What are the pool fence rules in WA?
Every WA pool or spa deeper than 30 cm needs a compliant barrier — a $5,000 fine without one — and your council must have it inspected at least every 4 years. Practically every WA home is covered.
- Barrier required when
- Any private pool, spa or portable pool that can hold more than 30 cm of water at a house or small unit building 1
- Height & standard
- Pools from May 2016 follow the Building Code standard — WA's own modification puts boundary fences at 1.8 m on the pool side or 1.2 m on the outside; older pools may use the 1993 standard 1
- How often it's checked
- Your council must have the barrier inspected at least every 4 years (with 60-day re-checks after a fail); charges are capped at $312 initial and $78 periodic 1
- Selling or leasing
- No sale or lease trigger in these rules — the standing barrier duty and the council inspection cycle apply regardless of who owns the pool 1
- Fines
- $5,000 for not having a compliant barrier — and the duty sits on the owner and the occupier alike 1
- Old pools
- Pre-May-2016 pools may follow the older 1993 standard; pre-November-2001 pools keep a further concession on doors and "immediate surrounds" 1
- Where it applies
- Practically every WA home — a handful of remote shires sit outside the scheme by name, one entirely 1
Two things matter if you have a pool in WA. Your barrier has to comply, with a $5,000 fine if it doesn’t. And your council has to keep coming back to check it, on a four-yearly cycle that never ends. 1
That second one makes WA different from most of the country. Elsewhere a non-compliant barrier tends to surface when you sell. Here someone is scheduled to look at it whether you sell or not, which is worth knowing before you put off a repair.
Which pools need a barrier in WA?
Any private pool, spa pool or portable pool at a house or small unit building that can hold more than 30 cm of water. Spa baths are left out. 1
The duty is blunt, and it binds the owner and the occupier both. 1
reg 50(2) The duty: a compliant barrier, or a $5,000 fine Building Regulations 2012 (WA) 1
Each owner and occupier of premises on which there is a private swimming pool containing water that is more than 300 mm deep must ensure that a pool barrier that restricts access to the pool and complies with the requirements of regulation 50A (and, if applicable, regulation 52) is installed or provided around the pool. Penalty for this subregulation: a fine of $5 000.
How high does a pool fence need to be in WA?
At least 1.2 m, and 1.8 m on the pool side — but which version of the standard you are measured against depends on when the pool was built. Pools from May 2016 follow the Building Code requirement that applied at their permit date. Older pools may instead meet the 1993 edition. 1
So the first thing to find out about an older pool is its permit date, because that is what decides which rulebook your inspector opens.
reg 50A(2), (4) The standard: keyed to when your pool was built Building Regulations 2012 (WA) 1
(2) Subject to subregulations (3) and (4), a pool barrier must comply with a Building Code pool barrier requirement that was in effect— (a) if a building permit applies to the construction of the pool — at or after the time the application for a building permit to construct the pool was made; or (b) otherwise — at or after the time the construction of the pool commenced. […] (4) If the pool is a pre-May 2016 private swimming pool, the pool barrier need not comply with subregulation (2) if— (a) it is in accordance with— (i) the requirements of AS 1926.1-1993; or (ii) approved alternative requirements […]
The base measurements sit in the technical standard. WA’s regulations rewrite one clause in their own words, though, and it’s the one homeowners ask about most. A boundary fence doubling as the pool barrier has two ways to comply. 1.8 m on the pool side, with a strip below the top kept clear of anything climbable. Or 1.2 m on the outside, with nothing climbable within 500 mm. 1
reg 15B (inserted cl 2.2.4) Boundary fences: 1.8 m inside, or 1.2 m outside Building Regulations 2012 (WA) 1
A boundary barrier to a pool must satisfy either paragraph (a) or paragraph (b): (a) A boundary barrier satisfies this paragraph if— (i) it has a height on the inside of not less than 1800 mm; and (ii) it has NCZ-5 formed as a quadrant of 900 mm radius down from the top of the inside of the barrier […] (b) A boundary barrier satisfies this paragraph if— (i) it has a height on the outside (the non-pool side) of not less than 1200 mm; and (ii) within 500 mm of the outside of the boundary barrier there are no steps, retaining walls, objects or level changes that would reduce the height of the outside of the boundary barrier below 1200 mm […]
How often are pool fences inspected in WA?
This is the part that sets WA apart. Your council has to get every barrier inspected at least once every 4 years. If a barrier fails, a 60-day re-check cycle starts, and it repeats until the barrier passes. 1
reg 53(1)–(2) Council inspections: every 4 years, 60 days after a fail Building Regulations 2012 (WA) 1
(1) The local government for the district in which a private swimming pool containing water that is more than 300 mm deep is located must arrange for an authorised person to inspect the barrier to the private swimming pool on the days and at the intervals described in subregulation (2), for the purpose of monitoring whether regulation 50(2) is being complied with. (2) […] (b) if the local government has previously arranged for an authorised person to inspect the barrier to a private swimming pool (the relevant inspection)— (i) if the authorised person is not satisfied that regulation 50(2) is being complied with — on a day that is within 60 days after the day of the relevant inspection; and (ii) in any other case — on a day that is within 4 years after the day of the relevant inspection.
The regulation caps what you can be charged. At most $312 for a first inspection, and $78 a year for the periodic program. 1
reg 53A(2)–(3) Inspection charges are capped: $312 / $78 Building Regulations 2012 (WA) 1
(2) A local government may fix the charge to be imposed on an owner […] for an initial inspection, but […] the amount of the charge must not exceed the lesser of— (i) the estimated average cost […] and (ii) $312. (3) A local government may, for a financial year, fix the charge […] in respect of the cost […] of carrying out periodic inspections, but […] the amount of the charge must not exceed the lesser of— (i) the estimated average cost […] and (ii) $78 […]
There’s no certificate system on sale here, and nothing in these rules is triggered by selling or leasing. The duty and the inspection cycle just stay with the property. 1
What if you need to take the pool fence down in WA?
Taking the barrier down for works is covered directly. A compliant stand-in barrier has to be up the whole time. 1
reg 54A(2) Removing the fence for works? A stand-in barrier first Building Regulations 2012 (WA) 1
A person responsible for work that requires the removal of a fence, wall, gate or other component that is part of a barrier to a private swimming pool must ensure that an alternative barrier that restricts access to the pool and complies with the requirements of regulation 50A (and, if applicable, regulation 52) is installed or provided for any period during which the fence, wall, gate or component is removed.
These rules apply district by district, from a schedule. It covers practically every WA home, including all of metropolitan Perth. A few remote shires are covered only in their townsites, and one, Murchison, isn’t covered at all. 1
What happens when your barrier fails an inspection?
In WA the council has to come and look. That duty is what makes this one worth knowing.
Your council has to get every barrier inspected at least once every four years. If yours fails, a 60-day re-check cycle starts, and it keeps repeating until the barrier passes. There is no version of this where you wait it out. 1
The fine sits behind that at $5,000, and the duty binds the owner and the occupier both. If you rent the place out, that is not only the landlord’s problem. 1
One planning note that catches renovators. Taking the barrier down for works is allowed, but a compliant stand-in barrier has to be up the whole time. Not at the end of the job. The whole time. 1
What it costs to get it wrong
| Offence | Penalty | Source |
|---|---|---|
| No compliant barrier around a private pool holding more than 30 cm of water (owner and occupier each hold the duty) | $5,000 fine | 1 |
Common questions
How high does a pool fence need to be in WA?
The general dimensions live in the technical standard the Building Code applies. What WA's regulations state in their own words is the boundary-fence rule: a boundary fence doubling as a pool barrier must be at least 1.8 m on the pool side, or at least 1.2 m on the outside with no climbable steps or ledges within 500 mm. Your council's inspector works to the full standard. 1
How often are pool fences inspected in WA?
At least every 4 years, arranged by your council — and if a barrier fails an inspection, a re-check follows within 60 days, repeating until it passes. Councils can charge for this, capped at $312 for a first inspection and $78 a year for the periodic program. 1
Do portable or inflatable pools need a fence in WA?
Yes — anything that can hold more than 30 cm of water counts, portable pools included, and spa pools too (spa baths are excluded). 1
Do I need a pool inspection or certificate to sell my house in WA?
WA's pool rules have no sale or lease trigger — no certificate regime like Queensland's. The barrier duty and the council's 4-yearly inspection cycle simply continue with the property, so a buyer inherits both. 1
What's the fine for no pool fence in WA?
$5,000 — and the duty sits on the owner and the occupier alike, so a landlord and a tenant can each be on the hook. 1
My pool is older — do the new rules apply in WA?
Pools installed (or permit-lodged) before 1 May 2016 may comply with the older 1993 edition of the standard instead of the current Building Code requirement. Pools from before 5 November 2001 keep a further concession about doors and what counts as the pool's "immediate surrounds". The barrier duty itself applies regardless of age. 1
Does pool-fence law apply everywhere in WA?
Practically everywhere — the scheme lists each council district, and the overwhelming majority are covered in full, including all of metropolitan Perth. A handful of remote shires are covered only in their townsites, and one (Murchison) not at all. 1
Can I take the pool fence down during renovations in WA?
Only if a compliant stand-in barrier is up for the whole time the real one is down — the regulations say so expressly, and the duty falls on whoever is responsible for the work. 1
Every source on this page
The small numbered marks throughout this page point to this list — 1 means source 1 below.
- Building Regulations 2012 (WA), regs 3, 15B, 49–54A; Sch 5 (version 04-ae0-01, as at 23 July 2026)
- WA Government (Building and Energy) — Swimming pool and spa safety barrier requirements
Sourced from the Western Australian Legislation website at 28 Aug 2026. For the latest information on Western Australian legislation, visit www.legislation.wa.gov.au. © State of Western Australia. Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Reproduced without changes. This is not an official version and its use is not endorsed by the State. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence.
Other rules for Western Australia
- Are e-bikes legal in Western Australia? Legal, with conditions
- Are e-scooters legal in Western Australia? Legal, with conditions
- How high can a fence be in WA? Varies by area
- Is it legal to record a conversation in Western Australia? Legal, with conditions
Pool fences rules elsewhere
- Australian Capital Territory Legal, with conditions
- New South Wales Legal, with conditions
- Northern Territory Legal, with conditions
- Queensland Legal, with conditions
- South Australia Legal, with conditions
- Tasmania Legal, with conditions
- Victoria Legal, with conditions
Page history
Every change to this page
- 28 Aug 2026
- First published. Current to the WA Building Regulations as at 23 July 2026.