Private swimming pool requirements
Private swimming pool inspections
Council will be carrying out inspections of swimming pools in the area over the coming months. All private swimming pools and spas in NSW must be registered and compliant with the Swimming Pools Act and Regulations.
During the inspection, Council will check that all safety barriers and warning/resuscitation posters are compliant and meet the necessary standards so as to minimise the risk of drowning.
Drowning is the leading cause of death in small children.
Any pool found to be non-compliant will be required to meet the current standards.
Council will contact pool owners when an inspection of their pool is planned so arrangements can be made for the inspection to be carried out at a mutually convenient time.
If you own a pool or spa and it is not registered please visit https://www.swimmingpoolregister.nsw.gov.au/ and register it as soon as possible on the Swimming Pool Register or contact the Environment and Planning Department at Council for assistance.
Council has resuscitation charts available for sale at our offices for $31 each. This is a requirement of pool registration.
Thinking of installing a pool?
Pools and Spa pools that hold 2000 litres of water or more require development consent from Council. This includes pools on farms also. The approval process ensures that all pools are registered and most importantly meet Australian Standards so that they are compliant and above all SAFE.
Various requirements regarding fencing, signage and pool safety can be viewed below. Please contact Council for further information on applying to install a pool or visit our Development Applications page.
Council's role
Councils throughout NSW are required to develop a swimming pool inspection program as part of the Swimming Pool Act.
This program is to ensure swimming pools comply with current legislation and standards.
Council's policy is to inspect residential swimming pools on a three yearly basis and to inspect tourist/visitor accommodation swimming pools on a yearly basis.
Pool Owner's/Occupier's Responsibility
A good starting point to check if your pool complies is to download the Home Swimming Pool Safety Checklist from www.royallifesaving.com.au
Registration
Over the last ten years, over 330 Australian children under the age of five drowned. To help prevent backyard drownings, amendments have been made to the Swimming Pools Act 1992 (the Act).
ALL Pool owners are now required to register their pool on an online register provided by the NSW State Government.
Visit the register website at www.swimmingpoolregister.nsw.gov.au and follow the easy registration steps. Swimming pool registration is free. If you can’t access the online register or are having trouble, please contact Council for assistance.
Pool Fencing
It is a legal requirement to fence all bodies of water over 300 mm in depth that are primarily used for human aquatic activity (this includes paddling pools and wading pools etc). Ensuring your pool fence is compliant can prevent a tradgedy.
Pool owners should ensure that their fencing meets the required measurements below. This is to stop a young child being able to squeeze under or between gaps in a fence, or being able to climb over it.
In NSW, a pool fence must:
- be at least 1.2 m high (as measured from the finished ground level)
- not leave a gap at the bottom bigger than 10 cm from the finished ground level
- not have gaps of more than 10 cm between any vertical bars in the fence
- if containing horizontal climbable bars, have these spaced at least 90 cm apart.
Inspect your fence regularly to ensure it meets Australian Standards at all times.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Signage
A CPR resuscitation chart must be displayed within the pool or Spa area.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is life-saving first aid and an essential skill for backyard pool owners.
CPR is a combination of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and chest compressions delivering oxygen and artificial blood circulation to anyone in cardiac arrest.
Up to date CPR charts can be purchased from Council.
Are you selling, buying or leasing a property with a pool or spa?
All properties sold or leased with a spa or pool must have a relevant compliance certificate. This law came into effect in 2016.
Please contact Council to arrange for an inspection or for further information or visit our Planning Certificates page to download the required application for a Swimming Pool Compliance Certificate.Swimming Pool Safety
Various brochures and guides are available at Council's office regarding pool safety. Alternatively visit www.royallifesaving.com.au for tools and information on pool safety.
Four Key Actions to Prevent Child Drowning
- Supervise - Active supervision means focusing all of your attention on your children all of the time, when they are in, on or around the water. Supervision is not an occasional glance while you are busy with other activities, but being in constant visual contact with your child.
- Restrict Access - Restricting a child’s access to water can be done by placing a barrier between the child and the water. Either by placing a barrier around the water (appropriate pool fencing) or a barrier around the child (Child Safe Play Area).
- Water Awareness - Water awareness combines a range of strategies and activities designed to keep your child safe when in, on, or around water. These include water familiarisation, checking for and removing water hazards, setting rules around water and discussing water safety with your child.
- Resuscitate - A family member is the first on the scene in most emergency situations. In fact, many children are alive today because their parents knew how to perform CPR and responded quickly. For this reason alone, Royal Life Saving encourages everyone to learn CPR.
Visit www.royallifesaving.com.au for more information.