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Pools and spas
Register your swimming pool or spa
Private pools and spas
Private pools and spas are the leading location of drowning deaths in Australia for children under 4 years old. Visit Life Saving Victoria and Kidsafe Victoria for more information on keeping children safe around pools and spa on how to ensure your home pool and its surrounds are safe for everyone to enjoy.
All pool and spa owners must:
- register their pools and spas with the local Council
- ensure pool and spa barriers are compliant with safety standards (from the time of its construction)
- pools, spas and their barriers always remain compliant.
Registration
Any water‑holding structure or excavation that is mainly intended for swimming, paddling, wading, or similar recreational use must be registered.
This requirement applies to a wide range of pool and spa types, including:
- pools constructed below ground level
- pools located inside a building
- pools installed above ground, whether permanent or temporary
- private and portable spas
- swim spas
- shallow bathing or wading pools
- jacuzzis and hot tubs.
- birdbaths, fish ponds, fountains
- bathroom spas that are used for personal hygiene
- inflatable pools that cannot contain a depth of water greater than 300mm
- water supply and/or storage tanks
- dams, rivers, creeks and lakes.
If your property has more than one pool and/or spa within the same safety barrier, you only need to register once.
If they are within separate barriers, then they require separate registrations and separate certificates of barrier compliance.
Council is required to ensure all swimming pools and spas are registered and compliant. Penalties apply for non-compliance.
If you have provided a valid Form 23 (lodged with Council within 30 days of being issued) with your registration, Council will send you written confirmation via email that the swimming pool/spa has been registered and the date by which the next certificate is to be lodged (4 years after the previous certificate).
It is the property owner’s responsibility to ensure private pools or spas always remain compliant.
All owners were required to register their swimming pool and/or spa by the 1 November 2020.
Any new pools or spas built after this date must be registered within 30 days from the date of issue of a certificate of final inspection or occupancy permit.
Failure to register in time may result in fines or legal action.
Any new pools or spas built after November 2020 must be registered within 30 days from the date of issue of a certificate of final inspection or occupancy permit.
Visit the Building and Plumbing Commission Website for information on installing a new pool or spa.
Relocatable swimming pools/spas need to be registered with Council if they have been erected for 3 or more consecutive days. The owner of the land on which the relocatable swimming pool or relocatable spa is located must apply to Council for registration before or on the fourth day after the relocatable swimming pool or relocatable spa was erected. A relocatable pool or spa can be considered as:
- a structure that is up for a short period of time
- is not in place for a prolonged timeframe. i.e. used during the warmer seasons, particularly during summer holidays, such as Christmas
- does not consist of multiple components requiring assembly. e.g. inflatable pool that requires inflation only
- easy to assemble and disassemble.
A certificate of pool and spa barrier compliance issued by a private inspector/surveyor will need to be submitted with Council no later than 30 days after the date that the relocatable swimming pool or relocatable spa was registered with that council.
A relocatable swimming pool or relocatable spa MUST have a compliance safety barrier installed around it at all times it is erected.
Letters you may have received from Council
All swimming pools are legally required to have a current Certificate of barrier compliance (Form 23).
Below is a list of possible letters you may have received from Council, if you want further information please refer to the relevant section on our webpage.
Council has determined that there is a swimming pool/spa at the subject property that is not currently registered with Council. All swimming pools/spa must be registered with Council.
A certificate of barrier compliance (Form 23) must be submitted for your swimming pool/spa. Your swimming pool/spa is not currently compliant with state legislation.
Your Form 23 is almost expired and needs to be renewed to ensure it stays compliant. A new Form 23 must be obtained and submitted prior to the expiry date on the letter.
Your Form 23 has now expired. Your swimming pool/spa is not currently compliant with state legislation. You are required to obtain and submit a new Form 23 to Council.
There is no action required at this time. This is a courtesy letter from Council advising you, as the new property owner, of the due date for the next Form 23 to ensure there is no lapse in compliance. Council may send you a reminder notice closer to the expiry date; however, it is the responsibility of all pool and spa owners to ensure your private pool or spa always remains compliant.
Certificate of barrier compliance (Form 23)
What is a Form 23?
A Form 23 is a document you can obtain from a registered building inspector that confirms the swimming pool/spa safety barrier complies with the applicable barrier standard.
What happens after I submit my Form 23?
- You will receive an automated receipt to the nominated email address
- Council will assess and process your certificate (Form 23)
- A compliance confirmation letter will be emailed identifying the next due date.
A Form 23 needs to be lodged with Council every 4 years.
The property owner is responsible to ensure that they have a current Form 23 and that their swimming pool is registered with Council.
You as the owner of the property must lodge the Form 23 to Council within 30 days of the date of issue on the Certificate. A fee is payable on submission. You can view a list of registered building practitioners on the VBA’s Find a practitioner directory .
Your safety barrier must be inspected every 4 years from the date of issue of your certificate of barrier compliance (Form 23). Council may send you a reminder notice closer to the due date however it is the property owner’s responsibility to ensure private pools or spas always remain compliant.
Safety barriers must be inspected and certified by a registered building practitioner every 4 years. You can view a list of registered building practitioners on the BPC - Find a practitioner directory
If the inspector has deemed your safety barrier as compliant, the inspector will issue you with a certificate of barrier compliance (Form 23). You as the owner of the property must lodge the Form 23 to Council within 30 days of the date of issue on the certificate. A fee is payable on submission. Please refer to the current Building Fee Schedule above in the page.
Visit the Building and Plumbing Commission Website for information on how you can assess the safety of your barrier. Different standards apply depending on how old your pool or spa is.
Cancel a pool or spa registration
I don’t have a pool or spa anymore.
Please check with your private building surveyor on whether a building permit is required for the removal of your swimming pool/spa.
BPC - Find a practitioner directory
Once the pool or spa is removed or demolished Council must be notified. Lodge a request online using decommission my pool button above.
Before submitting your request, make sure you have evidence of the removal of your pool or spa – e.g. photographs.
Council may request for an onsite inspection to confirm that the swimming pool/spa has been removed. Once satisfied, Council will provide confirmation via email that the swimming pool/spa has been removed from the Council’s register.
More information
If you are unsure, please contact the Building Department for further assistance.