Public pool regulations

Netherlands: Environment and Planning Act and notification

This is an overview, not legal advice. Consult the official sources and the competent authority.

From Whvbz to the Environment and Planning Act

Until 2024, the Act and Decree on hygiene and safety in bathing facilities (Whvbz) applied. They were repealed on 1 January 2024. The rules are now in chapter 15 of the Environmental Activities Decree (Bal), under the activity “providing opportunities for swimming and bathing”. The approach has changed: the old rules mainly prescribed means, while the Bal works more with objectives and a duty of care for the operator.

Notification to the province

• Competent authority: the Provincial Executive (Gedeputeerde Staten).
• Notification: a pool with disinfected water may only be used once it has been notified at least 4 weeks in advance (art. 15.13 Bal). Notification is digital, through the Omgevingsloket, with the general data set out in art. 15.8 Bal.
• Four pool types: pools with disinfected water, natural swimming ponds, single-use pools and other bathing pools. Each type has its own rules.
• Permit check: whether an environmental permit is also needed (for example for building) is shown by the permit check in the Omgevingsloket. The municipality and the water board may also be involved.

Water and air quality, and building

• Water quality requirements are in art. 15.16 Bal (with a table). Pools with disinfected water also have air quality requirements (art. 15.22 onwards).
• An accredited laboratory measures water quality monthly.
• Risk analysis and management plan (section 15.3 Bal): the operator identifies the risks of drowning, health complaints and injury, and records the measures taken. The transitional period ended on 1 January 2026, so this obligation now applies in full.

The pool itself affects part of this: good circulation without dead zones, an overflow gutter that removes the dirtiest water, and a surface that is easy to clean. See wall-only inlets and Myrtha Breathe. Water treatment itself is the installer’s work. For the air in the pool hall, see Ventilation and air quality.

Building: Bbl and the municipal environment plan

The building must meet the technical rules of the Buildings Decree (Bbl) and the rules in the municipality’s environment plan. The Bbl has no separate articles for swimming pools; a pool building falls under the sports function. Whether renovation inside the existing shell requires a permit depends on the situation, including whether the load-bearing structure changes (Bbl art. 2.27), and is assessed by the competent authority.

Safety and accessibility

Standards for pool and equipment

• EN 15288-1 sets safety requirements for the design and construction of public pools. Part 2 covers operation.
• EN 13451 is the series for pool equipment. Part 1 contains the general safety requirements and test methods. Part 11 (EN 13451-11, 2022 edition) covers movable floors and movable bulkheads in public pools.
• Standards are not automatically mandatory by law. A brief or specification often requires them, and they help the operator meet the duty of care under the Bal.

See movable pool floor and movable bulkhead.

Accessibility

For sports requirements, the national swimming federations are the point of reference: KNZB (Netherlands), Belswim with Zwemfed and FFBN (Belgium) and FLNS (Luxembourg). The KNZB Swimming Pool Handbook treats accessibility as a separate subject. In Flanders, at least the A+ label for accessible sports infrastructure is a condition for funding under the swimming pool decree. In the pool itself, beach entries, stairs and ramps and a movable floor help. [CHECK: the statutory accessibility requirements for pools in NL (Bbl) and BE.]

Belgium: Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels

Flanders: Vlarem and the environmental permit

• Swimming pools are listed in the Vlarem classification list (heading 32.8), which determines whether a notification or an environmental permit is required. [CHECK: the class that applies to a public pool.]
• Vlarem II contains general provisions for recreational facilities (section 5.32.1: including safety, electrical installations, emergency exits and fire safety) and specific conditions for swimming pools (section 5.32.8), including water quality.
• Vlarem II also sets supervision rules: bathers must be under direct and constant supervision by at least one lifeguard, and the number of supervisors depends on the number of bathers.

Wallonia and Brussels

• Wallonia: public pools fall under the permis d’environnement. The sectoral conditions are set out in the Walloon Government Order of 13 June 2013, with separate rules for pools larger than 100 m² and deeper than 40 cm, and for smaller pools. In the Walloon classification list, pools larger than 100 m² and deeper than 40 cm fall under heading 92.61.01.02 (class 2).
• Brussels: we have not yet been able to verify the rules for pools in the Brussels Region on an official source. This information will follow.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Whvbz still apply?

No. The Act and Decree on hygiene and safety in bathing facilities were repealed on 1 January 2024. The rules are now in chapter 15 of the Bal.

Where do I notify a public pool in the Netherlands?

To the province (Provincial Executive), digitally through the Omgevingsloket, at least 4 weeks before the pool is used.

How often is water quality measured?

Monthly, by an accredited laboratory, for pools with disinfected water and for natural swimming ponds.

Must a movable floor meet a standard?

EN 13451-11 (2022) covers movable floors and bulkheads in public pools. Whether it is mandatory in your project depends on the brief, the specification and how the duty of care is met.

Which rules apply in Flanders?

Vlarem: the classification list (heading 32.8) for notification or permit, and Vlarem II (section 5.32.8) for the specific conditions, including water quality and supervision.

Discuss your project? Do you want to know which requirements apply to your pool, or do you need pool data for a notification, permit or specification? Get in touch, e-mail pools@ewac.nl or call +31 (0)226 31 34 57.

Read also: The municipal swimming pool project, AngelEye drowning detection, Leisure and access, Leisure.

Sources

IPLO, National rules on swimming and bathing (Dutch)
IPLO, Article 15.13 Bal (notification) (Dutch)
IPLO, Article 15.16 Bal (water quality) (Dutch)
IPLO, Article 15.64 Bal (management plan) (Dutch)
IPLO, What has changed (Dutch)
Ondernemersplein, Notifying the opening or alteration of a pool (Dutch)
Wetten.nl, Whvbz (repealed)
NEN, NEN-EN 15288-1
NEN, NEN-EN 13451-1
BSI, EN 13451-11:2022
Netwerk Lokaal Sportbeleid, Vlarem (Dutch)
Omgeving Vlaanderen, Vlarem heading 32.8 (Dutch)
Etaamb, Walloon Government Order of 13 June 2013 (French)
Wallex, Sectoral conditions for swimming pools (French)
Sport Vlaanderen, Swimming pool decree (A+ label) (Dutch)
KNZB, Swimming Pool Handbook (Dutch)

Last updated: 28 September 2026