Is your Pool Compliant?
REPORT! (see update)──By September 30, 2025, all residential pools in Quebec, regardless of their installation date, must comply with the new provincial safety standards.
UPDATE! This announcement has been revised.
Please see the news item dated September 24, 2025: Residential Pool Compliance Deadline Postponed
The Residential Swimming Pool Safety Regulation applies to all outdoor residential pools that can hold 60 cm of water or more, whether they are in-ground, semi-in-ground, above-ground, or removable (inflatable or otherwise).
The Regulation does not apply to spas, with the exception of those that can hold more than 2,000 liters of water, nor to natural bodies of water, water gardens, and other decorative ponds not intended for swimming.
Important! Even if your pool was compliant at the time of its installation, grandfathered rights no longer apply.
Here are the Main Requirements:
- Fences: secure, at least 1.2 m high, without climbable elements and without openings larger than 10 cm;
- Doors and windows leading to the pool: automatic closing, high latch, or limited opening;
- Equipment (heating, filtration, etc.): inaccessible to children or installed more than 1 m from the pool;
- Lockable access for above-ground pools;
The regulation provides for fines from $500 to $700 for a first offense, and up to $1,000 for repeat offenses.
For more information, consult the application guide and/or the summary document on the Quebec Residential Pool Safety Regulation (in French only).
For more information, consult the Government of Quebec’s documents:
Residential Swimming Pool Safety Regulation;
Application guide (in French only);
Summary document on the Quebec Residential Pool Safety Regulation (in French only);
Self-assesment forms for different types of residential swimming pools (in French only).