Pool and spa owners reminded to meet new safety laws

Maroondah property owners are required to register their pool and spa with Council under tough new laws and strict compliance regime introduced by the Victorian Government to improve swimming pool and spa safety across the state.

Under the new mandatory regulations, which came into force on 1 December 2019, all pool and spa owners, including landlords, must register their swimming pool or spa and have regular safety barrier inspections and certifications by a qualified building surveyor. These certifications declaring that the pool or spa barrier complies with the Building Regulations 2018 (the Regulations) must be provided to Council every 4 years, and they add to the existing obligations of owners and landlords to ensure that their pool and spa barriers are in place and well maintained.

Owners will be legally required to register their swimming pool or spa with Council by 1 June 2020.

This applies to all swimming pools and spas including above-ground and inflatable pools, bathing, wading and portable pools, hot tubs and spas capable of holding more than 300mm (30cm) of water. Small inflatable wading pools that do not require any assembly do not have to be registered.

Swimming pools and spas constructed after 1 June 2020 must be registered within 30 days of receiving the relevant Occupancy Permit or Certificate of Final Inspection.

Deputy Mayor, Councillor Marijke Graham, said that with drowning a leading cause of accidental death in children under the age of five, pool and water safety was a vital issue that affected the entire community.

“Council has been preparing for the introduction of the new regulations over the past few months and has a range of information on our website to assist pool and spa owners,” Cr Graham said.

“Within the first 24 hours of the regulations coming into effect, we were pleased that 33 pool/spa owners were proactive and commenced the registration process via Council’s website,” she said.

“The Victorian Government has determined that local councils are best placed to maintain the register of pools and spas and undertake the administration of the new regulations.”

While stricter rules will apply to pool and spa compliance, the requirement to have safety barriers has not changed. Owners are already expected to have safety barriers in place.

“It will be the responsibility of the owner to provide certification to Council every four years from a registered building surveyor or registered building inspector, certifying that their pool or spa safety barriers are compliant,” Cr Graham said.

“While pool and spa barriers can be effective in reducing the risk of drowning incidents, evidence suggests that a large number of drowning deaths are the result of barriers that are faulty, or non-compliant with Australian standards,” she said.

According to Royal Life Saving Australia, 19 Australian children aged 0-4 years died as a result of drowning in 2018-19. The majority of these incidents occurred in backyard swimming pools.

Once registration is lodged, Council will inform owners of the date by which they must organise their first inspection and certification of their pool or spa barrier. This will be determined by the age of the pool or spa, with older pools/spas to be given priority for inspection.

If the inspection finds the barrier is non-compliant, the owner has up to 60 days to bring it up to code.

The cost to register a pool or spa with Maroondah City Council is $79. The cost to lodge a certificate of compliance is $20.40.

“While the new regulations came into effect on 1 December 2019, implementation will be staged to give owners and councils time to adjust to the new requirements,” Cr Graham added.

Council will maintain a register of swimming pools and spas within the municipality through owner registrations, existing Council records and aerial photography to ensure the database is up-to-date.

The cost of registration and lodging the certificates with Council are set by the Victorian Government.

To register your pool or spa, or for more information, visit

To learn more about the Victorian Government regulations, see the Victorian Building Authority.