NSW residents have until midnight on Tuesday to register their pools or risk a $220 fine, as new penalties to enforce compulsory pool registration come into effect.
The regulation change comes after the NSW Coroner recommended establishing a pool register following a string of child drownings in backyard pools.
Local Government Minister Don Page issued a final call for people to register their pools on Monday.
He said the majority of pools in the state - over 250,000 - had already been registered.
"But there are still quite a few thousand pools that haven't been registered," he told AAP.
"It only takes a few moments, and can save a toddler's life."
Backyard swimming pools are the most common location for drowning deaths of children aged under five in NSW, with 67 children dying in the past decade.
Mr Page said a further 35 children suffered permanent brain damage in NSW every year from near drownings.
"It's a huge loss and it's all preventable with proper supervision and with child-proof barriers."
Backyard pool and spa owners who fail to register before the deadline risk a $220 penalty or a maximum penalty of a $2200 court-imposed fine if they continually refuse to register.
David Macallister, CEO of Royal Life Saving Society NSW said the entire community must do more in order to prevent such tragedies.
"We need pool owners to realise pools can be extremely dangerous to young children," he said in a statement.
"Self-closing, self-latching, four-sided fencing to isolate the pool and keep kids out is vital and must be regularly maintained."
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