Spas and hot tubs
Small heated pools like spas and hot tubs are great fun – but there’s some responsibilities that come with them, too.
If you have a spa or hot tub, you have two options to make sure it’s safe and following government requirements:
- put a compliant barrier around it, as for other pool barriers
- install a compliant lockable lid, and keep this on and locked when your spa or hot tub isn’t in use.
Lockable lids
Spa pools can use lockable lids as a barrier if:
- the pool has walls at least 760 millimetres high that can’t be climbed, and there are no climbable objects within 760 millimetres of the pool wall
- the water surface area is 5 square metres or less.
A safety cover must:
- have a sign stating its child safety features
- restrict entry of children under five years of age when closed
- withstand a foreseeable load
- be easily closed.
Inspections
Initial inspection
We’ll need to carry out an initial inspection to make sure your spa has a cover that meets the Building code clause F9, restricting access to residential pools. If it does, you’ll only need to arrange to have it inspected every three years.
We’ll need to sign it off though, so if our records show that you’re a spa or small heated pool owner, or you have a new spa installed, please advise council and we will arrange an inspection. An inspection fee is applicable and can be found under Residential pool fencing in our building fees and charges
No compliant cover
If you don’t have a compliant cover, then you’ll need to either:
- put a pool barrier around the spa or hot tub, following all the requirements (including regular inspections) for pool barriers
- empty the pool until either a compliant cover or barrier is installed.
Three-yearly inspections
If your spa or small heated pool (less than 5 square metres) meets these conditions for a lockable lid, you won’t need to have the three-yearly mandatory inspections done.
You’ll be responsible for making sure your pool remains compliant.