Inspected by Ryan Gaw, VBA-registered Pool Safety Inspector
Licence IN-PS 100055 · Building Inspector (Pool Safety), licensed by the Building and Plumbing Commission (formerly the VBA)
What Is a Form 23 Pool Safety Certificate?
The Form 23 Certificate of Pool and Spa Barrier Compliance is an official document issued by a licensed pool safety inspector — also called a pool certifier in Victoria. It certifies that your pool or spa barrier complies with the relevant safety standards under the Building Act 1993 and Building Regulations 2018. It's also what most people mean when they search for a swimming pool compliance certificate — same document, different name. For what pool compliance actually covers — the barrier standard, fence and gate rules, and how to get there — see our pool compliance Victoria guide.
The certificate certifies compliance on the inspection date. It must be lodged with council within 30 days of issue. Under Victoria's Building Regulations 2018, pool barriers require re-inspection on a four-yearly cycle — every registered pool in the state is now on that rolling cycle, regardless of when it was built.
Lodgement process, fees and penalties vary a little by council. If your property is in Geelong or on the Bellarine, our City of Greater Geelong compliance guide covers registration, the council's online portal, the current Form 23 lodgement fee and the 4-year cycle in full. In the western corridor — Werribee, Point Cook, Tarneit and the rest of the Wyndham growth suburbs — see the Wyndham City Council compliance guide instead, since the portal, fees and lodgement channel are genuinely different from Greater Geelong's. Bacchus Marsh, Ballan and the rest of Moorabool Shire have their own process too — see the Moorabool Shire compliance guide for what's confirmed and what to check directly with the shire. Torquay and the coast fall under the Surf Coast Shire compliance guide. And if you're in Point Lonsdale, check our Borough of Queenscliffe compliance guide first — the town straddles a council boundary, so which process applies depends on your exact address. Not sure your barrier will pass yet? Run through our swimming pool compliance checklist first.
Want the full explainer — what appears on the certificate, the validity windows, who can legally issue one and how councils process it? Read our complete guide to the Form 23 certificate in Victoria. This page is for booking your inspection — flat $250, same-day certificate where your barrier passes.
When Do You Need a Form 23?
- Selling a property — Must obtain before settlement (lodge within 30 days of issue; re-inspect every 4 years)
- Leasing a property — Required before tenants move in (re-inspect every 4 years)
- Renting a property — Pool safety certificate required (re-inspect every 4 years)
- New pool installation — Must be certified before use
Form 23 Lodgement by Council
Registration, the online portal, fees and the lodgement channel all vary by council — even though the barrier standard itself is set statewide. Find your council below for the full local breakdown. Pool not registered with your council yet? See our pool registration guide for the Form 22 process first.
Form 23 Certificates by Suburb
Every suburb we cover, grouped by council — same $250 flat fee and same-day issue where compliant, wherever you are. Searched "pool inspection near me" and just want a flat suburb finder plus how to check an inspector's registration first? See our pool inspection near me guide.
Western Melbourne Corridor (Wyndham, Melton & Moorabool fringe)
Our Inspection Process
1. Book Your Inspection
Call us or use the contact form and we'll lock in a time that suits you.
2. Site Inspection
We check every barrier, gate and latch around the pool against the standard your pool was built under.
3. Receive Your Certificate
Usually the same day if compliant. Re-inspection required every 4 years.
What Happens If My Pool Fails?
If your pool does not meet safety standards, we will provide a Non-Conformance Report (NCR) detailing the issues and required fixes. Once you have completed the repairs, book a re-inspection and we will certify your pool. For the full breakdown of what a pool safety inspection covers and who's allowed to sign one off, see our pool safety inspections Victoria page, or our pool barrier inspections page for the gate, latch and non-climbable zone detail.
Contact Us Today
Let's get your Form 23 sorted. We cover Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula and the rest of Victoria.
The Certificate of Pool and Spa Barrier Compliance explained
"Form 23" is the short name. On the document itself, and in the Building Regulations, it is called the Certificate of Pool and Spa Barrier Compliance. Both names belong to the same piece of paper. If a council letter uses one name and your conveyancer uses the other, nothing extra is being asked of you.
A registered pool safety inspector issues it on the day your barrier passes, and it certifies the barrier was compliant on that date. Your council registered an applicable barrier standard when the pool was registered, and that is what the barrier is measured against. It is not a standard you pick from the build date. Before the inspection, Ryan asks you for a copy of your council letter, because that letter carries the registered standard. You then lodge the certificate with your council within 30 days.
Certificate of pool and spa barrier compliance — the statutory name for a Form 23
Form 23 is the approved form under the Building Regulations 2018. Councils and conveyancers sometimes call the same document a certificate of swimming pool barrier compliance or a pool fencing compliance certificate — different wording for the one statutory form, so whichever name your council letter or Section 32 uses, it's the Form 23 you're after. It sits alongside the broader pool compliance certificate picture, which covers the standard the certificate is measured against.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Form 23 Pool Safety Certificate
How long is a Form 23 pool safety certificate valid in Victoria?
When do I need a Form 23 pool safety certificate?
What happens if my pool doesn't pass?
Does the Form 23 lodgement fee differ by council?
Is a Certificate of Pool and Spa Barrier Compliance the same as a Form 23?
Yes. Certificate of Pool and Spa Barrier Compliance is the formal name. Form 23 is what the document gets called in practice, and it is the name most owners are given. Whichever one you are asked for, a single inspection covers it.
Who can issue a Certificate of Pool and Spa Barrier Compliance in Victoria?
A registered pool safety inspector. Ryan Gaw carries out every LPI inspection himself. It takes about 30 minutes on site, and where the barrier passes he issues the certificate the same day.
Is a certificate of pool and spa barrier compliance the same as a Form 23?
What the Form 23 barrier check looks at
When we inspect, a compliant barrier has to stand at least 1200 mm high, and we measure that from the finished ground level on the outside (the non-pool side) at the lowest point where the ground falls away. The gap underneath can't be more than 100 mm so a small child can't crawl beneath it, and the gaps between the vertical members can't exceed 100 mm either, so they can't squeeze through.
A barrier can be tall enough and still fail on the non-climbable zone — the clear space on the outside of the fence where a child would get a foothold to climb over. For pools built from 1 May 2010 that zone is a 900 mm arc; for pools from 1994 to 2010 it's 1200 mm. We work out which standard your pool was built under before we go near the tape measure.
Book your $250 all-inclusive pool inspection
Same-day Form 23 where compliant, free re-inspection if you don't pass first time. Call 0402 860 499 or book online.