Form 23 Pool Safety Certificate across the Sunshine Coast.
Form 23 is the QLD-wide Pool Safety Certificate, issued by a QBCC-licensed Pool Safety Inspector after a pool barrier and pool zone pass against QDC MP 3.4 + AS 1926.1. It’s required before any sale of a property with a pool and at the start of every new tenancy. The certificate is lodged electronically on the QBCC Pool Safety Register the same day it’s issued.
What Form 23 is and how we issue it.
Who can issue a Form 23.
Only a QBCC-licensed Pool Safety Inspector can issue a Form 23. Council building surveyors, general building inspectors, real estate agents and pool builders cannot — even if they say a pool “looks compliant”. The QBCC maintains a public list of licensed inspectors and the Pool Safety Register records every Form 23 issued in QLD. You can verify any inspector and any certificate against the register before you accept it.
What we check at the inspection.
- Barrier height. 1200mm minimum on the outside (non-pool side) measured from the finished ground level.
- Non-climbable zone (NCZ). No climbable footholds within 900mm of the outside of the barrier at any height between 100mm and 1500mm. Pots, BBQs, planters, air-con units, garden beds, low fences — nothing.
- Gap under barrier. Max 100mm between the lowest part of the fence and finished ground.
- Gap between vertical members. Max 100mm between any two vertical pickets / posts.
- Gate self-closing. Gate must self-close from any position from 150mm open.
- Gate self-latching. Latch must engage automatically with the gate closed. Latch height 1500mm minimum AFFL, or 1700mm if reachable from outside.
- Gate hinge clearance. 900mm clearance below hinges if they’re inside the pool zone (so a child can’t climb the hinge).
- CPR sign. Current QLD version (DG-006), visible from the pool, legible.
- Doors and windows from dwelling into pool zone. Doors lockable + self-closing; windows opening over 100mm need restrictor or alarm.
- Ladders + access points. Removable, lockable, or barrier-compliant.
Certificate validity.
- Non-shared pool (private residential, owner-occupied or single-tenant lease): 2 years.
- Shared pool (body-corporate, strata complex, holiday let, short-stay): 1 year.
- Validity runs from the date of issue, not from any prior expiry.
What happens if the pool passes.
We complete the inspection on site, prepare and sign Form 23 on the day, and lodge it electronically with the QBCC Pool Safety Register the same business day. You get a PDF of the signed certificate by email and a physical copy if you want one. Your solicitor / conveyancer / property manager / strata manager can be CC’d direct.
What happens if the pool fails.
We issue Form 26 (Notice of Non-Compliance) instead. Form 26 lists every failure item with the relevant QDC MP 3.4 / AS 1926.1 reference. You have 3 months to rectify the listed items. We don’t do the rectification — we’re inspectors, not fence builders — so we refer local fence trades or gate-hardware suppliers. Once the work is done, we return for a re-inspection ($120–$180) and, if everything now passes, issue Form 23. Most rectifications are completed in 7–14 days. See non-compliance re-inspection for the full process.
Cost.
- Standard residential inspection: $180–$280 (includes Form 23 issue + lodgement if compliant).
- Complex residential (large lot, terraced, multi-gate, lap + spa): $240–$320.
- Shared pool / body-corp single pool: $300–$450.
- Re-inspection after rectification: $120–$180.
- Urgent under-48-hour booking: +$50 surcharge.
Where we work.
Book your Form 23 inspection.
Certificate issued on-site if compliant + lodged with the QBCC Pool Safety Register the same day.