Has Your Home Pool or Spa Been Inspected
If you’re living in Victoria and you’re building or have just finished building a pool or home spa facility, you’ll need to be sure that it’s registered with the local government. A key part of that process was first to find pool inspection services in Melbourne to make sure that your pool was up to code before being officially registered with the government.
Why Do You Have to Register Your Pool Now?
The rules were changed because it was found that pools and spas are the most common places where children of 5 years and under unfortunately drowned, with an average of 4 children each year dying in home pools and spas. Furthermore, the vast majority — about 80 percent — of the barriers used in home swimming pools and spas across the state of Victoria were insufficient and failed to meet basic safety requirements.
New rules were therefore introduced to attempt to curb the wave of deaths and make home pools and spas safer for everyone. If your pool is not properly registered and approved, then you can face fines from the city of up to $1,817.40.
What Does Pool/Spa Registration Involve?
The entire process involves four key steps, the first of which is registering the pool or spa with the City of Melbourne, which has to be done through the city’s Building and Development department.
If you have a pool that was built before November 1, 2020, then you should have registered it already before November 1, 2020, and likely have your inspection and compliance certificate by now. If you finished building your pool after November 1, 2020, then the new rules say that you have to have it registered within 30 days of construction being finished. If you’ve already finished a pool more than 30 days ago, hopefully, you’ve completed the necessary steps.
If you’re planning a pool or spa facility in the future, remember that 30-day deadline.
The second step is arranging for an inspection, which we’ll describe in more detail below. This inspection will have to be repeated every 4 years so that you can get a Pool and Spa Barrier Compliance Certificate with the City of Melbourne. That certificate is valid for 4 years, and the third step is to lodge the certificate with the city government.
Finally, you pay the fees to complete your registration. It’s $32,31 for a registration fee and $47.95 for an information search fee.
Do All Pools Need Registration?
If you have a permanent pool, above-ground pool, indoor pool, hot tub, or bathing/wading pool that can hold more than 300mm of water, then you need the inspection. Even relocatable pools apply if they are made of multiple components and require assembly.
What Does the Inspection Look For?
The main target of the pool/spa inspection is safety barriers. The compliance terms of your barrier will depend on the exact year the pool was constructed, in one of three categories: before 8 April 1991, between 8 April 1991 and 30 April 2010, and from 1 May 2010. For example, the post 1 May 2010 guidelines talk about the need for a 300mm “non-climbable zone” on the inside of the barrier, and a 900mm zone measured from the top around the outside, and so on.
The guidelines are geared towards ensuring that when proper barriers are in place, there is no way for a child under 5 to access the pool without adult supervision. In theory, they would need an adult to help them get past the barrier. Therefore, be sure that your pool is up to code, registered and in compliance with the new laws.
