Pool Fencing - What are the rules?

One major thing to consider when planning your new swimming pool area is pool fencing. Every swimming pool in New Zealand is required to have an adequate barrier in order to prevent unsupervised children from accidental drowning. As a pool owner, it is your responsibility to ensure that your pool area is safe and secure.

Swimming Pool fencing is governed by the NZ building code and is described in clause F9.

F9 states that the functional requirement is that: “Residential pools with a maximum depth of water of 400 mm or more that are filled or partly filled with water must have means of restricting access that prevents unsupervised access by a child under 5 years of age”.

In short, the rules say that your immediate pool area must be fully enclosed.

One of the first things to get your head around is what constitutes an immediate pool area. To put it simply, the idea is that your pool area is strictly for the pool and activities associated with the pool (like sunbathing, outdoor dining etc).

Here is how F9 defines an immediate pool area:

“Immediate pool area means the land in or on which the pool is situated and so much of the surrounding area as is used for activities carried out in relation to or involving the pool.”

This means that you can’t plan to have things that aren’t related to the pool inside your pool area (like a clothesline or veggie garden). Likewise, your pool area cannot be used as a thoroughfare to other areas that aren’t related to the pool.

A quick guide on some of the key things you need to know when planning your pool area:

A quick pool safe checklist:

Need help getting your pool plan right?

For most people navigating the different rules around swimming pool fencing can feel like hard work – there is so much to think about and it can be a challenge to get everything right.

We’d love to help you! Our authorised Compass Pools dealers can help you navigate the finer details so that you achieve a pool area that you are truly happy with. We’ll help you figure out the best place to position your pool and we can discuss the different fencing options to ensure you comply with the rules.