Swimming Pool Fences

All pools have to be fully fenced in compliance with the Fencing of Swimming Pools Act 1987.

Which pools must be fenced?

A pool must be fenced if:

The rim of the pool is lower than 1.2m above ground level at any point; and/or
There is any permanent object closer than 1.2m to the side of the pool which a 6 year old child or younger could use to climb closer to the pool (this includes decking, steps, barbecues, fences, trees).
It is deeper than 40cm.
There is no one employed and present to supervise the pool in use and when not in use the pool is enclosed by a fence which meets the requirements below.
It is anywhere other than totally enclosed in a building which is used mainly for other purposes, eg. a house.

Note: The fencing requirement also applies to spa pools if they meet all of the criteria above.

If any of the above are not true, the pool is exempt and does not need to be fenced.

There are three things to consider when building or adjusting a pool fence: Size, Materials and Gates or Doors

If you can tick all of these boxes listed below, your fence meets the requirements under the Act and you will not have to make any adjustments.

The fence is at least 1.2m above the ground on the outside of the pool area.
The fence is at least 1.2m above ground or away from any permanent object placed on the ground which a child could use to climb over the fence into the pool area, eg. deck, tree, barbecue.
If the fence has openings larger than 10mm in its netting, bricks, mesh etc then it must be at least 1.8m high or 1.8m above the permanent object which could be used to climb over it. Any openings must be smaller than 50mm (5cm). If no such openings exist in the fence, tick the box.
No clearance between the bottom of the fence and the grounds is greater than 100mm.