Name: Sunshine Pool Safety
Address: QLD, AU
Telephone: +61459247765
Price range: $195

Why check your pool barrier before you renovate

Pool barrier compliance is not a one-off event. The barrier must be maintained and compliant at all times, and ordinary home improvements quietly change it: a raised garden bed lowers the effective fence height, a new patio adds something to climb, and a replacement latch can stop a gate self-latching.

Checking before you start work is usually far cheaper than fixing after. If a barrier is already non-compliant and you plan to replace it, you must obtain a non-conformity notice from a licensed pool safety inspector before starting work on the new barrier, and the new barrier must be re-inspected by the same inspector within three months.

It also matters when certification is the goal: a certificate records that the pool complied at the time it was checked, so a barrier that has moved out of compliance since construction will simply fail inspection and delay a sale, a lease or a settlement.

If your pool fence or barrier is damaged, you must repair it immediately — waiting for the next inspection is not an option.

What counts as your pool barrier

Everything that restricts a young child's access to the pool or spa is part of the barrier: the fence and its gates, a dividing fence shared with a neighbour, a wall of the house, balcony balustrades above or near the fence, and any door or window that opens into the pool area. Spas and some portable wading pools need a complying barrier even if they have fully lockable, solid covers.

All pool fences and barriers must comply with Queensland Development Code MP 3.4 — Swimming pool barriers, which calls up and modifies the relevant Australian Standard. When you check your own barrier, you are checking each of those elements, not just the fence line.

The measurements to check yourself

You can find most problems with a tape measure, a torch and ten minutes. These are the figures the standard is built around, as published by the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) and the Queensland Government.

Element	What to check
Barrier height	At least 1200mm from finished ground level, measured at right angles to the ground or a stable surface under the fence. On stepped or sloping sites it must be at least 1200mm at every point.
Gap under the barrier	No more than 100mm between finished ground and the bottom of the barrier, with a solid surface underneath — sand or mulch can be pushed aside by a child to make the gap bigger.
Gaps and holes	No holes or gaps greater than 100mm in any direction. Vertical slats, posts or wires can be up to 100mm apart when the rails are at least 900mm apart.
Non-climbable zone	A continuous 900mm non-climbable zone. Keep climbable things 900mm from the outside of the fence and 300mm from the inside, or build the fence at least 1800mm high with the zone on the inside.
Gate closing and latching	The gate must self-close and self-latch from any open position, the latch must not be able to be pulled, pushed or jiggled open, and there must be no gap greater than 10mm around the latch handle.
Latch height	At least 1500mm from finished ground to the underside of the latch-release handle, or an inside shield with a 450mm radius and no gaps greater than 10mm within it.
Hinges	At least 900mm apart, measured from the top of the lower hinge to the top of the top hinge, or a 60-degree safety cap on the lower hinge.
Windows into the pool area	Must not open more than 100mm unless permanently fixed, fitted with compliant security screens, or the bottom of the window is at least 1200mm above the inside floor.
Doors into the pool area	Self-closing and self-latching, with the handle at least 1500mm high and nothing climbable within the non-climbable zone.
CPR sign	At least 300mm by 300mm, durable and weatherproof, conspicuous on the barrier or near the pool, and legible — including that CPR starts with 30 chest compressions then 2 breaths.
Balconies and decks	A balcony above or within 900mm of the pool fence needs a balustrade that complies with the pool barrier standard, and no climbable furniture or pot plants beside it.

Two of these cause more failures than everything else combined: a gate that does not self-close and self-latch from every position, and climbable objects sitting inside the non-climbable zone.

Renovation and landscaping changes that quietly break compliance

Raised garden beds, new paving, mulch or soil build-up that lowers the effective fence height or opens a gap under the barrier.
A new deck, patio, pergola or balcony that adds a climbable surface, changes how you enter the pool area, or sits within 900mm of the fence.
A replacement gate, latch or hinge that is not self-closing and self-latching, or a latch mounted lower than 1500mm because it 'looks better'.
Air-conditioning units, outdoor showers, storage boxes, bins, trampolines, pot plants and lounge chairs placed against or near the fence.
Trees and shrubs growing back within 900mm, including branches overhanging from a neighbour's side of a dividing fence.
New or replaced windows and doors opening into the pool area without a 100mm opening limit, compliant screens, or a sill at least 1200mm high.
Glass pool panels at stairways leaving gaps greater than 100mm, or panels that have dropped and reduced the fence height.
A dividing fence where the neighbour's side has climbable rails — you both share responsibility for keeping it a compliant barrier.
A spa or portable pool added inside the enclosure, or on a balcony, which still needs a complying barrier even with a lockable cover.

If you are planning any of these, check the barrier before the work is quoted, not after it is finished. Where a change affects the fence line, the pool area or a dividing fence, tell your tradesperson that the barrier must remain compliant while they work.

Repairing or replacing a pool fence: what the rules require

If part of a pool fence or barrier is damaged or missing, you must replace it. Where only a small part is damaged — for example palings, hinges or latches needing replacement — the barrier may be repaired to the same standard as the existing barrier. A new replacement fence or barrier, however, must comply with the current standard, and if you are selling or leasing the property the barrier must comply with the current standard.

You generally do not need approval for replacement barrier work if the barrier meets the pool safety standard and any other building standard that applies to the work, and it is no higher than 2m above ground level (or no more than 2m above a retaining wall or structure it is built on). If any part of the fence is more than 2m from ground level, it cannot be within 1.5m of a boundary, and your local council may have rules about fences higher than 2m — ask them before you build.

Where the barrier is not currently compliant, obtain a non-conformity notice from a licensed pool safety inspector before starting work on the new barrier. The new barrier must be re-inspected by the same inspector within three months, and the work must be carried out during the inspection period stated in the notice.

For dividing fences that act as pool barriers, both you and your neighbour are responsible for maintaining the barrier. If the existing fencing is more than 1800mm high, a replacement must generally be the same height unless your neighbour agrees otherwise, and the neighbour's side needs a 900mm vertical gap or a 60-degree wedge on the rails. The Queensland Government publishes Forms 39, 40 and 41 for proposed and urgent fencing work and contributions.

Some pool safety inspectors are licensed to carry out prescribed minor repairs arising from an inspection. Work valued above $3,300 needs an appropriate contractor's licence and contract.

Building a new pool, spa or fence

Before building a pool you must get building approvals from your local council or a private certifier — in most cases your pool builder arranges this — and your certifier will tell you if additional approvals are needed. During construction the site must display signs warning that a swimming pool is under construction and that children must be kept out.

You must have a compliant permanent fence before the pool is filled with 300mm or more of water. A temporary fence may be used instead of a permanent one for up to three months only if it has been inspected and approved by the building certifier who approved your pool application, and longer only with the certifier's further written approval.

The certifier who approved the pool must inspect and certify the barrier before the pool is filled to 300mm or more, issuing a Form 17 final inspection certificate or a Form 11 certificate of occupancy, with a copy provided to the QBCC. Once building is finished the pool must be registered with the QBCC — the QBCC audits properties and you may face a fine if your pool is not registered.

Removing a pool is regulated too: the QBCC requires a written request to take it off the register, decommissioning may need building approval, and a decommissioned pool must not be able to hold more than 300mm of water.

A simple pre-inspection walkthrough

1Walk the full perimeter with a tape measure and photograph each side of the fence, the gate, the latch, and any windows or doors that open into the pool area.
2Measure the height at several points, especially where the ground slopes or steps, and check the gap under the fence along its whole length.
3Test the gate from several open positions, check the latch cannot be jiggled open, and check the gap around the latch handle.
4List everything climbable within 900mm of the outside and 300mm of the inside — furniture, pot plants, BBQs, bins, air-conditioners, storage and vegetation.
5Check the CPR sign is weatherproof, legible and conspicuous from the pool.
6Search the QBCC pool register to see what certificate or record is held for your property.
7Before trades start, work out whether your job is a small repair or a replacement barrier, and get advice on which standard applies.
8Book a pre-inspection check or the inspection itself with enough time left for fixes and a re-inspection.

Use our pool safety inspection checklist alongside this walkthrough for the full item-by-item list.

What happens at your inspection, and how we help

A licensed pool safety inspector checks the barrier against Queensland's pool safety standard — fence, gate closing and latching, climbable objects, CPR signage and relevant doors or windows. Our inspections usually take 20–45 minutes depending on the pool area, and if the pool passes we issue the pool safety certificate (Form 23), usually the same day.

Sunshine Pool Safety's inspection and certificate costs $195 including the government certificate fee, and one free re-inspection is included within three months if the pool does not pass. See what's included, or call or text 0459 247 765 to ask about a barrier problem before you book.

Book your pool inspection

Official sources

Reviewed 9 November 2026 against official Queensland guidance. This is general pool safety information, not legal or building advice. Confirm your own situation with the QBCC, your local council, a building certifier or a licensed pool safety inspector.

Pre-Inspection Pool Safety Guide for Owners