Pool Inspections in Geelong

My first inspection is from $270 +GST, with the Form 23 certificate included within 48 hours if your barrier passes. Need a re-inspection after fixes? That's from $100 +GST. The council may charge a registration or lodgement fee of its own, and its page has the details.

Every four years. A Form 23 is valid for four years from the date it's issued, and you lodge a new one with the council at the end of each cycle.

You get a report with photos, so you can see exactly what failed and what to do about it. Typical fixes are the gate not latching, pots or furniture too close to the fence, or a gap under the barrier. Fix it, then a re-inspection from $100 +GST gets you the certificate.

Geelong runs on the Victorian barrier standard, so the requirements are the same as the rest of the state. Fence at least 1.2m high, no gap over 100mm under it, a 900mm non-climbable zone outside and 300mm inside. The gate opens away from the pool, self-closes and self-latches, with the latch at least 1.5m up or shielded. A boundary fence in the barrier has to be 1.8m or more. Then register with the council and lodge a Form 23 within 30 days of issue, every four years. Which version of the standard applies depends on when the pool was built.

Check the gate before anything else. Open it a little way, let go, and make sure it closes and latches on its own, then try it again from wide open. Clear the 900mm outside the fence of pots, chairs, pumps and anything else a child could stand on. Look for gaps under the fence, especially where sand or soil has shifted. I send a checklist before the visit and check your photos, so most pools I inspect pass first time.

Yes. The rules cover anything holding more than 300mm of water: spas, hot tubs, and inflatable pools left up over summer.