Pool Building Regulations in QLD – Guidelines for Homes

With how warm the weather can get in Queensland’s tropical regions (looking at you, Cairns), having a pool on the property can offer a refreshing way to stay cool while enhancing the value of a home. 

However, the process of building a pool on a property comes with several considerations — there are strict pool building regulations in QLD that homeowners will need to comply with for safety and legal reasons.

Whether you’re looking to build a pool on your existing property, or as a part of a new home build, we’ve got the complete list of pool building regulations below to help you understand what is involved.

What Are the Pool Building Regulations in QLD?

 According to the Building Act 1975, a swimming pool is an excavation or structure that meets the following criteria:

• A space that is capable of being filled with water to a depth of 300 millimetres or more.
• A space that is capable of being used for swimming, bathing, wading, paddling or other human aquatic activities.
• A space that is used, designed, manufactured or adapted for the purpose mentioned above, despite its current use.

Structures such as fish ponds, ornamental ponds, spa baths that are not continually filled with water, or watercourses, do not share the same requirements as for building a swimming pool and will be subject to other building regulations.

Any construction work for a swimming pool on a property requires building approval from the local council — homeowners cannot proceed with any building work until the relevant permits and approvals have been granted. Once building approval has been granted, pools must be built in compliance with the Australian Pool Safety Standard (AS1926) which includes the following regulations:

• Pools must be enclosed by a fence or barrier that is at least 1.2m high with no gaps and openings that may allow individuals to climb over it. Gaps between the fencing and the ground must not be larger than 0.1m. This is to prevent unsupervised access to the pool, especially by young children who face drowning risks.
• Pools should not have climbable objects such as trees or other furniture within 0.9m of the fencing.
• Gates to the pool should be constructed such that they open away from the pool area and must feature self-closing and self-latching design that is out of reach from young children.
• Pools must feature appropriate signage within the vicinity of the pool that clearly indicates up-to-date CPR instructions, or in the case of ongoing building work, a “pool under construction” sign.
• Upon construction, pools must be registered with the state and local council Swimming Pool Register, and any updates to the pool’s status or construction must be reported accordingly.

Apart from the above regulations, the pool must also: 

• Meet environmental standards for water runoff and erosion control
• Have a compliant filtration and sanitation system
• Be regularly maintained and pass pool inspections

How Close to a Property Can a Pool Be Built? 

For safety reasons, pools can only be constructed with an allowance of at least 1-2 metres from the boundaries of a property. Each council has their own requirements for the proximity allowance for a pool, and this will also depend on the layout of the property and available land space for the pool.

As a luxury home builder in Cairns, Cougar Homes, has a collection of property designs that include a pool as part of the home build. Our expertise in the home building process ensures that all of the specific pool building regulations in QLD are met for a compliant, safe, and stress-free installation, from navigating local council requirements to ensuring that all safety standards are followed.