Approved Development Plans

If you are the owner of land on which a pool or spa is located, it is mandatory to register your pool or spa with Council and pay the relevant registration fee. Registration forms can be obtained from any council office or via Council’s online registration application form.

When submitting your new pool or spa registration application form and application fee, please provide evidence of when your pool or spa was constructed. This may be in the form of a copy of the building permit, final certificate or the like.

Your application will be assessed and we will provide you with a letter acknowledging your registration, detailing your applicable barrier standard and the due date to submit your next certificate of pool barrier compliance.

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Owners are required to get their barrier checked by a building inspector or building surveyor registered with the Building and Plumbing Commission.

Below is a general guide to when the first certificate of pool barrier compliance is required:

Near the due date for you to submit your certificate of pool barrier compliance, you will be provided with a reminder letter with the following important information:

· Your applicable barrier standard, and

· The due date to submit your next certificate of pool barrier compliance.

You will need to engage a pool barrier inspector and provide the reminder letter, as it contains essential information for your upcoming inspection

Once your pool/spa barriers have been inspected, and deemed compliant, you will receive a certificate of barrier compliance.

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You may engage any building surveyor or inspector appropriately registered with the Building and Plumbing Commission to inspect your pool barrier. Council’s Building Services Team also offer this service.

Below is a list of providers who regularly perform inspections in East Gippsland.

East Gippsland Shire Council (All areas of East Gippsland)

(03) 5153 9500 East Gippsland Shire Council

EMAIL: pools@egipps.vic.gov.au

 
East Gippsland Building Permits (All areas of East Gippsland) (03) 5153 0199

B4UBuild Building Consultants (Bairnsdale to Lakes Entrance) (03) 5176 5688

Watershed Building Consultants (All areas of East Gippsland) (03) 5176 5888

Central Gippsland Inspections (All areas of East Gippsland) 0484 666 487

Smart Choice Building Permits (All areas of East Gippsland) (03) 7019 5521

Balwyn Pool Inspections (Most areas of East Gippsland) 0424 180 356

Actual Pool Inspections (Bairnsdale to Lakes Entrance, other areas on demand) 0407 999 514

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Certificate of Barrier Compliance information - Q&A

‍When and how do I get my Certificate of Barrier Compliance (Form 23)?

You will receive a letter from Council reminding you of the due date for your certificate of barrier compliance. You will need to engage a pool barrier inspector and provide the reminder letter, as it contains essential information for your upcoming inspection.

What do I do when I get my Certificate of Pool Barrier Compliance (Form 23)?

Once your pool/spa barrier has been inspected and deemed compliant, you will receive the certificate of barrier compliance. If you engaged East Gippsland Shire Council to conduct your inspection, your certificate will be automatically updated in Council's register. If you engaged a private inspector, you need to provide Council with a copy of certificate of barrier compliance within 30 days of its issue date. Failure to do so may result in the certificate being deemed invalid, requiring you to pay for a replacement certificate.

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This is a step-by-step guide to explain what you need to do to :

• Decommission your pool or spa
• De-register your pool or spa

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I want to decommission or remove my pool or spa. What do I need to do?

You must complete and sign a Pool or Spa Deregistration Form and attach photographitic evedience verifying removal.

There is no fee to be paid for removal or decommissioning of your pool or spa, and there is also no refund available of any previous fees paid to Council for a registration.

You will have to satisfy Council that the pool or spa has been satisfactorily decommissioned or removed. This may require a Council inspection that will be organised at a mutually convenient time.

Once a pool or spa is proven to be decommissioned or removed, Council will then remove the pool or spa from the register and notify the property owner in writing.

How do I decommission my pool or spa?

Council must consider what method of decommissioning of the pool or spa they would expect an owner to demonstrate, such as:

Above-ground swimming pools and spas - Complete dismantling of the above-ground pool, or at least the removal of the pool liner, access ladder and filtration system and ensuring the remaining components cannot hold water to a depth of more than 300mm.

In-ground swimming pools - Such pools can either be left in situ and buried or made incapable of holding water to a depth of more than 300mm. The process can include the following steps:

1. Cut at least two holes at least 500mm x 500mm in the deep end of the swimming pool (or as determined by an engineer taking site conditions into account).

2. Remove debris from cutouts.

3. Remove the filtration system and access ladders.

4. Remove the filtration system and access ladders. Fill the swimming pool excavation with appropriate fill material (compacted in layers), with a maximum depth of 300mm (or as determined by an engineer taking site conditions into account). Consideration can also be given to cutting down the side walls.

Please contact Council's Building Department if you require technical assistance in decommissioning your pool or spa.

The 2011 National Drowning Report shows that 43 per cent of all drowning deaths among children aged 0-4 years old occurred in swimming pools. Regulation compliant barriers are essential for all swimming pools. Barriers prevent young children from entering a swimming pool unsupervised.

From May 2011, changes to Australian Standards require all pool/spa barriers to be separate from the house and boundary fencing. All pool owners are to ensure their barriers are correctly maintained. These laws were further enhanced in 2019 to require pools and spas to be registered and compliance certificates issued every four years.

Things you need to know when planning to erect or already own a swimming pool or spa:

· All swimming pools and spas capable of holding more than 300mm of water, must have a safety barrier (this includes inflatable or portable pools).

· A building permit must be obtained for a safety barrier from a private building surveyor.

· Engage a registered building practitioner to carry out the building work if the value of works exceeds $5,000 (including labour and materials).

· Pools must not be filled with water until the relevant building surveyor has certified that the barrier is compliant and issues a certificate of final inspection.

· Pools and spas must have self-closing and latching gates that swing away from the pool area.

· Access from the dwelling is not permitted directly into the pool area via external doors.

· Maintain the barrier and ensure that gates are regularly checked that they self close and latch.

· Maintain a no-climb zone by keeping plant pots, ornaments, furniture or other climbable objects well away from both the inside and outside of the barrier.

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