Secure your outdoor pool to prevent the risk of drowning.

Residential swimming pools represent a major risk of drowning for young children, particularly when they escape adult supervision, and the installations are not adequately secured.

Adopted in 2010, the Règlement sur la sécurité des piscines résidentielles aims essentially to control access by young children to residential pools through simple measures such as the installation of an enclosure equipped with a safety door.

The by-law applies to all residential outdoor pools with a water capacity of 60 cm or more, whether in-ground, semi-in-ground, above-ground or dismountable (inflatable or other), regardless of the year of installation. Owners of pools installed before November 1, 2010, who benefited from an exemption, now have until September 30, 2025 to bring their installations into compliance.

The by-law does not apply to:

• spas, with the exception of those capable of holding more than 2,000 liters of water; 
• natural water bodies; 
• water gardens and other decorative ponds not intended for swimming.

This application of the regulations is in response to coroners' recommendations issued in recent years following drownings of young children.

Here are some of the rules to follow:

Fences limiting access to a swimming pool must:

• have a minimum height of 1.2 meter;
• prevent the passage of a 10 cm diameter ball (between the bars or on the ground);
• not be designed to be easily climbed.

All doors giving access to the pool must:

• close and lock automatically;
• have a safety latch installed on the pool side. However, it is possible to install the latch on the outside if it is at least 1.5 meter high.

In addition, the gate must meet the same requirements as the fence.

Fittings (filtration systems, ducts, structures or equipment) must be more than 1 meter from the edge of an above-ground pool, or on the outside of the fence, to prevent climbing.

To find out more about the safety measures to be observed when installing a residential pool, or for an existing installation, visit québec.ca/piscinesrésidentielles.