On 1 December 2019, new laws to improve swimming pool and spa safety came into effect in Victoria.
It is now mandatory for owners of land where a swimming pool or spa is located to register their pool or spa with the relevant council.
The new laws apply to swimming pools and spas that are capable of holding more than 300 mm (30 cm) of water.
This includes permanent pools, above-ground pools, indoor pools, hot tubs, bathing or wading pools and some relocatable pools.
Relocatable pools that do not consist of multiple components and do not require any assembly are not subject to the barrier requirements. An example of such a product is a small inflatable pool that requires no assembly other than inflation.
Pool and spa owners are now also required to obtain and lodge a compliance certificate for their safety barriers.
If you are the owner of land on which a pool or spa is located, you must register your pool and spa with the relevant council.
You have until the 1st of November 2020 to register your pool with council. Registering your pool is the first step, you will then receive a letter with the date the pool was installed, the applicable standard it needs to be inspected against and when your first certificate of compliance is required to be lodged.
You can then choose to use council or a registered building inspector to certify your barrier.
If the pool and barrier don't comply we complete a non-compliance Form 24 which leaves you 60 days to rectify any items on the non-compliance form. Once you have rectified any issues we will inspect again and provide a certificate of compliance for you to lodge with council.
Please note that if we issue a non-compliance form and at the end of the 60 days you haven’t rectified the items, we will lodge your noncompliance form to council and they will issue the relevant fine.
Pool or spa registration fees:
A one-off fee payable to the relevant council for the registration of your pool or spa:
$31.84*^
Information search fee:
This fee enables the council to conduct the appropriate searches to determine the date of construction of your pool or spa and any associated building permits, which in turn determines the applicable barrier standard. The information search fee only applies to pools or spas constructed before 1 November 2020.
$47.24*^
Failure to register a swimming pool or spa within the relevant time frame up to:
$1,652.20^
* Fees are set by the relevant council and will not exceed this amount. Please check the council's website for the fee that applies. ^ These fees and penalty are applicable until 30 June 2021
Please contact us if you have any questions or require further information.