The City of Ryde is one of the smallest council areas in Sydney and one of the most heavily redeveloped. It sits between the Parramatta and Lane Cove rivers, about twelve kilometres from the city, and it has been changing shape for twenty years.
That is the fact that shapes pool fencing here more than anything else. In most of Sydney the pool fence question is about the fence. In Ryde it is often about the block, because the block has changed since the pool was built.
The classic Ryde situation goes like this. A 1960s or 1970s home at Eastwood, Denistone or West Ryde has a pool in the backyard with a fence that was fine at the time. The block is then subdivided, or a second dwelling is built, or a duplex replaces the house next door.
Suddenly there is a dwelling, or several, much closer to the pool than there was before. The fence has not moved. The problem has.
Ryde at a glance
- City of Ryde Council administers the Swimming Pools Act 1992 and runs a swimming pool inspection program.
- Suburbs I inspect include Ryde, West Ryde, Eastwood, Denistone, Denistone East, Denistone West, East Ryde, Marsfield, Macquarie Park, North Ryde, Meadowbank, Melrose Park, Putney, Tennyson Point, Gladesville and Chatswood West.
- Lots are frequently subdivided or rebuilt around existing pools, which is where most of the trouble starts.
- Waterfront blocks at Putney and Tennyson Point deal with steep drops and jetties as well as the fence itself.
- Premises with more than two dwellings, and tourist or visitor accommodation, are inspected at least once every three years.
What this area does to a pool fence
Redevelopment is the first issue, and the most significant one. When a lot is subdivided or a second dwelling is built, the fence has to separate the pool from the new dwelling and from its occupants, not just from the original house. Sometimes that means a compliant fence becomes non-compliant without a single panel being touched.
Small yards are the second. On a subdivided or townhouse lot the pool is often within a few metres of the house, and doors and windows then matter as much as the fence. Access from a dwelling into an outdoor pool area is only allowed in certain configurations, and the requirements for the door itself are specific.
Older boundary fences are the third. Ryde has a great deal of masonry and brick boundary fencing, and brick is a common problem: it is usually short of the required height and it offers nothing in the way of a non-climbable zone, so the fence ends up being a convenient ladder rather than a barrier.
Waterfront and bushland blocks are the fourth. Fences there deal with steep drops, moorings, jetties and dense vegetation, all of which need to be looked at properly rather than assumed.
Who can issue the certificate here
City of Ryde Council administers the Act in the City, keeps the local record of pools, investigates complaints and inspects under its program. Complaints are generally responded to within 72 hours, and the Regulation requires an inspection request to be actioned within 10 business days.
You are not required to use Council. An accredited certifier can carry out the inspection and issue the same certificate, which is pulled from the NSW Swimming Pool Register either way.
In Ryde the practical difference is often the strata question. If a pool is common property in a townhouse or unit complex, the owners corporation is in the picture, and having one certifier who can deal directly with a strata manager and inspect the whole site is simpler than splitting it across parties. Book, and you get one certifier the whole way through.
What I check in Ryde
I always start by working out what has been built around the pool since the pool went in, including second dwellings, extensions, decks, sheds and changes to the boundary. That context decides most of what follows.
Then the fence, measured from outside the pool area at every point along the run. Gaps under, between and through panels. Gates for self-closing, self-latching and outward swing, with the latch release at 1.5m and the shield where a tubular gate needs one. The 900mm non-climbable zone, inside and out, including the garden beds, air conditioning units, bin storage and pool equipment that cluster in small yards.
Then the house itself: every door and window that opens toward the pool area, and whether each one satisfies the requirements that apply to it. What the full visit covers is set out on the inspections page, and the numbers are in the fence rules guide.
If something does not pass
In Ryde the common findings are a fence that is short on the pool side after landscaping has been built up against it, a door onto the pool area that does not self-latch, a brick boundary fence being relied on as a barrier, and a gate whose latch has been defeated by a climbing aid placed nearby. If something does not pass and it is minor, we work out how to put it right there and then.
You leave with your certificate the same day either way, and where the pool does not pass the certificate of non-compliance sets out exactly what needs to change.
Frequently asked questions
The pool is owned by the townhouse complex, not by me. Who gets the certificate?
Where the pool is common property the obligation sits with the owners corporation, and the lot owner generally needs the certificate when selling. Premises with more than two dwellings are also on a three year inspection cycle, which is separate from the on sale requirement. It is worth getting the strata manager involved early.
My neighbour subdivided and built behind me. Does that affect my pool fence?
It can. Once a second dwelling exists, the fence has to separate the pool from the new dwelling and its occupants, and the dwelling count can move the property into the three year inspection cycle. This is one of the most common issues I see in Ryde.
My backyard is small and the kitchen door opens toward the pool. Is that allowed?
It depends. Access from a dwelling into the pool area is only permitted in certain configurations, and where it is, the door has to be self-closing and self-latching with the latch release on the outside face at least 1.5m above the floor, plus a non-climbable zone on the outside face and no pet flap. Many Ryde homes were built before that was thought about.
There is an old brick fence along the boundary. Can that be the barrier?
Only if it satisfies the requirements that apply to it, and brick boundary fences are frequently short of them. Height is the usual problem, and brickwork offers no non-climbable zone. On boundary fences used as part of the barrier, the measurement is generally 1800mm taken from inside the pool area.
How quickly can Council inspect in Ryde?
Under the Regulation an inspection request must be actioned within 10 business days. Council also aims to respond to a complaint within 72 hours. If you are on a settlement deadline, confirm the timing before you rely on it.
Sources
- City of Ryde, swimming pools
- Swimming Pools Act 1992 (NSW)
- Swimming Pools Regulation 2018 (NSW)
- NSW Swimming Pool Register, owner checklists
- Standard AS 1926.1-2012, Swimming pool safety: Safety barriers for swimming pools
Last reviewed 12/10/2026. Practical information from a registered certifier, not legal advice.