Australian Standards

If you own a pool or spa or are planning construction for the future, there are council requirements you must comply with when building your fence. You can find your local Councils requirements at www.poolfencing.gov.au or by visiting your local council’s website.

A council officer is required to visit your premises to inspect that your pool or spa are enclosed. You will be issued with a certificate when the pool complies with your council’s standards.

What legal requirements do I need to know regarding installing a swimming pool fence?

Swimming pool fence rules are based on Australian Standards AS 1926.1 - 2007 and AS 1926.2 – 2007. These standards are not law; they are guidelines on which local councils base their regulations. The actual requirements for pool fencing may vary slightly from one local council to the next.

Here is a typical summary of requirements – Please check with your local authority.

HEIGHT:

• The fence must be a minimum of 1200mm above the finished ground level.
• There must be a maximum of 100mm between the finished ground and the bottom of the fence.
• There must be a minimum of 900mm between climbable points.
• There must be a minimum of 1100mm form the highest climbable point to the top of the fence.
• There must be a clear span of 1200mm from the top of the fence to a climbable object Eg Retaining wall, BBQ, climbable tree, etc.

GATES:

• Gates must only swing outwards away from the pool
• Gates must be self-closing. They must close and latch when released from any position (from fully open to slightly ajar).
• The gate latch must be either a minimum of 1500mm high or be shielded from the outside by an effective radius of 450mm. (some councils are happy with 1500mm above ground level, where others ask for 1500mm above the bottom rail of the gate. We recommended 1600mm above ground level, just to be safe.)

Protector Aluminium fence’s have been tested and approved to comply with the Standard building regulation. If you have purchased Protector Aluminium fencing for a pool you will require a Compliance certificate for final inspection. To obtain one, please ask your fencing contractor or the place you purchased the fencing from to request a Form 15 from Protector Aluminium.