Swimming Pools

Drowning is a leading cause of accidental death in very young children.  Tragically, every year a number of children drown in backyard swimming pools.  With over 300,000 backyard swimming pools in NSW, swimming pool safety is vital.

In NSW, private or ‘backyard’ swimming pool safety is legislated by the Swimming Pools Act 1992 and the Swimming Pools Regulation 2008. 

The Act was introduced to improve pool safety for children, however laws requiring pool barriers and warning notices are just one part of pool safety.  Also crucial is maintaining the pool barrier, keeping entry points secure, appropriate adult supervision, teaching young children to swim and resuscitation (CPR) training.

For more information on swimming pool safety please visit the Backyard Swimming Pools page on the Division of Local Government website. 

In most cases a swimming pool cannot be installed without consent.  You should refer to the Exempt and Complying Development section of Council's website to determine if your proposal can be constructed without consent or through a Complying Development Certificate.  If the proposal does not fit within the specific exempt or complying development criteria then Council consent will be required.  Please refer to our Development Application Process page for an overview of the process and links to Council's controls.  You should also refer to the Swimming Pool DA Checklist.