Fencing Hamilton- the rules when it comes to fencing in Hamilton for pools

by PRC Agency PR

Fencing Hamilton says one major thing to consider when it comes to fencing in Hamilton and planning your new swimming pool area is pool fencing. Every swimming pool in New Zealand is required to have an adequate barrier in order to prevent unsupervised children from accidental drowning. As a pool owner it is your responsibility to ensure that your fencing Hamilton pool area is safe and secure. Feel free to contact one of the team at Fencing Hamilton to discuss this https://fencinghamilton.nz

Swimming Pool fencing is governed by the NZ building code and is described in clause F9.

F9 states that the functional requirement is that: “Residential pools with a maximum depth of water of 400 mm or more that are filled or partly filled with water must have means of restricting access that prevents unsupervised access by a child under 5 years of age”.

In short, the rules say that your immediate pool area must be fully enclosed including all pool fencing in Hamilton.

One of the first things to get your head around is what constitutes and immediate pool area. To put it simply, the idea is that your pool area is strictly for the pool and activities associated with the pool (like sun-bathing, outdoor dining etc).

Here is how F9 defines an immediate pool area:

“Immediate pool area means the land in or on which the pool is situated and so much of the surrounding area as is used for activities carried out in relation to or involving the pool.”

Which means that you can’t plan to have things that aren’t related to the pool inside your pool area (like a clothesline or veggie garden). Likewise, your pool area cannot be used as a thoroughfare to other areas that aren’t related to the pool.

Note: the below is a simple summary of the rules for Hamilton fencing but by no means is a comprehensive overview.

Pool fences/barriers within your property:F9 AS1 thumbnail-981-583-770-926

This means when it comes to fencing in Hamilton fences or barriers that prevent access from part of your property into the pool area. The main points to take into consideration when planning your pool are

The barrier must be at least 1200mm high from the ground level outside of the pool enclosure.

If there is a gap from the ground level to the start of the fence/barrier face it must be less than 100mm

There cannot be any climbable objects within 1200mm of the fence/barrier

The barrier must be unclimbable (which means the face of the fence can’t have horizontal gaps of more than 10mm if using horizontal slats or any climbable protrusions).

The barrier must have no openings that a 100mm diameter sphere could pass through.

Fencing Hamilton boundary fences:

When it comes to fencing in Hamilton a boundary fence forms part of your pool area, then you need to take special precaution to ensure that the fence is designed to prevent access from the neighbour’s side. Because you can’t control what your neighbours do on their side of the fence, there are special requirements in addition to the standard fencing rules mentioned above.

Boundary fences need to be 1800mm high on the pool side.

They must have a 900 mm high non-climbable zone on the pool side of the barrier that begins not more than 150 mm from the top.

They must be positioned at least 1000mm away from the water’s edge (so a child cannot fall off the boundary fence and into the pool).

Gates:

All gates that provide access to the pool area must:

Open outward (away from the pool)

Be at least 1200mm high

Be self-closing to the fully closed and latched position

Must have a latch positioned in a way that prevents a child from reaching it. (in other words, an effective 1500mm reach).

What if my house or another building on my property forms part of the pool fence /barrier?

That’s okay too, but you’ll need to make sure access from those buildings into the pool enclosure is also restricted. Here’s a few things to think about when it comes to fencing in Hamilton:

Make sure all windows that open into the pool area are fitted with stays that prevent them from opening more than 100mm. this will stop children from being able to climb through them.

Make sure any doors that open into the immediate pool area are:

Single-leaf doors (not bifold or French doors)

Are no more than 1000mm in width

Are self-closing or fitted with an audible alarm which sounds while open

Have a self-latching device, that must be released manually to re-open the door. The relea