Guidelines for pool owners and property agents Page 15 of 56
Building Industry and Policy October 2016
6.2 Non-climbable zone
Since the introduction of pool safety laws in 1991, there has been a requirement to provide a NCZ
around the pool barrier. The purpose of the NCZ is to prevent children climbing the barrier or using
climbable objects near the pool barrier to access the pool.
The pool safety standard requires a 900 millimetre NCZ around the entire pool barrier. The NCZ
extends both upwards and downwards in an arc from the barrier (refer to Appendix A − Figures 1,
2 and 3).
The NCZ is to be located on the outside for pool fences that are less than 1800 millimetres high.
However, for pool fences 1800 millimetres or more in height, the NCZ can be located either on the
outside or on the inside of the fence. This is particularly useful for dividing fences that are also
used as pool fences. In this case, if the neighbour’s side of the fence has climbable objects within
the NCZ, the pool fence can be raised to a height of at least 1800 millimetres and the NCZ can be
located on the inside of the pool fence (refer to Appendix A − Figure 4).
Objects with a substantially horizontal surface of more than 10 millimetres that allow a young child
to gain a foot or hand hold must not be located in the NCZ. This includes climbable trees, outdoor
furniture, barbeques, taps, pot plants, lattice, trellis, projections, indentations or retaining walls.
Objects such as smooth tree trunks or other non-climbable vegetation are permitted in the NCZ
(refer to Appendix A − Figures 2 and 3) as they are either not climbable by young children or they
create an additional barrier for young children.
The standard specifically allows bushes that are not easily climbable by young children to be
located in the NCZ as they can create an additional barrier for young children. Bushes with dense,
spiked, thorned, rough or otherwise irritating or hindering foliage that would deter a young child
from climbing are acceptable.
Bushes or shrubs that are fragile or crush easily or are so weak that a child could not climb them
are also acceptable. They are acceptable even where the bushes conceal or contain thick
branches that could hold a young child’s weight, provided the branches are impractical for a young
child to reach or use to climb the barrier.
Generally, where a bush, shrub or tree has a thick (more than 10 millimetres in width and
substantially horizontal) exposed branch in the NCZ it is acceptable once the substantially
horizontal branch is removed. The bush, shrub or tree does not need to be removed. Stumps or
bushes that are cut back may be climbable and it is preferable to retain foliage that will deter young
children or to remove exposed stumps. Where bushes, shrubs or trees remain inside a NCZ,
owners are responsible for monitoring them and trimming any substantially horizontal branches
that do become exposed so as to prevent children climbing them.
Refer to Appendix A which provides photographs of vegetation that is and is not acceptable.
6.3 Child resistant doors used as a pool barrier
The pool safety standard does not allow self-closing and self-latching child resistant doors which
provide direct access from a building into a pool area to be used as a pool barrier, other than for
indoor pools.
Where strict compliance with the pool safety standard would be impracticable − such as where part
of a building would need to be demolished to provide a complying barrier − pool owners can apply
to their local government for an impracticality exemption. However, impracticality exemptions