The measurements
Pools in Australia are fenced to the Australian Standard AS 1926.1. NSW, WA, Tasmania and the ACT apply the 2012 edition to new pools, and Queensland has its own pool safety standard. New Zealand uses Building Code clause F9 and its acceptable solution F9/AS1. The standards themselves are paid documents, so the figures below come from the regulators' own summaries:
| Rule | Australia | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Height | At least 1.2 m from finished ground level, at every point, including on slopes and steps | At least 1.2 m, measured on the outside |
| Gap under the fence | No more than 100 mm | No gap a 100 mm ball can pass through |
| Gaps between uprights | No more than 100 mm | No more than 100 mm |
| Climbable rails | At least 900 mm apart, measured top of rail to top of rail | At least 900 mm apart, including anything sticking out more than 10 mm |
| Climb-free zone outside | 900 mm, measured in an arc from the top of the fence | No climbable objects within 1.2 m |
| Climb-free zone inside | 300 mm | – |
| Mesh and perforated panels | Holes no larger than 13 mm on a 1.2 m fence (NSW) | No gap a 100 mm ball can pass through |
| Gates | Open outwards, away from the pool; self-closing from any position; self-latching; latch at least 1.5 m above the ground (SA) | At least 1.2 m high; open away from the pool; self-closing and self-latching; latch at 1.5 m or on the inside |
| Doors from the house | No longer allowed as part of the barrier in NSW; in WA only for pools approved before 5 November 2001 | Allowed if single-leaf, no more than 1 m wide, self-closing or alarmed, and latched at 1.5 m |
The climb-free zone is the one most often broken, because it moves with the garden. Keep barbecues, pot plants, chairs, toys, ladders, shrubs and tree branches out of the 900 mm around the outside of the fence. NSW lists all of these. Keep the first 300 mm inside the fence clear of footholds too. A fence that met the rules when it went in can fail later because a hedge grew or a bench was moved against it.
Boundary fences as pool fences
A fence on the boundary can form part of the pool barrier. Because your neighbour's side is out of your control, it has extra rules:
- NSW: a boundary fence that forms part of the pool fence must be 1.8 m high.
- South Australia: at least 1.8 m on the side facing the pool, with a 900 mm climb-free zone at the top on the inside. The neighbour's side can be climbable.
- Queensland: a dividing fence can be the barrier if it is at least 1.2 m high, can't be climbed from the neighbour's side, and has nothing climbable within 300 mm on the inside. If the neighbour's side has rails less than 900 mm apart, fit 60° wedges to them. Alternatively, a fence at least 1.8 m high can carry the 900 mm zone at the top on your side.
- New Zealand: a boundary barrier must be at least 1.8 m high on the pool side. It needs 1 m of space between the fence and the edge of the pool, and a 900 mm climb-free zone from the top on the pool side.
Queensland also asks you to match the materials and colours of an existing dividing fence and to talk to your neighbour before changing it. That is good advice everywhere.
Timber, steel and glass fences
- Timber paling. Timber Queensland's fence data sheet gives two ways to stop a paling fence being climbed from outside. You can put the rails on the pool side and butt the palings less than 10 mm apart. Or you can space the rails at least 900 mm apart, with the bottom rail at least 1.1 m below the top. Queensland's regulator also describes fitting a 60° timber wedge to the top of each rail.
- Colorbond steel. Check the height at every point and the gap under the bottom rail. Lysaght's installation guide says pool water splashed on the fence voids its warranty. BlueScope asks you to get its advice for fences next to swimming pools.
- Glass. Queensland warns about ledges more than 10 mm deep on the outside of glass fence bases. It also warns about gaps over 100 mm where panels meet stairs, and panels that drop or loosen as the ground moves. Measure the height at stairs straight up from the stair nosing.
For the posts, panels or palings a new fence takes, use the fence calculator. New pool fences go through the building approval process. In NSW a principal certifier inspects the finished fence. South Australia needs development approval, and the fence must be up before the pool is filled. New Zealand needs a building consent for any pool barrier. In Tasmania the barrier must go in with a licensed builder, overseen by a building surveyor.
State by state: registers, certificates and selling
- NSW. Register the pool on the NSW Swimming Pool Register, which is free. A certificate of compliance lasts 3 years. To sell, the contract needs the registration certificate plus a compliance certificate, an occupation certificate under 3 years old, or a certificate of non-compliance. If it has a non-compliance certificate, the buyer has 90 days after settlement to fix the pool. To lease, the landlord must give the tenant a compliance or occupation certificate. Strata and community schemes with more than two lots are exempt from these sale and lease rules.
- Victoria. Register every pool and spa with your council, including relocatable pools that stay up for 3 days or more. A registered pool inspector, building inspector or building surveyor checks the barrier, and a new compliance certificate must be lodged every 4 years. This applies whether or not children live at the property.
- Queensland. Every regulated pool goes on the QBCC pool safety register. You need a pool safety certificate from a licensed inspector to sell or lease. It lasts 2 years, or 1 year for a shared pool. Without one, the seller lodges a Form 36 and the buyer must get a certificate within 90 days of settlement.
- Western Australia. Local governments inspect pool barriers at least every 4 years and can charge for the inspections. Pools installed after 1 May 2016 follow AS 1926.1-2012 and AS 1926.2-2007.
- South Australia. The council inspects new pools within two months of the permanent barrier being finished. Existing pools don't need routine inspections or an inspection on sale. But a pool built before 1 July 1993 must be brought up to Ministerial Building Standard MBS 004 before settlement.
- Tasmania. Pools and spas installed from 1994 need a barrier. It must be installed by a licensed builder and checked by a building surveyor, and a spa cover doesn't count as a barrier.
- ACT. Under a scheme that began on 1 May 2024, every home pool and spa must meet current barrier standards by 1 May 2028. Pools built before 1 May 2013 need a compliance certificate by then, and pool details must be disclosed on sale or lease.
- Northern Territory. Pools installed after 1 January 2003 must meet the NT's modified Australian standard and hold a compliance certificate, issued after a pool safety adviser inspects the barrier. On sale, the certificate goes to the Land Titles Office with the transfer.
- New Zealand. Councils keep a record of pools. Barriers are inspected every 3 years by the council or an independently qualified pool inspector. Fines for ignoring a notice to fix can reach $20,000 for individuals.
Which version of the standard your pool must meet usually depends on when it was built. In NSW, altering the barrier, even during house or yard renovations, brings in the current rules and ends any earlier exemptions.
Spas, inflatable and above-ground pools
- Inflatable and portable pools count as pools once they can hold more than 30 cm of water in NSW and Victoria, and 30 cm or more in Tasmania and the NT. In New Zealand the threshold is 40 cm, even if the pool is only partly filled. The ACT exempts inflatable pools with no frame or filter, and temporary pools up for no more than 3 days in a row.
- Spas are treated differently in each place. NSW allows a secured child-resistant lid on some spas, and the ACT allows one on spas installed before 1 May 2023. Queensland says a spa needs a fence even if it has a lockable lid. South Australia says a hard cover can't replace a fence on an above-ground spa, and Tasmania says a spa cover is not a barrier. New Zealand allows a lockable safety cover only on small heated pools. These have no more than 5 m² of water and walls at least 760 mm high, and the cover must hold 20 kg.
- Above-ground pools can use their own walls as the barrier if they are at least 1.2 m high and can't be climbed from outside. The ladder or steps then need their own fence and gate, as South Australia, Queensland and New Zealand all require.
What to check before an inspection
- The gate closes and latches from any open position without a push, and nothing props it open. WA's regulator says gates are the most common way in for young children who have drowned.
- The height is still 1.2 m everywhere, including where mulch, pavers or soil have built up against the fence.
- No gap under the fence or between panels has grown past 100 mm as the ground moved.
- The 900 mm zone outside and the 300 mm zone inside are clear of pots, furniture, toys and new growth.
- Hinges, latches and screws are tight and working. NSW suggests lubricating spring hinges and latches.
- In NSW, a CPR sign is displayed near the pool and can be read from 3 m away.
Questions
How high does a pool fence need to be?
At least 1.2 m, measured from the finished ground on the outside of the fence at every point, in every Australian state and in New Zealand. A boundary fence used as the barrier must usually be 1.8 m high on the pool side. Queensland allows 1.2 m if the neighbour's side can't be climbed.
How far do things need to be from a pool fence?
In Australia, anything a child could climb must be at least 900 mm from the outside of the fence, measured in an arc from the top. Keep 300 mm clear on the inside too. In New Zealand the outside distance is 1.2 m.
Do inflatable pools need a fence?
Usually yes, if they can hold more than about 30 cm of water (40 cm in New Zealand), even if only partly filled. The ACT exempts inflatable pools with no frame or filter and temporary pools up for no more than 3 days. Victoria asks you to register a relocatable pool that stays up for 3 days or more.
How far apart can pool fence rails be?
Climbable horizontal rails must be at least 900 mm apart, measured from the top of one rail to the top of the next. If they are closer, Timber Queensland puts the rails on the pool side with the palings less than 10 mm apart. Queensland's regulator also describes fitting 60° wedges to the rails.
This page summarises the regulators' published guidance as of 24 September 2026. It is not legal advice. Your council, certifier or pool inspector decides whether a particular barrier complies, and older pools may be assessed against an earlier standard.
Sources
- NSW Government, Owning a pool or spa: your obligations (updated March 2026). Covers measurements, climb-free zones, gates, doors, mesh, spas, CPR signs, standards by date, registration, certificates, sale and lease.
- Queensland Building and Construction Commission, Pool safety standard, Pool fences, Buy, sell or lease a property with a pool and Register a pool.
- Building and Plumbing Commission (Victoria), Pool and spa registration requirements (updated June 2026).
- Building and Energy WA, Swimming pool and spa safety barrier requirements.
- SA.GOV.AU, Pool and spa safety (updated June 2026).
- Consumer, Building and Occupational Services Tasmania, Pool safety barriers.
- ACT Government, Home swimming pool safety reforms.
- NT.GOV.AU, Pool fencing and barrier safety standards.
- MBIE Building Performance (NZ), Safety guidance for pool owners (updated November 2025) and the pool barrier inspection checklist for homeowners.
- Timber Queensland, Technical Data Sheet 20: Residential timber fences (2006), section on pool fences; Lysaght, Fence and gate design and installation guide, non-cyclonic (2026); BlueScope, COLORBOND® steel fencing installation guide (2016).
Last reviewed 24 September 2026 · Report an error