Pick Your State
Pool barrier law differs between Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Each checklist is a 15-minute self-check written against your state's actual requirements, with the fix listed for every item. Download it when you book, work through it before the inspector arrives.
Built around the QDC MP 3.4 standard: gates and latches, fence and barrier, doors, windows and balconies, non-climbable zones on your side and the neighbour's, and what to check before doing work around the pool.
Download the checklist →NSW · Free PDFBuilt around the Swimming Pools Act requirements: gates and latches, fence and barrier, doors and walls that form part of the barrier, spa lockable lid rules, and what changes if the barrier or yard has been altered.
Download the checklist →VIC · Free PDFBuilt around Victoria's barrier rules: gates and latches, fence and barrier, glass and signage, clear space outside the barrier, plus council registration and the four-year certificate cycle.
Download the checklist →The All-States Version
Most pool barriers do not fail inspection over one big problem. They fail over small things: a hinge that has gone slack, a pot plant pushed up against the fence, a latch that does not quite catch. This checklist walks you through every one of them, with the fix listed for each.
8 checks. The gate is where most pools fail. Self-closing and self-latching from any position, latch release above 1500mm, opening outward away from the water, gap under the gate below 100mm, hinge spacing, and never propping the gate open.
6 checks. Minimum 1200mm height all the way around, no vertical gaps over 100mm, less than 100mm under the fence, firm panels and fixings, and horizontal rails positioned so they cannot be climbed like a ladder.
4 checks. The non-climbable zone: furniture, pot plants, BBQs and ladders kept clear of the fence line, trees trimmed back, no structures within 500mm that shorten the barrier's effective height, and toys stored away between uses.
3 checks. Drain covers and suction fittings intact and secure, everyone knows where the emergency pump shut-off is, and long hair tied back or capped before swimming.
3 checks. Current CPR knowledge, a compliant resuscitation sign displayed at the pool, and a stocked first aid kit within reach.
5 checks. Chemicals locked away from children, gloves and eye protection, always adding chemical to water and never the reverse, original labelled containers, and reading the label before every use.
1 check. The pool's power supply protected by a residual current device (RCD), installed by a licensed electrician.
3 checks. Active supervision rules, including keeping children under 5 within arm's reach in the water at all times.
How To Use It
Each item is a yes or no question with the fix printed next to it. Anything you cannot fix yourself, or are not sure about, is exactly what a licensed inspection is for.
This is a general self-check, not a compliance inspection. It does not replace a licensed assessment against your state's pool safety requirements, and only a licensed inspector can issue a compliance certificate for QLD, NSW or VIC.
Ready when you are
Fixed price confirmed before we book, inspection completed on site, and your certificate lodged for you.