Pool barriers in WA

The barrier, and what comes before it

Building and Energy puts supervision first: watching young children is, in its words, the best way to prevent drowning deaths and injuries, and a safety barrier is only an effective secondary measure.

The definition matters at the edges. Building and Energy says that a private ice-bath falling outside the definition of ‘private swimming pool’:

• needs no building permit;
• does not have to comply with building standards; and
• does not have to have a safety barrier.

A pool’s life with its barrier

1. Before construction

   All swimming pools and spas need building approval. Building a swimming pool is, separately, on the list of incidental structures, meaning structures attached or incidental to a building, for which registration as a building contractor is not required. The registration rules apply in an area the state prescribes, which takes in 122 of Western Australia’s local governments; in some areas of low population only the major town sites are included. The guide to builder registration explains how registration and building approval differ.

2. On completion

   When the pool or spa is finished, the builder is responsible for:

   • making sure a compliant safety barrier has been provided, if the pool or spa holds water more than 30cm deep; and
   • lodging a BA7 Notice of completion with the local government within seven days.
3. Within 30 days

   Local governments must inspect the barrier of a new pool or spa within 30 days of becoming aware that it has been completed, whether the barrier is temporary or long-term, and they can charge the owner for that first inspection. The charge is a fixed one, no higher than the local government’s estimated average cost of the inspection and any related re-inspections, of up to $312.00, as Building and Energy’s building approvals page gave it on 9 October 2026 (last updated 4 August 2026).

4. Every four years at most

   Local governments must also inspect pool and spa barriers to make sure they remain compliant and maintained, with no more than four years between inspections. The charge is typically included in the annual rates notice. It is a fixed charge per financial year, no higher than the estimated average cost of that year’s inspections and re-inspections, of up to $78.00, as the same page gave it on 9 October 2026.

5. All along

   From completion onwards, owners and occupiers are responsible for making sure the safety barrier, temporary or long-term, stays compliant.

What the barrier must do

A safety barrier must restrict access to the pool or spa from the street, from adjoining properties and from all habitable buildings. So the house itself is one of the sides a barrier has to answer to, not only the boundary.

Building and Energy’s barrier requirements page names the Australian Standards a barrier must generally meet. Pools and spas installed before 1 May 2016 can instead have barriers that comply with AS 1926.1-1993 (incorporating amendment 1), except for its child-resistant door provisions. Child-resistant doors are typically not allowed as part of the barrier for an outdoor pool or spa, unless it was approved or installed before 5 November 2001.

The gate and the garden around it

When landscaping goes in around a pool, the barrier’s rules still apply. The owners and occupiers stay responsible for keeping the barrier compliant, temporary or long-term, while new paving, planting or a patio goes in beside it. A roofed patio next to the pool is a Class 10a building with its own rules, set out in the guide to garden structures.

Questions to settle with a pool builder

Each of these questions comes from the duties above. Settling them before work starts makes it clear who does what when the pool is finished, and what the local government’s first inspection will look at.

• Who makes sure a compliant safety barrier has been provided when the pool is finished, as the builder must if it holds water more than 30cm deep?
• Will the builder submit the BA7 Notice of completion to the local government within seven days of finishing?
• If the barrier is temporary at first, how will it be kept compliant until the long-term barrier goes in? Owners and occupiers carry that duty from completion onwards.
• How will the gate’s latch and hinges be kept working? Building and Energy’s advice is to maintain them regularly and never prop the gate open.
• Does the building approval cover the pool and its barrier? All pools and spas need one.