A pool safety inspection and compliance certificate with Local Pool And Spa Inspection costs $170 + GST. This covers the full barrier assessment and the certificate if your pool or spa passes. There are no additional fees. Many local councils charge more than this, and some charge separately for the certificate on top of the inspection fee.

Under Victorian law, pool and spa compliance certificates must be lodged with your local council every 4 years. You are also required to lodge a certificate within 30 days of first registering your pool. Missing these deadlines can result in council fines.

After registering your pool or spa, the relevant council is required to send you written notification confirming:

• that your pool or spa has been registered
• the date of construction of your pool or spa and the applicable barrier standard
• your right to appeal to the Building Appeals Board (BAB) in relation to the council’s determination of the date of construction of the pool or spa
• the date by which the first or next certificate of barrier compliance must be lodged with the relevant council.

Upon application for registration of the swimming pool or spa, Council will determine the date of construction and the applicable barrier standard and inform the applicant in writing.

If you are carrying out repair works on an existing safety barrier, a building permit may be required to alter the barrier.  Work to alter an existing barrier will need to comply with the current regulations.

If your pool or spa does not pass, you receive a written pool barrier rectification report within 24 hours. It includes photos of every non-compliant item and clear instructions for fixing each one. You have up to 60 days to complete the work. Once repairs are done, we return for a re-inspection after pool repairs to confirm everything meets the standard before issuing the certificate.