Pool / Spa Registration

The Victorian Government has introduced legislation requiring property owners including landlords to register pools and spas with Council.

The new regulations, which take effect from 1 December 2019, will aim to improve safety by ensuring that pool and spa barriers meet required standards.

The regulations propose:

• Mandatory requirement to register pools and spas with local councils
• Mandatory safety barrier inspection and certification
• A process for dealing with barriers which do not meet safety requirements, and
• Fees for initial registration, and for lodgement of certificates of compliance and non-compliance.

  All owners will be required to register their pools and spas by 1 June 202, or within 30 days of completion if the installation is under construction at this date.

  As part of the new registration process, pool and spa barriers will need to be assessed by a registered private building surveyors or inspectors.

  The inspectors will issue certificates of compliance or non-compliance, which owners will need to then lodge with Council.

  Certificates of non-compliance will need to be acted upon.

  The proposed legislation sets staggered deadlines for lodging of compliance certificates:

• For pools and spas built on or before 30 June 1994, lodgement by 1June 2022
• Built between 1 July 1994 and 1 May 2010, lodgement by 1 June 2023
• Built on or after 1 May 2010, lodgement by 1 June 2024

  Inspection compliance certificates will then be required to be lodged with Council every four years.

  Owners wishing to do their own initial safety assessment can be guided by the following Victorian Building Authority checklists:

• Checklist 1 (for pools and spas installed before 8 April 1991) (PDF, 339.48 KB)
• Checklist 2 (for pools and spas installed between 8 April 1991 and 30 April 2010) (PDF, 265.98 KB)
• Checklist 3 (for pools and spas installed from 1 May 2010) (PDF, 589.08 KB)

Owners having work completed on an existing safety barrier, other than basic maintenance like replacing a hinge, are likely to require a building permit to alter the barrier.

Any work to alter an existing barrier will need to comply with the current regulations.

Register your pool using this form(PDF, 30KB)

This web page will be updated as more information becomes available and as the legislation is introduced.