Pool Resurfacing in Cairns

QBCC names a licence class, “Swimming pool construction, installation and maintenance”. For concrete pools its class page lists “Ceramic tiling, painting, coping and internal finishes associated with the construction of concrete swimming pools and spas.” and “Maintenance and general repair of concrete swimming pools and spas.” Prefabricated and fibreglass pools are a separate line: “Maintenance and general repair of prefabricated and fibreglass swimming pools and spas.” QBCC's “When you need a licence” page says a licence is needed for building work “valued over $3,300”. Neither QBCC page uses the word resurfacing, so we do not say that resurfacing is licensed work or that it is not. Whether the provider holds the class is theirs to show, and this site makes no claim to hold a licence. Both QBCC pages show a last-reviewed date in 2021.

Approval for repairs

The Building Regulation 2021 treats repairs, maintenance or alterations to an existing building or structure as self-assessable, with limits: it does not apply to work that changes the floor area or height, affects a structural component or affects the fire safety system, and alterations to the fencing of a regulated pool are carved out of it. No page read for this site says which resurfacing jobs cross those lines, and Cairns Regional Council's pool page covers new pools. That is a question for a building certifier before work starts.

The fence and the water while the work is done

QBCC says a pool “capable of being filled with water to a depth of 300mm or more” falls under the pool safety standard, and that if you remove sections of the fence during a repair or replacement “you must ensure a temporary fence is installed during the replacement.” Queensland's pool water rule is just as plain: backwash from swimming pools is a prescribed water contaminant, and a person must not unlawfully deposit one in waters or in a roadside gutter or stormwater drainage. The fence page and the draining page set out the lines.

Cairns Regional Council says “Building certification is required for swimming pools and associated fencing.” and “All new swimming pools and spas require building approval from a Private Building Certifier.” Its page does not say whether resurfacing an existing pool needs certification, so this site does not either. The costs page lists every line with its source, and the suburbs page lists the localities this site covers.

Does QBCC's class page say resurfacing?

No. The class page lists “Maintenance and general repair of concrete swimming pools and spas.” and neither it nor “When you need a licence” uses the word resurfacing. Ask the provider which class the quote is under.

Does the fence have to stay up while the work is done?

QBCC says that if sections of the fence come out during a repair or replacement, a temporary fence must be installed for the duration.

Where may the pool water go?

Not into waters, a roadside gutter or stormwater drainage: Queensland law lists backwash from swimming pools as a prescribed water contaminant and makes depositing one there an offence.