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Lodge your barrier compliance

Owners are required to have their safety barriers inspected and to lodge a certificate of barrier compliance with their council. If a safety barrier is not compliant, it is the owner’s responsibility to make the barrier compliant.

After your swimming pool or spa has been registered and inspected, you will receive a certificate of barrier compliance from your building surveyor or inspector.

When to lodge your certificate

Certificates of barrier compliance must be lodged by a particular due date - the date is based on the construction date of the pool/spa.

Installed before April 1991

Lodge your certificate by 1 June 2022.

The following checklists will help you assess the safety of your barrier. The checklists are based on the relevant barrier standard associated with the date that the pool or spa was installed.

Checklist 1 - for pools and spas installed before 8 April 1991 (Victorian Building Authority)(pdf 670kb)

If you are having any work done on an existing safety barrier, a permit may need to be issued to alter the barrier. Work to alter an existing barrier will need to comply with the current Regulations. Check with your local council or building surveyor for advice.

Installed between 8 April 1991 and 30 April 2010

Lodge your certificate by 1 June 2023.

The following checklist will help you assess the safety of your barrier. The checklist is based on the relevant barrier standard associated with the date that the pool or spa was installed.

Checklist 2 - for pools and spas installed between 8 April 1991 and 30 April 2010 (Victorian Building Authority)(pdf, 600kb)

Installed from 1 May 2010

Lodge your certificate by 1 June 2024.

The following checklist will help you assess the safety of your barrier. The checklist is based on the relevant barrier standard associated with the date that the pool or spa was installed.

Checklist 3 - for pools and spas installed from 1 May 2010 (Victorian Building Authority)(pdf 3MB)

Installed after 1 November 2020

Your first certificate must be lodged within 30 days of the date of issue of the certificate.

This certificate must accompany your application for registration.

The following checklist will help you assess the safety of your barrier. The checklist is based on the relevant barrier standard associated with the date that the pool or spa was installed.

Checklist 3 (for pools and spas installed from 1 May 2010)(Victorian Building Authority)(pdf 3MB)

How to lodge your certificate

Compliant

Step 1.Receive your certificate

When your barrier meets the required safety standard, your building surveyor or inspector will issue a Form 23 Certificate of Barrier Compliance.

You will need to upload the certificate within 30 days of receiving it from your building surveyor or inspector.

If you are a building inspector or building surveyor wishing to lodge a Certificate of Barrier Non-Compliance, click on the "Non-compliance" tab above.

Step 2.Have your credit card ready

A lodgement fee applies. This fee is set by the Victorian state government.

Please note we only accept Visa or MasterCard.

Step 3.Lodge your certificate online

If you don’t have an online account with Council’s Greenlight program, email your Certificate to building@swanhill.vic.gov.au
If you registered your pool online via Council’s online platform Greenlight, click the button below to lodge your Certificate. Log in, search for your application, and upload the Certificate.

Lodge a Certificate of Barrier Compliance

Step 4.Receive confirmation

Council will send you confirmation that your Certificate has been accepted and will advise when your next Certificate is due.

Certificates are to be lodged every four years.

Non-compliant

Step 1.If the inspector determines that your safety barrier is not compliant

They can either:

immediately issue a certificate of barrier non-compliance
issue you a written notice specifying:
- the matters which must be addressed to bring the pool barrier into compliance
- the period in which the barrier must be made compliant (within a maximum of 60 days)
- the date and time they intend to reinspect the barrier

Step 2.After re-inspection

If the inspector determines that the pool barrier is compliant:

The inspector will issue a certificate of barrier compliance
You must then lodge the certificate of barrier compliance with Council (go to 'Compliant' tab for instructions).

If the inspector determines that the pool barrier remains non-compliant:

If the barrier remains non-compliant, but the inspector is satisfied that progress has been made towards bringing the barrier into compliance they may allow you an additional seven days to rectify the barrier. Otherwise, they will issue a certificate of barrier non-compliance.

If an inspector issues a certificate of barrier non-compliance

The inspector will lodge it with the relevant council (via email to building@swanhill.vic.gov.au) and provide you with a copy.
Council will notify you, and you will have to pay a fee by the due date specified in the notice.
A lodgement fee applies. This fee is set by the Victorian state government. Please note we only accept Visa or MasterCard.

Step 3.What Happens Next?

When the council receives the certificate of barrier non-compliance, the municipal building surveyor will issue either:

a barrier improvement notice (usually issued for minor non-compliance matters. The notice specifies what you must fix to make the barrier compliant, as well as the period that you must take this action within).
a notice or order under the Building Act 1993 (if the Municipal Building Surveyor considers that this is appropriate, depending on the nature of the non-compliance).