The Council has records with details for all known swimming pools within its district in a pool register.

Each pool on the register has an anniversary date, which is either

  • when the pool received a code compliance certificate, or
  • when the Council became aware of your pool being in use.

Legislation requires Council to ensure all pools within its district are inspected every 3 years from the pool’s anniversary date.

Council will contact you when your pool is due for its next periodic inspection. Periodic inspections can occur 6 months either side of the pools anniversary date to allow for some flexibility for completing an inspection.  This inspection can be undertaken by the either

You'll need to advise the Council if you'd like to engage the services of an IQPI to do the inspection.

You don’t have to be present during the inspection, so long as the pool and the barrier is accessible for the inspection.

To find out if your pool is on our register, or when your next scheduled inspection is due, you can contact us on

A fee will be charged for the inspection and associated administration work. Please see our fee schedule for details.

What we check at the inspection

We'll be checking that pool barriers comply with the requirements of section 162C of the Building Act 2004.

This means we confirm that the physical barrier around the pool restricts access by unsupervised children under 5 years of age, by checking that

  • pool gates swing freely,
  • gates and/or door self-closing mechanisms or alarms are fully functioning,
  • gates and/or door self-latching and release mechanisms are fully functioning,
  • any trees, vegetation, outdoor furniture, or other structures are clear from the outside face of the pool barrier, and
  • there are no gaps in the barrier more than 100mm.

It's worth checking these items yourself before your inspection.

One the most common reasons for a failed inspection is that there's grass or vegetation stopping the pool gate from swinging freely – so make sure you check this before your inspection!

Regularly maintaining your pool gate and barrier

As a pool owner you’re responsible for carrying out routine maintenance to ensure the pool barrier continues to meet the minimum requirements, including

  • lubricating gate hinges,
  • checking gate self-closing mechanisms,
  • pruning trees and vegetation to keep it clear from the pool barrier, and
  • repairing and replacing any broken or damaged parts of the pool barrier as part of routine maintenance.