Enacted in 2007, the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 8001 to 8008, requires pool and spa drain covers to comply with the ASME/ANSI A112.19.8 performance standard or any successor standard. In 2019, the Commission incorporated ANSI/APSP/ICC-16, as the successor drain cover standard (84 FR 24021). The requirements for pool and spa drain covers are codified at 16 C.F.R. part 1450. 16 C.F.R. § 1450.3 identifies the latest Commission-accepted version of ANSI/APSP/ICC-16 that is mandatory as well as any CPSC modifications.
Public Pools and Spas
As of December 19, 2008, public pools and spas must be equipped with anti-entrapment drain covers that comply with 16 C.F.R. part 1450. If the public pool or spa only uses a single drain that can be blocked or multiple drains on the same plane that are less than three feet apart, it needs a secondary device or system to prevent entrapment. CPSC’s Office of Compliance has provided a helpful check list to assist with determining compliance for public pools and spas.
Certification
Section 14(a) of the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA) requires manufacturers and importers of consumer products subject to a regulation, standard, or ban enforced by the CPSC to certify that those products meet the requirements of the standard by issuing a General Certificate of Compliance or GCC. For pool and spa drain covers, the citation to use in section 2 of the GCC is “16 CFR part 1450 –Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act Regulations”.
For more information on certification, visit our GCC business guidance page.
Additional Information
- Pool and spa drain covers FAQs
- PoolSafely.gov
- Office of Compliance check list on pool and span drain cover safety
- Injury statistics and technical reports - sports & recreation
Contact
For more information, please contact the Small Business Ombudsman (SBO) team:
- SBO contact form
- Toll-free: (888) 531-9070
- Email: SBO@cpsc.gov