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                    Register a swimming pool or spa

                    If you own land where there is a swimming pool or spa, you must register it. Once your pool is registered, it must be inspected every four years.

                    Laws to improve swimming pool and spa safety came into effect in Victoria on 1 December 2019.

                    ​​​

                    Why the law changed

                    The state-wide changes aim to make pools and spas safer for everyone, particularly children.

                    Most swimming pool and spa barriers in Victoria don’t meet safety standards.

                    Pools and spas are the most common place children aged 5 and under drown. On average, four children die in home pools and spas every year.


                    What you must register

                    You must register pools and spas on your property that can hold more than 30 cm of water. This includes the following pool or spa types: 

                    • in-ground – with or without barriers 
                    • above ground and inflatable 
                    • bathing and wading 
                    • indoor. 

                    You don't need to register: 

                    • fountains and fishponds 
                    • spas and baths in your bathroom. 

                    How to register your pool or spa

                    To register a swimming pool or spa on your property, fill in the form:

                    You will need to pay a one-off registration fee. We will send you instructions on how to pay. 

                    Submit the form by email to building@melbourne.vic.gov.au 

                    You can also register in person, by mail or by phone.

                    Register in person  

                    To register in person, submit the form at: 

                    Melbourne Town Hall Administration Building 
                    120 Swanston Street, Melbourne 

                    Register by mail 

                    To register by mail, post the form to: 

                    Planning and Building City of Melbourne
                    GPO Box 1603
                    Melbourne VIC 3001

                    Registration fee

                    If your pool or spa was built before November 2020, your registration fee is $85.50

                    If it was built after November 2020, your registration fee is $34.80

                    You will be given instructions on how to pay after you submit the form.  

                    You can pay online, over the phone, in person or by mail. 

                    After you pay the fee, you will get confirmation that your pool or spa is registered. ​

                    After you register

                    We will tell you which standards apply to your barrier after you register. 

                    You must arrange for your pool or spa barrier to be inspected every four years by a registered Victorian pool inspector. We will notify you when your inspection is due. 

                    Inspection fee 

                    After each inspection, you must lodge a compliance certificate and pay a fee. 

                    The lodgement fee for a certificate of compliance is $21.90

                    The lodgement fee for a certificate of non-compliance is $413.40. 

                    You must pay a fee each time your pool or spa barrier is inspected and a certificate is issued. 

                    Who registers: owners, renters and property agents

                    Owners

                    If you own a property with a permanent or portable pool or spa, you need to register it. 

                    The owner’s corporation must register a pool or spa on common property it manages. 

                    Property agents

                    Property agents need to contact owners to make sure they register. 

                    Renters 

                    If you rent a property with a pool or spa, your landlord needs to register it. 

                    If you have a temporary pool or spa, ask your landlord to register it.

                    Properties with more than one pool or spa

                    If your property has more than one pool or spa within the same safety barrier, you only need to register once. 

                    If they are in separate barriers, you need to register each one. 

                    Public aquatic facilities

                    Owners of public aquatic facilities such as pools at schools or hospitals must take extra steps. 

                    This includes further registration and having a water quality risk management plan.  

                    Find out more about the requirements for public aquatic facilities

                    Application to register a swimming pool or spa

                    Pool and spa registration – FAQs

                    Who needs to register?

                    If you own a property with a permanent or portable pool or spa, you need to register.

                    If you rent a property with a pool or spa, your landlord needs to register. If you have a temporary pool or spa, ask your landlord to register it.

                    Where a pool or spa is on common property managed by an owner’s corporation, the owner’s corporation must register the pool with the City of Melbourne.

                    Property agents need to get in contact with property owners to make sure they register.

                    You are only required to register your pool if your property falls within the following building classifications:

                    ​Classification
                    ​Description
                    ​Class 1
                    ​Domestic or residential buildings – single, standalone single houses and horizontally attached houses, such as terrace houses, row houses or townhouses.
                    Class 2
                    ​Apartment buildings – typically multi-unit residential buildings where people live above and below each other. May also include single storey attached dwellings with a common space below, such as a carpark.
                    Class 3
                    ​Residential buildings other than a Class 1 or Class 2 building, for example:
                    • boarding house
                    • hotel, motel or guest house
                    • hostel or backpackers
                    • student accommodation or workers’ quarters.
                    Class 4
                    ​A dwelling or residential building within a building of non-residential nature. For example, a caretaker’s residence in a tourist attraction.
                    ​Class 10
                    ​Non-habitable structures, such as:
                    • sheds, carports, private garages
                    • fences, masts, antennas, retaining walls
                    • private bushfire shelters.

                    What is classified as a pool or spa?

                    The following are classified as a pool or spa and need to be registered:

                    • in-ground pools or spas with or without barriers
                    • above-ground pools or spas, including inflatable pools that can hold more than 30 cm of water
                    • indoor pools and spas
                    • bathing and wading pools with more than 30 cm of water.

                    You don't need to register:

                    • fountains and fish ponds
                    • spas and baths in your bathroom.

                    I have a pool and a spa – do I need to register twice?

                    ​The law aims to make pool and spa barriers safe. So, if your pool and spa are within the same safety barrier, you only need to register once. In separate barriers, you need to register each barrier.

                    Contact us

                    Telephone number
                    03 9658 965803 9658 9658

                    More information

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