If you own a swimming pool or spa in Victoria, it must be registered with Council, maintained with a compliant safety barrier and inspected every four years.
Victorian Government law requires for you to register your swimming pool or spa with your local council. This is to improve swimming pool and spa barrier safety and prevent children from drowning. The rules apply regardless of whether young children live at the property or visit the property.
You must register your new pool and/or spa with us within 30 days of completion. If you have purchased a property with a pool or spa, you can check with Council if the pool or spa is already registered.
Every 4 years you must engage a Pool Barrier Safety Inspector as an independent check of your pool / spa barrier. They will provide you with a Form 23 Compliance Certificate which must then be lodged with Council.
It is the pool or spa owner’s responsibility to always maintain the safety barrier’s effective operation. Pool and spa gates must self-close, self-latch and remain closed except when entering or leaving the pool area.
If you install a relocatable or portable pool at a rental property, notify the property owner or managing agent immediately.
The property owner must register the pool if it remains erected for three or more consecutive days and ensure a compliant safety barrier is provided. The owner is also responsible for arranging inspections and lodging Form 23 compliance certificates with Council within 30 days of the registration date.
To check your registration status please email [email protected] providing:
- your name
- the property address where the pool/spa is located
- your contact number.
In Victoria, the design, construction and installation of swimming pools, spas and safety barriers are subject to strict requirements under the Building Regulations 2018.
Under the Regulations, swimming pools, spas and safety barriers must be:
- Constructed under an approved building permit issued by a building surveyor and works undertaken by a registered builder or an owner builder.
- Have self-latching and self-closing gates
- Compliance was AS1926 - Parts 1 & 2 Swimming Pool Safety - Safety Barriers for Pools / Spas.
Property owners and occupants are responsible for making sure pool barriers are maintained, repaired and kept in working order. A new outdoor pool or spa area must not be directly accessible via a building.
All pools and spas capable of holding more than 30 cm of water must have a compliant safety barrier. This applies to all construction types including:
- permanent pools
- in-ground pools
- above-ground pools
- indoor pools
- spas and hot tubs
- bathing and wading pools
- relocatable and inflatable pools and spas.
Baths and spa baths used for personal hygiene and emptied after each use are exempt.
Relocatable (moveable or portable) pools and spas must be registered if they are erected for three or more consecutive days. Then registration applies on or before the fourth day.
Statistics
| Number of Pools and Spas Registered | Number of Pools and Spas with a current Compliance Certificate | Number of unregistered Pools and Spas under Investigation |
|---|---|---|
| 8904 | 8143 (91.4%) | 60 |
| Figures as at 25 August 2026 | ||
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