pool, have been provided with the barrier standard which your pool and/or spa needs to comply with, you are required to engage a certified pool inspector to undertake an inspection of your safety barriers to ensure they comply with the relevant standard as stipulated by Council. If your barriers comply you will be provided with a Certificate of Barrier Compliance (Form 23) by the inspector. You then need to lodge this certificate below:

Submit your Certificate of Compliance

It is important to be aware that once you have lodged your Certificate of Barrier Compliance, Council will confirm receipt of your certificate and provide you with the new date that you will have to provide your next Certificate which will be in 4 years time. The requirement to have your barriers inspected every 4 years is a requirement introduced by the State Government to ensure ongoing swimming pool and spa safety for all Victorians.

  

Don’t have a pool or spa?

  • No pool at your property? If you have received letters from Council about having a pool, we’ll need to update our records. 

Let us know there is no pool or spa using this simple online form:

Tell us you don't have a pool

Swimming pool and spa infringements

Council will issue infringements for failing to comply with the State Government’s Swimming Pool and Spa Regulation requirements.

Infringements may be issued for:

  • failing to have a pool or spa barrier in place
  • failing to register your pool or spa with Council
  • failing to lodge a Certificate of Pool or Spa Barrier Compliance
  • failing to pay a lodgement fee for a Certificate of Compliance
  • failing to pay a lodgement fee for a Certificate Non-Compliance.

Fees and additional steps

It is important to pay your infringements by the due date as additional costs will be incurred and added to your fine. Please also be aware that there may be further steps for you to follow in addition to paying the infringement. This will be detailed on your infringement notice and may include the requirement to:

  • register your pool or spa with Council
  • Lodge a Certificate of Pool or Spa Barrier Compliance with Council.

If the additional steps are not followed the matter may proceed to court.

Read more about fines, infringements and objections

Further information

Contact us

Contact Council's Building Services on 1300 88 22 33 or 9298 4598.