Hiring a pool fence contractor in Queensland

Before you hire anyone to build or replace a pool fence, check that they hold a QBCC licence of a class that covers fences, because QBCC says building work valued at more than $3,300 needs one. Ask what the quote covers, find out whether the job needs building approval, and remember that the contractor's work is not an inspection: a licensed pool safety inspector decides whether the barrier meets the standard, and if you are replacing the whole barrier an inspector must first give you a nonconformity notice.Source: QBCC, Licensing requirements for fence builders (fact sheet, no review date shown) and Inspect and certify a pool (page reviewed 30 Aug 2021), read 5 Nov 2026.

1. Check the licence

• QBCC says you can look a contractor up in its licensee register by name or licence number, and that the register shows a complete licence history. If you cannot find them there, QBCC says they may not be licensed, and you can phone 139 333 to confirm.
• QBCC says licensed contractors must show their name and QBCC licence number in advertising, and that an ad without them can be a sign of an unlicensed operator.
• QBCC says it is your responsibility to check, and that someone else having used the contractor does not mean they were licensed for the work.

2. Which licence class covers a pool fence

QBCC's fact sheet on fence builders says the class needed depends on the material used. It lists these classes among those that allow the holder to build fences:

• Swimming pool construction, installation and maintenance (construction or installation): pool fences only, all types.
• Structural landscaping (trade), and the builder classes: all types of fences.
• Glass, glazing and aluminium: glass and aluminium fences only, with pool fences as the example.
• Carpentry: timber and metal fences only. Other classes cover brick, concrete, stone or metal fences only.

QBCC's class pages for swimming pool work and for structural landscaping (both reviewed 31 Aug 2021) confirm that pool fencing, and fences, are in the scope of those two classes. The fact sheet shows no review date and its file name carries July 2019, so check the class on QBCC's licence search before you rely on it. The fact sheet also lists exceptions to the licence rule, including a fence under $3,300 on land that is not agricultural or pastoral.

QBCC has no licence class just for pool fencing: the swimming pool class includes it as one part of wider pool work. A licence says what a business is allowed to do, not what it does week to week, so ask how many pool fences they have built and what they use for the glass, gates and latches.

3. What the quote should say

QBCC's guidance on quotes is written for building a pool, but its habits carry over: ask several businesses to inspect the site and give a written quote, and confirm exactly what work is in the price. This list is our suggestion for a fence quote:

• Which parts of the barrier are being built or replaced, and how high.
• The gate: its latch, its hinges and how it self-closes. See gate and latch rules.
• For glass, how the panels are fixed. See glass pool fence checks.
• A temporary fence while sections are out. QBCC says that if you remove sections while repairing or replacing, a temporary fence must be installed.
• Who arranges any approval, and what is left out of the price.
• The total, with GST shown.

QBCC's pool page says domestic building work over $3,300 needs a written contract. Ask QBCC on 139 333 whether your fence job counts, and read the contract before you sign. QBCC's fence builders fact sheet says a contract to build a fence generally does not need a home warranty premium, except where the fence is part of a contract to build a home or extension. Check that too if the job is large.

4. Approvals

• The Queensland Government says you do not need approval for a new replacement fence if it meets the pool safety standard and any other building standard that applies, and is no higher than 2 m above the ground (or 2 m above a retaining wall it is built on).
• If any part is more than 2 m from the ground, it cannot be within 1.5 m of a boundary. QBCC adds that your council may have rules for fences higher than 2 m.
• QBCC says replacing fences on buildings other than houses or townhouses needs building approval.
• If you are replacing the whole barrier, QBCC says you must engage a licensed pool safety inspector before you start. The inspector gives you a Form 26 nonconformity notice that sets out what to do, and you ask the same inspector to return within 3 months. See repairing or replacing a pool fence.

5. After the work

A contractor can build to the standard and tell you so, but only a licensed pool safety inspector decides whether the barrier meets it. QBCC's role page says an inspector should not inspect a fence they have personally worked on, other than prescribed minor repairs, and that it is acceptable for an inspector to recommend a contractor they have no personal, professional, commercial or financial relationship with.

PoolPreCert's pool fence contractor directory is built from QBCC's public register of licensed contractors. A listing is not a recommendation: check the licence and its history yourself. Find a licensed inspector at pool safety inspectors near you.

How this page was made: the PoolPreCert team read each page listed under Sources on 5 November 2026 and wrote this in plain words. The dates beside each source are the dates those pages show. PoolPreCert is not part of QBCC or the Queensland Government, and only a licensed pool safety inspector decides whether a pool meets the standard.