Which pool fence standard applies to your NSW pool, and what AS 1926.1:2024 changes

Three editions of AS 1926 decide NSW pool fences today, and the 2024 edition is not one of them. NSW's guidance says the relevant versions of the Australian Standard (AS1926) are dated 1986, 2007 and 2012, and it matches each one to the year your pool was built.

It is listed in the NCC Primary References Set, and NSW will adopt NCC 2025 in May 2027. By our count, that is about 32 months between the standard's publication and NSW adopting the code that references it: 23 August 2024 to 1 May 2027.

So the useful question for a NSW pool owner is not what the new standard says. It is which edition your fence is measured against, and what would change that. Here is how Saltwater & Steel reads it.

Which edition of AS 1926 your pool is measured against

Which edition of AS 1926 a NSW pool is measured against.

When	What applies
Pool built before 30 Aug 2008	AS 1926-1986 may apply
Pool built 1 Sep 2008 to 30 Apr 2013	AS 1926.1-2007 may apply
Pool built after 1 May 2013	AS 1926.1-2012 applies
Barrier modified or altered (may include house and yard renovations)	Current Act, Swimming Pools Regulation 2018 and AS1926.1-2012 apply, previous exemptions cease
Confirm with your council or certifier.

Source: NSW Government.

NSW ties the edition to your pool's build date:

• AS 1926-1986 may apply to pools built before 30 Aug 2008.
• AS 1926.1-2007 may apply to pools built 1 Sep 2008 to 30 Apr 2013.
• AS 1926.1-2012 applies to pools built after 1 May 2013.

Note the word "may" on the two older editions. Ask your council or a registered certifier which one applies to your pool.

There are two quirks in the wording. As NSW writes those ranges, a pool finished on 30 or 31 August 2008, or on 1 May 2013, sits between two lines. If that is yours, ask before you assume.

The build date stops working in your favour once you change the fence. If the pool barrier is modified or altered (this may include house and yard renovations), the current Act, the Swimming Pools Regulation 2018 and AS1926.1-2012 apply, and previous exemptions cease. House and yard renovations can count. Plan the work with that in mind. Our notes on pool fence rules in NSW set out what the current rules look for.

Your pool's record now sits against the property address on the improved swimming pool register, which NSW describes as a "single source of truth" for compliance status.

When NSW adopts NCC 2025

From the 2024 edition's publication to NSW adopting NCC 2025.

Source: Standards Australia, NSW Government, Australian Building Codes Board.

NSW's current NCC edition is NCC 2022 Amendment 2, in effect from 29 July 2025, and NSW adopts NCC 2025 on 1 May 2027.

Other states moved first. The NCC 2025 state and territory adoption information shows Victoria and WA adopted on 1 May 2026, with NSW, Queensland and Tasmania on 1 May 2027. If you are reading advice written interstate, check which side of that line the writer is on.

NSW will not take the standard exactly as written. In NSW's NCC 2025 variations, the barrier provisions apply "in conjunction with the Swimming Pools Act 1992 and the Swimming Pools Regulation 2018", and the Act and Regulation "prevail in the case of any inconsistency".

The same NSW variation for minor structures and components makes two further points:

• Out-of-ground and above-ground pool walls, including inflatable pools, are not treated as effective barriers.
• NSW replaces the wording of AS 1926.1 clause 2.3.1 so that it applies to boundary barriers.

The Housing Industry Association's summary of the amended AS 1926.1:2024 and NCC 2025 boundary barriers changes says NCC 2025 overrides part of the revised standard, so boundary barriers must still meet a 500 mm clearance requirement. Treat that as HIA's reading. The NSW detail sits in the variation and the Regulation, and your certifier applies it.

What AS 1926.1:2024 changed for gates and the non-climbable zone

What AS 1926.1:2024 changed, and who flags each change.

Change	Who flags it
New definitions	Standards Australia
New diagrams	Standards Australia
New section on plants in a non-climbable zone	Standards Australia
Marking of gate latches and hinges	Standards Australia
Increased cycles and frequency of testing gate components	Standards Australia
Latch and hinge requirements focused on long-term reliability	Standards Australia
Supplier identification on latches and hinges	HIA
Higher-cycle durability testing	HIA
Reintroduced 1400 mm minimum latch-release height	HIA
New Appendix G for glass-panel tests	HIA
National standard changes, not current NSW rules. NSW applies the standard through its own variations.

Source: Standards Australia, Housing Industry Association.

Standards Australia says the standard was revised in 2024. Some of the changes it lists are:

• new definitions
• new diagrams
• a new section on plants in a non-climbable zone
• marking of gate latches and hinges
• increased cycles and frequency of testing gate components

Its spotlight piece says latch and hinge requirements were updated "focusing on long-term reliability". That focus makes sense. A gate is the one part of the fence that moves every day, so it is the part that wears.

HIA's guide to swimming pool barriers goes into more detail on the 2024 edition. It lists supplier identification on latches and hinges, higher-cycle durability testing and a reintroduced 1400 mm minimum latch-release height. It also lists a new landscaping section and a new Appendix G for glass-panel tests. These are HIA's account of the national standard, not NSW rules.

If you want to read the standard itself, it is sold through the Standards Australia store, not free.

What the non-climbable zone is, and where plants come in

The non-climbable zone either side of a pool fence.

Source: NSW Government.

NSW's current rule is plain. Keep trees, shrubs, barbecues, pot plants, toys, ladders or chairs out of the 90 cm non-climbable zone. That zone is measured in an arc from the top of the fence towards the ground, and it extends 30 cm inside the pool area. Horizontal climbable bars must be at least 90 cm apart.

The logic is simple: anything against the fence becomes a step.

Plants are the part that drifts. A pot gets moved for a party, a hedge fills out, a climber finds the bars. The 2024 edition gives plants their own section, and Standards Australia's spotlight says its non-climbable zone guidance covers objects and plants. The NSW list is the rule to work to: keep trees and shrubs clear of the arc.

Mown grass along the fence, with the garden bed, pot plant and chair kept back.

A gate check that works under any edition

• 01Gate swings outwards, away from the pool
• 02Shuts by itself from fully open
• 03Shuts by itself from half open
• 04Shuts by itself from a hand's width open
• 05Self-latches every time
• 06Never propped open
• 07Bolts and fasteners checked
• 08Self-closing hinges, locks and latches lubricated with oil or silicone

Source: NSW Government.

NSW's owner guidance lists these gate checks for pools generally. NSW says the gate must swing outwards (away from the pool), shut automatically from any open position, and self-latch. It must never be propped open. NSW also says to check bolts and fasteners, and to lubricate self-closing hinges, locks and latches with oil or silicone.

Our test takes two minutes:

1. Open the gate fully and let go.
2. Open it halfway and let go.
3. Open it a hand's width and let go.

Each time it should close and latch with no help.

Why bother? The National Drowning Report 2026, as reported by Splash, counted 41 swimming pool deaths across Australia, and 66% of them were in backyard pools.

Near the coast, rinse hinges and latches as well as oiling them. Our note on steel boundary fencing near the coast covers salt care, and gates, self-closing latches and why they matter goes deeper on hardware.

A closed pool gate that swings out onto the path, away from the pool.

Boundary fences, steel hardware and the records worth keeping

Plan of a pool fence with one side on the boundary.

Source: NSW Government.

Height changes where the pool fence meets the boundary. NSW sets a minimum pool fence height of 1.2 m, and a boundary fence that is part of the pool fence must be 1.8 m high. If a shared fence is involved, our note on who pays for a shared boundary fence explains how the costs usually fall.

If you are building or replacing a pool fence, two choices are worth making with care:

• Hardware. Ask whether the gate latch and hinges are marked under the 2024 edition. That marking is one of the changes Standards Australia flags. It does not decide compliance, because your certifier assesses against the edition that applies to your pool.
• Layout. Keep gates and fence lines away from garden beds and boundary corners. That keeps the 90 cm zone easy to hold clear for years.

Keep your records. Note the date the barrier was built or last altered, keep the hardware details, and keep any certificate. A certificate of compliance is valid for 3 years, and the build or alteration date is one of the things that decides which edition applies. For what councils around here tend to ask for, see what councils around Newcastle want to see.

The figures in one place

Five figures for a NSW pool fence.

Source: NSW Government, Australian Building Codes Board.

Five figures cover most of what a NSW pool owner needs to hold in their head. Each is shown with where it comes from.

Your next step

Start with three things you can do this week:

1. Find your pool's build date and match it to the table above.
2. Run the three-position gate test.
3. Walk the outside of the fence and clear anything inside the 90 cm arc.

Then confirm with your council or certifier which edition applies, especially if the fence or yard has been changed since the pool went in. Our NSW pool fence checklist covers the rest of the fence.

If you are planning a new pool fence, replacing a gate or altering a barrier, talk it through with Saltwater & Steel. You can book a measure and quote through our enquiry page, and our pool fencing page covers the work in more detail.