| New Queensland Pool Laws |
The Queensland Government has introduced Australia's toughest new pool safety laws as a result of the most comprehensive review of Queensland's swimming pool safety laws ( 1.2 MB) in nearly 20 years. The new pool safety laws aim to further reduce the incidences of drowning and serious immersion injuries of young children in swimming pools.
Stage 1 of the new pool safety laws was introduced on 1 December 2009 and applies to new residential pools. The final stage, stage 2, commences on 1 December 2010 and mostly affects existing swimming pools. One pool safety standard, the Queensland Development Code Mandatory Part 3.4 (
How Does it Affect You?Under the new swimming pool safety laws:
all swimming pools need to be included on the state-based pool register by 4 May 2011 Safety barriers are mandatory for all portable pools and spas deeper than 300 millimetres.
When the new pool safety laws standards have to be metAll pool owners have 5 years to comply with the new safety standards unless sold or leased first. If you are selling a property with a non -shared pool before the 5 year phase-in, such as pools for houses or townhouses or units with their own pool or spa, a pool safety certificate must be obtained before settlement of a contract or a notice issued before contract and before settlement advising the buyer that a certificate must be obtained within 90 days of settlement. If you are leasing your property, a pool safety certificate must be obtained before entering into the lease. If you are selling or leasing a property with a shared pool associated with short-term accommodation, such as hotels, motels, backpackers or hostels, you have a six month phase-in period to obtain a pool safety certificate. A two year phase-in period to obtain a pool safety certificate applies to other shared pools, such as common pools in a block of units. |
The new pool safety laws aim to further reduce the incidences of drowning and serious immersion injuries of young children in swimming pools.
Queensland's swimming pool safety improvement strategy has two stages.
Stage 1 was introduced on 1 December 2009 and applies to new residential pools.
Stage 2, The final stage of the swimming pool safety laws is expected to start this summer (December 2010). Stage 2 mostly affects existing swimming pools. It is important that all pool owners are familiar with these new laws.
- mandatory follow-up inspections are required to be undertaken if the final inspection has not been done. Building certifiers are required to undertake a mandatory follow-up inspection within a set time frame after giving a building approval for a swimming pool. The time frames are six months for new pools or two years in cases where building approval is granted for a swimming pool and a new building. If the building approval is due to lapse earlier than six months or two years, the final inspection must be done before it lapses.
- compliant temporary fences are permitted for a maximum period of three months during the construction of a pool. After this time, compliant permanent fencing is required. Both the temporary and permanent fences will need to be inspected and certified by the building certifier who approved the application.
The building certifier, either a private building certifier or a Local Government building certifier, who approved the building approval must inspect and certify the pool safety barrier before the pool is filled to a depth of 300 millimetres or more.
*infomation collected from the Queensland Government - Department of Infastructure & Planning