Glass fencing passes or fails on the same numbers as every other barrier, but it adds failure points of its own: fixings, panel movement and the notorious glass gate gap. If your pool has frameless or semi-frameless glass, here is what the inspector is looking at.
The same four numbers still apply
Minimum 1200mm effective height, no gaps over 100mm between or under panels, a 900mm non-climbable zone outside, and self-closing, self-latching gates. Glass earns no exemptions for looking expensive.
Glass-specific checks
- Panel fixing: spigots and clamps must hold panels firmly, a panel that rocks or rotates under hand pressure fails
- Glass condition: chips and cracks in toughened panels are a safety issue as well as a compliance one
- Gate gaps: on glass gates, the gap on the latch side generally must be 10mm or less, wide enough gaps let small fingers reach the latch mechanism
- Hardware corrosion: coastal salt air quietly kills glass gate hinges and soft-close mechanisms, the gate that closed perfectly last summer often does not this one
- Climbable surrounds: glass is unclimbable, but the planter box, bench seat or feature wall built next to it is not, the 900mm zone applies to whatever sits beside the glass
The maintenance reality
Glass barriers fail inspections more often through hardware than glass. Sprung glass-gate hinges lose tension, latches drift out of alignment, and spigot grub screws loosen. A five-minute monthly check of the gate, from any position, does it swing shut and latch on its own, prevents most of it.
Installing new glass?
Get the barrier inspected at handover, not when you sell. Installers work fast, and the most common new-glass failures we see are gaps just over 100mm and latch releases sitting just under 1500mm, both invisible to the eye and obvious to a tape measure. The free pool safety checklist covers the measurements, or book an inspection and get it certified properly.