Home Truths: Pool rules

Bob De Leur - Auckland City Council's principal building officer.

As well as providing relief from summer heat, swimming pools can add value to your property and enhance its appearance.

However, before you start digging a hole in your backyard, there are a few things to think about.

On average, five children die in domestic swimming pools in New Zealand every year. The Fencing of Swimming Pools Act 1987 requires all domestic swimming pools, including spa pools, to be fenced. Pool fencing must also comply with the New Zealand Building Code (for more information on the building code, visit the Department of Building and Housing's website at www.dbh.govt.nz).

Before you install your spa or swimming pool you will need a building consent. To avoid any delays with your building consent application, you must include drawings showing the immediate pool area and the proposed fencing location. You may also need a resource consent. Contact your local council to find out if you need one.

Guidelines on fencing your pool:

Fences must be at least 1.2m high from the ground or any permanent structure next to the fence. Be careful of changes in ground level or a raised deck or stairs affecting the height.

The fence must not be climbable. The gap under the fence and between vertical bars should be less than 100mm.

Pools must remain empty until the fence has been approved by the council.

Gates must automatically close and latch.

The pool fence must only surround your immediate pool area and cannot extend over a larger area (for example, using the whole back yard) where activities not related to the pool are carried out.

Pool furniture, barbecues, maintenance equipment and changing room facilities are allowed within the immediate pool area, but clotheslines, vegetable gardens, vehicle access and children's playground equipment are not.

Beware of including a boundary fence as part of the pool fence. Your neighbours may put trellis or a stack of wood on their side, which would enable a child to climb over. In such cases, the fence would not comply with the act. It is your responsibility, not your neighbours', to ensure that the fencing continues to comply.

The walls of a house (or another building on the property) can form part of the pool fence under certain conditions. Be aware of doors opening into the immediate pool area - these may not be permitted unless they are self-closing and latching.

You will also need to make sure that the plans for your pool area meet council requirements for impermeable surfaces. Under each council's district plan, there are limits on the amount of your property that can be covered with buildings, pools, decks and other paved surfaces, as well as minimum amounts of permeable surface. Permeable surfaces, such as grass and garden areas, let water soak into the ground instead of running off and overloading stormwater systems. The rules vary depending on the zoning of your property.Pool fencing is the responsibility of the homeowner, who must meet and maintain the standards required by the Building Act. Contact your local council for more information.

www.aucklandcity.govt.nz ph 379 2020