Residents urged to check pool compliance as data shows fence failures
Published 09 October 2025
- Newly released data reveals a concerning number of Moreton Bay residents are failing to meet pool fencing standards
- Between 2021 and 2025, City of Moreton Bay investigated 274 backyard swimming pools and found two-thirds of those were non-compliant mostly due to fencing failures
- As the weather heats up, Moreton Bay residents are being urged to check whether their pool meets building and fencing requirements
A concerning number of Moreton Bay residents aren’t meeting pool fencing standards, with DIY jobs, maintenance issues and portable pools the major failings.
As the arrival of warmer weather heralds the beginning of the backyard pool season, City of Moreton Bay has released data that reveals general complacency and misunderstanding around pool safety requirements.
From 2021 to 2025, Council investigated 274 pool compliance complaints, with two-thirds of pools found to be non-compliant and a large number of residents required to fix fencing or remove inflatable and above-ground pools.
And since 2018, Council received 67 notifications of pool immersions – half appeared to be due to a lack of fencing maintenance or failure to keep non-climbable zones clear, while the remaining half was attributed to a lack of parental supervision. Tragically, the immersions included four fatalities.
Mayor Peter Flannery said the statistics were a sobering reminder of the need for residents to check whether their pools, spas and portable wading pools were compliant.
“While residents generally believe they have done the right thing, the unfortunate reality is their pool may not comply with pool safety laws,” he said.
“There are rules around the required height and strength of pool fencing, self-latching requirements for gates and the need to ensure non-climbable zones.
“Most non-compliance occurs years after the pool was installed, as gardens and trees have grown and encroached on the non-climbable zone, fencing has deteriorated, or the original gate has been replaced with a DIY gate that isn’t up to scratch.
“With this in mind, we are reminding residents to take the time to properly check their pools to ensure compliance.”
Of the 274 complaints investigated by Council, 52 involved properties where there was a swimming pool with no fencing at all. This included 34 properties with either an inflatable or temporary pool, underscoring a lack of understanding around when fencing needs to be erected.
“Many inflatable and portable pools need building approval and fencing that meets the pool barriers safety standard, which many people don’t realise,” Mayor Flannery said.
“All swimming pools and spas, including blow-up ones, that can be filled with water to a depth of more than 300 millimetres need a building permit and a complying pool barrier (safety fencing).”
“We’ve had instances where residents have bought a portable pool for Christmas but end up pulling it down because the cost of fencing it is more than the pool itself. Or they get an inflatable pool or spa and don’t realise they need to fence it. While these situations can be quite upsetting, the bottom line is that safety standards exist to keep people safe.”
Portable wading pools, however, don’t trigger the requirement for a complying barrier as long as they meet the following criteria: (a) is capable of being filled with water to a depth of no more than 300mm; and (b) has a volume of no more than 2,000L; and has no filtration system.
Mayor Flannery said while compliant fencing restricts entry to a pool, it wasn’t enough on its own to prevent a tragic incident.
“Active and constant adult supervision is critical to prevent drownings and near drownings. It only takes a matter of seconds and a small amount of water for a child to drown,” he said.
In addition to meeting safety standards for pool barriers, there are several regulations pool owners and tenants need to adhere to. Owners must follow the state’s safety standard when building and maintaining their pool and register their pool with the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC). Owners and tenants must keep pool gates closed and keep the pool area clear of objects that children use to enter the pool.
QBCC Commissioner and CEO, Angelo Lambrinos, said pool safety certificates played an important role in ensuring a pool was compliant.
“You will need a pool safety certificate if you are selling, buying or leasing a property with a pool, but for peace of mind, pool owners and tenants can also engage a QBCC-licensed pool safety inspector to ensure their pool meets the safety standards,” Mr Lambrinos said.
Pool safety certificates are valid for:
- One year for shared pools
- Two years for non-shared pools.
Mr Lambrinos also reminded pool owners who needed to replace a pool barrier, that they must engage a QBCC-licensed pool safety inspector to inspect the barrier.
“The pool safety inspector will then detail what needs to be done to ensure the barrier is compliant and provide certainty that pool safety standards are met,” he said.
For more information about swimming pool regulations, visit Swimming pools | Queensland Building and Construction Commission
Council’s website also has information about swimming, spas and portable wading: Swimming pools, spas and portable wading pools - City of Moreton Bay
Between 2021 and 2025, Council audited 274 complaints regarding pool compliance. Of these complaints:
- 131 voluntarily complied by taking necessary action to ensure their pools met safety standards
- 125 were found to have been compliant, 2 were issued with a show cause notice, while another 6 were issued with an enforcement notice
- 52 had pools with no fencing, with 34 of the pools either inflatable or temporary pools
- 44 had gaps in the fencing larger than the specified limit
- 26 had objects within the non-climbable zone, while another 20 had fences that weren’t the required height
- 9 had gates that weren’t self-closing, while another 9 had gates that weren’t self-latching
- 3 had a door or window providing direct access from their home to the pool