Pool and spa fencing
A home pool or spa that can hold more than 300 mm of water needs a compliant barrier, a council registration and a fresh certificate every four years.
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Ask for a quoteMain Street, Gembrook. Photo: Tangerineduel, CC BY 4.0
Which pools
Victoria's barrier rules cover a pool or spa at a house or other building that can hold water more than 300 mm deep. The owner must register it with the council and lodge a certificate of barrier compliance, then a new one every four years. Maroondah, for one, says only a registered building surveyor or inspector can certify.
Checked 25 October 2026 against Building Regulations 2018 (Vic), authorised version 031 and Maroondah City Council: swimming pool and spa registration.
The fence needs a permit
The building permit exemption for fences under 2 m doesn't cover a pool or spa barrier, so a new barrier needs a building permit. Repairs that fix what an inspector found don't, unless, among other things, they replace more than half the barrier's length, posts or footings, change its length, or involve a retaining wall that is part of it.
Checked 25 October 2026 against Building Regulations 2018 (Vic), authorised version 031.
Pools from before 1991
A pool built or approved before 8 April 1991 has its own rules: the barrier can be a house wall with compliant doors and windows, a fence and gate to the 1993 standard, or a paling or solid fence at least 1.5 m high. Gates must close and latch by themselves, with the latch at least 1.5 m above the ground. Newer pools follow a later standard, which this page doesn't summarise; ask the building surveyor.
Checked 25 October 2026 against Building Regulations 2018 (Vic), authorised version 031.
Asking for a quote
Say when the pool was built, whether the barrier failed an inspection (send the report), and what is around it: a slope, a boundary fence, a retaining wall.
Ask for a quote
Tell us where you are and what needs doing, and we'll contact you as soon as possible.