Accessible swimming pools under the NCC: does your pool need a hoist?

Sydney Access Consultants · Updated November 2026

Designing a hotel or school pool? Two numbers decide your access: 40 and 70.

Pool perimeter over 40 m and associated with a building required to be accessible: at least one accessible way in and out of the water (NCC 2022 D4D2 and D4D11).
Options: a ramp, zero-depth entry or platform lift, each with an aquatic wheelchair, or a sling-style pool lift (NCC Specification 16).
Perimeter over 70 m: a sling lift alone is not enough. At least one entry must be a ramp, zero-depth entry or platform lift.
Pool ramps and zero-depth entries: maximum gradient 1:14.
Private pools are not required to be accessible.

Get your pool access right before tender.