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What happens during a pool safety inspection

An inspector spends most of the visit on the barrier: fence height, gaps, gate hardware, and what can be climbed. Here is what they check and how to prepare.

Last reviewed July 2026. Pool rules change and vary by council, so confirm the current requirement with your state authority before you act.

A pool safety inspection is mostly a barrier inspection. The inspector is checking whether a young child could get from outside the fence into the pool area unsupervised, and almost every rule follows from that single question.

The measurements they take

Expect the inspector to check that the barrier is at least 1200mm (1.2m) high measured from the outside, that there are no gaps in or under the fence larger than 100mm, and that vertical gaps between uprights are within limits. Ground clearance under the fence is measured too, since a gap at the bottom is just as much a way in as a gap in the middle.

Gates and the non-climbable zone

Gates get close attention: they must be self-closing from any position and self-latching, must open away from the pool, and the latch must sit at the required height and actually catch every time. The inspector also checks the non-climbable zone, the area near the barrier that must be clear of anything a child could use as a foothold, such as pot plants, furniture, the pool pump, or a low tree branch.

Signage and access

A current CPR sign, legible and close to the pool, is part of the check. So is any direct access from the house: windows and doors that open into the pool area have their own rules. If everything passes, the inspector issues the certificate (a certificate of compliance in NSW, a Form 23 in QLD). If not, you get a list of defects to fix and a reinspection. Sources: NSW Government pool safety; QBCC guide to pool safety for homeowners.

This is general information, not legal advice. The authorities are NSW Fair Trading and the NSW Swimming Pool Register in New South Wales, and the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) in Queensland. Always confirm the current rule for the state your pool is in.