Free tool · Updated August 2026
Pool compliance checker
Pool rules are set by your state, not your council - but your council still has a job to do, and it differs in every state. Pick where the pool is and what is happening with the property, and see exactly what applies.
Why the answer depends on your state, not your council
This is the single most common misunderstanding in pool compliance. In Queensland the certificate system, inspector licensing and the pool register all sit with the QBCC, and the council only enforces barriers locally. In New South Wales your council can issue certificates, but so can a private E1-accredited certifier. In Victoria the council is central: it holds the register, sets your due date and receives the lodgement. In Western Australia there is no certificate industry at all, and the council itself inspects every pool at least once every four years.
So "what does my council require" is nearly always the wrong question. The right one is what your state requires, and then what your council does within that. The checker answers both.
What actually triggers a certificate
Only Victoria runs a time-based cycle for private certificates. Queensland, New South Wales and the Northern Territory attach the requirement to a transaction: selling or leasing. South Australia attaches an upgrade obligation to the transfer of title itself. Western Australia puts the inspection on the council's four-year rota. Tasmania and the ACT have no certificate regime at all, but the barrier still has to comply and building reports at sale routinely flag it.
The practical consequence: in most of the country nothing reminds you. The obligation appears when you list the property, and by then you are on someone else's timeline.
Get matched with a local inspector
Free and no obligation. We'll match you with a licensed inspector servicing your area and email you their introduction. Reply to it and they'll be in touch with a quote.
Use this tool on your own site
If you are a real estate agent, conveyancer, property manager or inspector, you are welcome to embed the checker on your own site free of charge. It covers all eight states and 285 council areas, collects nothing from your visitors unless they choose to submit the form, and the only condition is that you keep the attribution link.
Prefer to just link to it? https://poolsafetyhelp.com.au/pool-compliance-checker/