As a pool owner you are required to:
Keep your pool safe and compliant — register it today with the NSW Swimming Pool Register. It only takes a few minutes and helps ensure your pool meets the safety standards that protect children and prevent accidents.
- Provide swimming pool fencing and other approved child-resistant barriers around swimming pools and spa pools
- Provide a valid swimming pool compliance certificate before you sell or lease a property with a pool
- Display a resuscitation chart or warning notice in a prominent position in the immediate vicinity of the pool
Swimming pools in the Inner West must meet strict NSW safety standards designed to prevent accidents and protect children. As a pool owner, you’re responsible for registering your pool, maintaining compliant safety barriers, and ensuring you have the correct certification when selling or leasing your property. This page outlines the key legal requirements, safety checks and practical steps to help you stay compliant with both Council obligations and state legislation.
Definition of a pool
A pool is defined under the Swimming Pools Act 1992 as an excavation, structure or vessel:
- that is capable of being filled with water to a depth of 300 millimetres or more; and
- that is solely or principally used, or that is designed, manufactured or adapted to be solely or principally used, for the purpose of swimming, wading, paddling or other human aquatic activity; and
includes a spa pool, but does not include a spa bath, anything that is situated within a bathroom or anything declared by the regulation not to be a swimming pool for the purposes of this Act.
Making your pool safe
The NSW swimming pool register has a range of checklists for the different types of pools.
Find the pool types and relevant checklists to see if your pool complies at the NSW Swimming Pool Register website
Further information
For further information or enquiries, please contact Council through our online customer request management system:
Swimming pool compliance enquiry
More details are also available at the Swimming Pools Act 1992 – NSW Government Legislation website.
Legislation and certificate requirements
If you are selling your property with a pool, you must have:
- A certificate of compliance; or
- A relevant occupation certificate and a certificate of registration; or
- A certificate of non-compliance.
If you are leasing a property with a pool, you must have:
- A certificate of compliance; or
- A relevant occupation certificate and a certificate of registration
You can use our online self-service website to apply for a swimming pool certificate of compliance.
Swimming pool safety barriers must comply with AS1926.1 with the standard applicable at the date of construction:
- Swimming pools constructed before 1 September 2008 must comply with AS1926.1 – 1986
- Swimming pools constructed between 1 September 2008 and 1 May 2013 must comply with AS1926.1 – 2007
- Swimming pools constructed after 1 May 2013 must comply with AS1926.1 – 2012