Pool safety by Queensland council

Councils differ on one practical question: whether the council itself will inspect a pool for a certificate. Of the 22 council pool pages summarised below, 4 say the council can, 2 say it does not, 14 send owners to a licensed pool safety inspector and 2 do not say. Whichever council you are in, the owner is responsible for the barrier, and a licensed pool safety inspector decides whether it meets the standard.Source: each council's own pool page, none of which shows a review date, read 6 November 2026; QBCC, Local council's role in pool safety (page reviewed 30 Aug 2021); Building Act 1975.

Whichever council you live in, the first job is the same: walk the barrier and see what needs attention before an inspector comes. The self-check does that with no sign-up to start. It is not an inspection.

What a council can and must do

QBCC says local councils can:

• enforce the pool safety standard and enter properties to inspect pools;
• fine and prosecute owners of pools that do not meet the standard;
• consider impracticality or disability exemptions for pool fences;
• cancel the certificates of pools that do not meet the standard;
• declare areas 'remote' to help minimise inspection costs for pools in remote areas.

The Building Act adds some duties that are the same in every council:

• If an owner asks the council to inspect a pool for a certificate, the council must appoint or employ a licensed pool safety inspector to do it (section 246AH). The certificate is the same certificate, issued by a licensed inspector.
• When the council gets a written complaint about a pool's safety, including its fencing, or a notice of a pool immersion incident, it must inspect as soon as practicable, unless it reasonably considers the complaint vexatious. It may not charge a fee for that inspection (section 246ADA).
• Before it cancels a certificate, the council must give the owner a show cause notice with at least 10 business days to respond (sections 246AF and 246AG).

Councils whose page says the council can inspect and issue certificates

Read 6 November 2026. Ask the council who would do the inspection and what it costs before you book, because pages change.

• Cassowary Coast (opens in a new tab): The page says a certificate must come from a licensed pool safety inspector and that the council is registered to provide this service. Fees are charged when the application is lodged and must be paid before the inspection, applications go to a northern or a southern building mailbox depending on where the property is, and inspections need 48 hours' notice.
• Gladstone (opens in a new tab): The page says a pool safety certificate (Form 23) is needed from a licensed pool safety inspector, that fees apply and that the council offers this service. For a new pool, it says the building certifier who gave the approval must inspect and certify the pool and its barrier.
• Lockyer Valley (opens in a new tab): The page says a certificate for a sale or lease can be obtained through the council's pool safety inspectors or a private pool safety inspector, and links a Pool Safety Inspection Application. It also says pools need a building permit and must be on the QBCC register.
• Noosa (opens in a new tab): The page says the council's licensed pool safety inspectors carry out inspections, issue certificates and send them to the state register. Payment is needed before the inspection, and a request is made online or by asking for a call back.

Councils whose page says the council does not

• Douglas (opens in a new tab): The page says the council does not carry out pool safety inspections to issue certificates, so an owner engages a private pool safety inspector. It says council officers can do routine inspections of regulated pools and look into complaints and immersion incidents, and gives an email address for complaints.
• Townsville (opens in a new tab): The page says the council does not employ licensed pool safety inspectors or provide pool safety certificates, but does have a role in pool fences, and that concerns go to its Customer Service Centre. It also covers exemption applications under the Building Act and a decommissioning form, and says an acknowledgement letter from the council is needed before QBCC will remove a pool from the register.

Councils whose page sends you to a licensed inspector

These pages do not say the council itself inspects pools for certificates. What each says is below, with a link to the page.

• Brisbane (opens in a new tab) (our Brisbane page): The page says licensed pool safety inspectors do the inspections and give certificates, and that the council inspects pools at random, takes exemption applications and can fine. It has its own page of Brisbane's pool rules and contacts.
• Bundaberg (opens in a new tab): The page says a certificate (Form 23) comes from a licensed pool safety inspector, and that the private building certifier who approved a new pool must inspect and certify its barrier. It says a Form 17 from a recently built pool can stand in for a certificate for a time, and that decommissioning or converting a pool starts with a private building certifier.
• Fraser Coast (opens in a new tab): The page says a seller or landlord gets a certificate (Form 23) from a licensed pool safety inspector, and that a certifier inspects and certifies the barrier of a new pool. It says an owner may apply for an exemption from part of the standard, and that demolishing, removing or converting a pool needs approval from a private building certifier.
• Gold Coast (opens in a new tab): The page sends certification of an existing pool fence to pool safety inspectors and of a new pool to private building certifiers. The council takes exemption applications (State Form 28; it says fees apply, see its form) and complaints about unfenced pools through its Report a problem form.
• Gympie (opens in a new tab): The page says a certificate is needed when selling or leasing and comes from a licensed pool safety inspector, and links QBCC's inspector search. It links a Report an issue form.
• Ipswich (opens in a new tab): The page says a Form 23 follows an inspection by a licensed pool safety inspector and that a licensed building certifier issues the Form 17 for new work. It says a concern about a neighbour's pool that cannot be settled with the owner can be lodged with the council by phone, and that a building approval is needed to demolish or remove a regulated pool.
• Logan (opens in a new tab): The page says a certificate comes from a licensed pool safety inspector and points to QBCC. It says the council may grant an exemption from pool fencing in some circumstances (for example disability) and that a private certifier's permit is still needed, that concerns about a neighbour's fence can be reported on an online form, and that owners may remove a pool, with a fact sheet.
• Mackay (opens in a new tab): The page sends owners to QBCC's website for copies of certificates and for the list of licensed pool safety inspectors in the Mackay region.
• Moreton Bay (opens in a new tab): The page says a certificate for a sale or lease comes from a licensed pool safety inspector and that a private certifier inspects and certifies a new build. It says the council attends to concerns brought to it, that a concern about a neighbour's fence can be reported on an online form, that it may grant an exemption but a certifier's permit is still needed, and that building approval is needed before a pool is decommissioned.
• Mount Isa (opens in a new tab): The page says only licensed pool safety inspectors can inspect and issue a Form 23, and links QBCC's inspector search. It does not say whether the council itself does inspections.
• Scenic Rim (opens in a new tab): The page says a certificate is needed when a property is sold or leased and sends owners to QBCC to find a licensed inspector. It does not say the council inspects pools or issues certificates.
• Sunshine Coast (opens in a new tab): The page tells owners to engage a licensed pool safety inspector for advice or a formal inspection, and to notify the council about concerns. It says a new pool needs building certification from a building certifier and a temporary fence while it is built.
• Toowoomba (opens in a new tab): The page says a Form 23 can only be issued by a pool safety inspector, and lists mandatory inspections among the council's roles. It says a building certifier must inspect and certify temporary and permanent fencing, that an exemption needs a Form 28 and a fee, and that unsafe fencing can be reported to the council.
• Whitsunday (opens in a new tab): The page says a certificate must be obtained from a licensed pool safety inspector. It says local governments have the power to investigate pools and that on-the-spot fines can apply.

Councils whose page does not say

• Redland (opens in a new tab): The page says the state's pool safety laws began in 2010 and links the Queensland Government's pool laws page. It does not say who inspects pools or issues certificates.
• South Burnett (opens in a new tab): The page lists a Pool Safety Inspection Request Form and the state register of licensed inspectors, but does not describe what the council does about inspections.

Councils we have not summarised yet

We have not yet summarised the pool pages of Cairns, Central Highlands, Livingstone, Rockhampton and Somerset. Read the council's own page or ring it. Nothing here should be read as a statement about them.

Before you ring or book

• Find your council from the address on your rates notice. A suburb can sit on a council boundary.
• Ask whether the council does certificate inspections, or whether you need a licensed pool safety inspector.
• Fees and forms change each financial year. This page gives none: read the council's fee schedule.
• For an exemption from part of the standard, see pool fence exemptions. For taking a pool out, see removing or filling in a pool. For a neighbour's unfenced pool, see reporting an unfenced pool.

QBCC's register figures for each council (registered pools, licensed inspectors and certificates recorded) are on the Queensland pool statistics page, as at August 2024.

How this page was made: the PoolPreCert team read each page listed under Sources on 6 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.