Brisbane City Council Pool Fence Regulations

Pool fencing regulations exist across Queensland to prevent deaths by accidental drowning. These requirements focus on making sure that swimming pools are inaccessible to unsupervised children by complying with certain design specifications.

In this article, we will discuss the various regulations that apply to pool fencing in the Brisbane City Council region, such as minimum fence heights, post spacing requirements, necessary gate features, and more.

Brisbane City Council Pool Regulations

Pool Fence Regulations Brisbane

To comply with regulations, pool fences must be a minimum of 1200mm above the ground on both sides.

The fence should be unclimbable in design, and there should also be no climbable structures or vegetation that could otherwise allow a child to bypass the pool barrier standing within 900mm of the base of the fence.

If windows of your home open outwards into your gated pool area, these windows will need to be fitted with child-resistant security screens. It’s also necessary to make sure that no adjoining property-boundary fences have climbable panels.

Gate Requirements

Pool fencing gates must be weighted or spring-loaded so that they are self-closing from both sides, and they must also be fully self-latching. These latching mechanisms should be complex enough so that they cannot be operated by children.

You should also ensure that there are no large spaces between the gate and your pool’s fence and that all gate hinges are appropriately tightened.

Other Required Safety Features

To comply with regulations you are required to have a permanent sign posted in your pool area that displays legible CPR instructions. This sign must be posted in an area that is reasonably visible to people who are near your pool.

Requirements for your CPR signage include that it must be at least 300 x 300 mm in size, made of waterproof and weather-resistant materials, and should display a prominent statement about how to respond in an emergency situation.

Exemptions To Fencing Requirements

If your pool is under construction but is not yet complete, fencing and CPR signage cannot be reasonably required. Instead, at this stage, you must post a sign stating that a swimming pool is under construction and that children may be put at risk if they enter the work zone.

This sign must be placed within 1.5 metres of the edge of your construction site and must be placed facing the road.

It should also be mounted so that the bottom of the sign is at least 300mm off of the ground. The sign should contain bold warning text that is at least 50 mm in height and can be easily read from a distance.

Conclusion

If you have an open swimming pool in Brisbane, you are required by law to comply with Brisbane City Council pool regulations. These regulations work to make sure that you have adequate fencing, gates, and signage near your pool area to prevent accidental deaths by drowning.

Do you have any questions about the requirements for pool fencing in Brisbane? Reach out to us, we’ll do our best to help you answer any remaining queries you may have!