Swimming pools and spas

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Property owners in Knox with a pool or spa must register it with us and ensure safety barriers meet safety standards.

Safety standards for pools and spas

In 2019, the Victorian Government introduced new safety standards to stop young children from drowning in home pools. The standards ensure pool and spa safety barriers are regularly maintained and keep families safe.

Non-compliant safety barriers are the leading cause of accidental drowning deaths of children in home pools. The most common safety issues are faulty fences or gates.

Under the new standards, homeowners must register all swimming pools or spas with Council and have a compliant safety barrier installed. This applies to all residential swimming pools and spas with a depth of more than 30cm, such as:

bathing pools
wading pools
above-ground pools
indoor pools
hot tubs and jacuzzis
relocatable pools and spas (including inflatable pools)

Safety barriers

Every 4 years, your safety barrier must also be inspected and certified.

You can do your own simple checks to spot issues with your safety barrier including:

make sure the gate leading to the pool or spa area is self closing and self latching, with no gaps or spaces for children to get through
remove climbable objects near barriers, such as chairs or plants
always have an adult actively supervising children when they are playing in and around water.

Make sure to get any issues addressed immediately.

Register your pool

The registration and inspection requirements for relocatable pools and spas may differ. Refer to the Relocatable pools and spas (including inflatable pools) section below to see the registration and inspection requirements.

To find out more information on what is classified as a pool or spa, visit the Victorian Building Authority website.

If you own a property in Knox with a pool or spa, you need to register it with us. There are 3 steps you must complete.

Note: if your property has already been registered, you do not need to register again. If you have received a reminder, refer to step 3 for lodging your Certificate of Compliance.

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Step 1: Register your pool or spa

You must register your pool or spa with Knox City Council. There is a lodgement fee of $35.10.

Register your pool or spa

The registration deadline was 1 November 2020 for existing pools and spas.

If you have not yet registered your pool or spa, we encourage you to apply to Council as soon as possible. If you have a pool or spa but do not register it, you may be fined up to $395. If you cannot register online, you can register in person at the Council offices.

Once registered, Council will write to you confirm:

the construction date of your pool or spa
the safety barrier standards you must meet
when to lodge your first Certificate of Pool and Spa Barrier Compliance with Council.

Step 2: Arrange an inspection

Every 4 years, you must arrange an inspection of your pool or spa barrier for safety and to make sure it follows Australian standards.

Registered building inspectors or surveyors can inspect your safety barriers. Some inspectors and surveyors specialise in swimming pool or spa barriers.

If your barrier meets the safety standards, the inspector will approve your barrier and issue a Certificate of Pool and Spa Barrier Compliance.

If the safety barrier does not pass inspection

If your barrier does not meet the safety standards because of small problems, the inspector will advise you to fix these issues before getting it inspected again.

If these small problems are not fixed or the inspector finds major problems, they may give you a Certificate of Pool and Spa Barrier Non-compliance.

The inspector must give Council a copy of a Certificate of Pool and Spa Barrier Non-Compliance immediately.

Owners will also have to pay a fee of $424.60 to Council if the inspector issues a certificate of Pool and Spa Barrier Non-Compliance.

Once your barrier inspection has taken place, your Building Inspector will set a compliance timeline for you to fix non-compliant items and give you a notice with the due date. The date to comply with the Inspector’s notice, may be earlier than your certificate lodgement date with Council. You will need to follow the Inspectors timeline.

Please note: Council is not involved in this inspection step, and cannot grant time extensions for you to fix non-compliant items. If you have queries about the timeline the inspector has provided you, we recommend that you discuss this directly with your inspector.

Step 3: Lodge your Certificate of Pool and Spa Barrier Compliance

The date when you must lodge your Certificate of Pool and Spa Barrier Compliance depends on when the construction of the pool or spa started and finished.

However, once an inspector issues you a certificate, it's important you lodge it with Council within 30 days.

Council will send a reminder before the due date of your next Certificate of Compliance (approximately every 4 years)

Council does not undertake the barrier inspections.
Refer to Step 2: Arrange an Inspection for further information.

The inspector will require the date of construction of your pool/spa and the Applicable Barrier Standard. This information will have been provided to you with your reminder.

Fees

There is a lodgement fee for Certificates of Compliance of $22.50.

Lodge Certificate of Pool and Spa Barrier Compliance

Pools and spas constructed after 1 November 2020

Within 30 days of the Certificate being issued, you must:

register your pool/spa
lodge your Certificate of Compliance with Council

Refer to Step 1 where you can register and upload your Certificate in one easy step.

More information

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Relocatable pools and spas (including inflatable pools)

Relocatable pools and spas are movable and portable structures that can be erected on properties.

Relocatable pools and spas capable of holding a water depth of more than 30cm, must follow the Victorian Government safety standards. Safety standards you need to follow are:

Install a safety barrier that complies with Australian Standard 1926.1-2012. The permanent or relocatable barrier must be installed for the entire duration of the erected structure. For more information refer to the Victoria Building Authority safety barrier self-assessment checklist.
Register your relocatable pool or spa with Council, if it is erected for 3 or more days in a row. Registration will need to occur before or on the 4th day of the erected structure. (Relocatable pools and spas erected for less than 3 days do not need to be registered).
Arrange an inspection with a Registered Building Inspector or Building Surveyor to certify that the barrier is compliant. If your barrier meets the safety standards, you will be issued with a Certificate of Pool and Spa Barrier Compliance.
Lodge your Certificate of Pool and Spa Barrier Compliance with Council, within 30 days of registering.

Request a certificate of compliance extension

If you need more time to submit a certificate of compliance, you can request an extension.

Reasonable cases for an extension of time may include:

you have booked an inspection and are waiting on the inspector
you have made arrangements to fix non-compliant issues as directed by an inspector

Request an extension

Note: pool or spa owners whose lodgement dates have changed due to the new deadlines do not have to apply for an extension. The new lodgement dates will automatically transfer.

Special circumstances

Registering your swimming pool or spa is an important safety measure. It is also the law for all pool and spa owners.

If something is stopping you from registering your pool or spa, call our Building Services team on 9298 8000. We can discuss your circumstances.

Unregistered pools and spas

If you do not apply to register your pool and/or spa you can incur an on the spot fine of $395.

A maximum penalty of $1,976 applies for failure to register within the relevant timeframe. We highly encourage you to register on time to avoid being fined.

What if I have removed my pool or spa?

You must tell us if your pool or spa was removed or is not used anymore.

Lodge a request to remove your pool or spa from Council’s register.

Pools and spas infringements

If you fail to follow the registration and certification requirements for pools and spas, Council may issue you with a fine.

Infringement notices 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

There are options available if you have received an infringement notice.

Victorian safety barrier legislation

The legislation for all new and existing swimming pool and spa safety barriers is determined by the date your swimming pool or spa is constructed.

Date of construction	Compliance requirement
Before 8 April 1991	Part 9A, Division 2 of the Building Regulations 2018
8 April 1991 – 31 October 1994	Australian Standard AS 1926.1 – 1986 Amendment 1
1 November 1994 – 30 April 2010	Australian Standard AS 1926.1 –1993
1 May 2010 – 30 April 2013	Australian Standard AS1926.1 – 2007
After 1 May 2013	Australian Standard AS1926.1 –2012

Lodging a certificate of non-compliance (inspectors only)

Inspectors registered for online services can lodge the Certificate of Non-Compliance online.

Damaged or fallen pool fences

You can report a damaged or fallen pool fence that presents an imminent danger. We aim to inspect swimming pool barriers within 1 business day of being reported.

Building permits

Before you construct a new swimming pool, spa or any permanent safety barrier, you must get a building permit from a registered building surveyor.

During construction, a temporary safety barrier must be in place.

This barrier must be maintained at all times until the permanent barrier is installed.

You also need a building permit to make changes to an existing safety barrier, unless you're only doing maintenance (such as replacing a part like for like).

For more information about building permits please refer to the How to apply for a building permit.

Helpful resources

You can find an overview of pool fencing laws and drowning prevention on Kid Safe Victoria's website. You can use this as a guide to assess your pool safety. However, it is not a guarantee that your pool or spa safety barrier is compliant.

You can also see:

Need help?

Contact Building Services and we will get back to you.

Or call our Building Services team on 9298 8000.