Pool at a guesthouse in Republika Srpska: lifeguard, pool rules, inspection and fines

Under the Republika Srpska Law on Tourism (Zakon o turizmu), a pool offered to guests is a service at a bathing area. This covers the duties of a registered accommodation provider, a sole trader or a company, that lets guests use a pool. Ask the market inspectorate whether the same rules apply to a pool used only by the host's family.

In short

• The new Law on Tourism (Službeni glasnik Republike Srpske no. 49/26) has applied since 10 June 2026. It lists services at bathing areas and pools among "other tourist services" (Article 61).
• The provider must have a lifeguard service, pool rules, a risk assessment and enough sanitary facilities.
• The Pravilnik o načinu pružanja usluga na kupalištima (Rulebook on the provision of services at bathing areas, Službeni glasnik Republike Srpske no. 61/26) has applied since 8 July 2026. A pool with a water surface over 170 m² must have at least two lifeguards.
• The market inspector closes and seals the pool if it lacks the necessary devices and equipment or if no risk assessment has been done. If defects put guests' health or life at risk, the inspector bans operation until they are fixed.
• A breach of Article 61 carries a fine of 1,000 to 5,000 KM for both a sole trader and a company, and 800 to 4,000 KM for the responsible person in a company (Article 107).
• A tourist business is liable for damage it causes to third parties, under the general rules of the law of obligations (Article 17).

What the law requires

Article 61(3) lists four duties:

1. Organise a lifeguard service with lifeguards, unless a specific regulation or the risk assessment provides otherwise.
2. Set pool rules and rules for using the bathing area.
3. Carry out a risk assessment in line with the adopted European standards, that is, the BAS standards.
4. Provide enough sanitary facilities, showers with hygienically safe water, changing cabins and mobile waste bins.

The minister sets out how services at bathing areas are provided in a rulebook (Article 61(5)). That rulebook has been adopted: the Pravilnik o načinu pružanja usluga na kupalištima (Službeni glasnik Republike Srpske no. 61/26) has applied since 8 July 2026 and replaced the earlier rulebook on minimum technical conditions for tourist services at bathing areas (no. 89/12). For a pool it requires:

• The minimum number of lifeguards and the equipment are set in a risk assessment under the BAS EN 15288 and BAS EN 1069 standards. It is made by an authorised international inspector and is valid for up to three years (Articles 14, 15 and 18).
• A pool with a water surface over 170 m² must have at least two lifeguards (Article 15(4)).
• A pool with a water surface under 170 m² may, based on the risk assessment, work with one lifeguard or none, if it has public rescue equipment that is visible and accessible (Article 15(5)).
• A lifeguard is at least 18 and holds an internationally recognised lifeguard licence and an internationally recognised first-aid licence (Article 12).
• Lifeguards keep a Spasilački dnevnik (lifeguard log) (Article 16).
• The pool rules are displayed on an info board at the entrance (Articles 8 and 11).
• Children under eight may bathe only under the constant supervision of a parent or adult guardian (Article 9).

Who inspects

Inspections are carried out by the Republička uprava za inspekcijske poslove (Republic Administration for Inspection Affairs) and by inspection units in the city or municipal administration (Article 97):

• Market inspector: registration, minimum technical conditions, records, prices and receipts.
• Health inspector: sanitary, technical and hygiene conditions in the facility.
• Urban planning, construction and environmental inspector: building conditions and environmental protection.

When the market inspector finds a breach, a decision orders you to fix it within a set time (Article 98). If the defects put the health or life of guests or staff at risk, the inspector bans operation in the facility by an oral decision entered in the inspection record, until the defects are fixed.

The pool is temporarily closed if the bathing area lacks the necessary devices and equipment or if no risk assessment has been done (Article 99). The inspector seals the facility, writes a record and issues a decision within 48 hours. You can appeal to the Ministarstvo trgovine i turizma Republike Srpske (Ministry of Trade and Tourism) within eight days of receiving the decision.

Water quality

The Law on Tourism does not set water quality parameters. The bathing-area rulebook requires the water's hygienic safety, the installations and safe access to be checked just before and just after the season and regularly during it, or continuously if the pool is open all year (Article 4). Bathing is not allowed when the water is found to be hygienically unsafe, or when the provider does not follow the recommendations of the risk assessment (Article 10(4)). The rulebook does not give limit values such as those for chlorine and pH. The health inspector checks sanitary, technical and hygiene conditions in the facility. Before opening the pool, ask the health inspector and the JZU Institut za javno zdravstvo Republike Srpske (Public Health Institute of Republika Srpska) about permitted chlorine and pH values, how often samples must be taken and who does the testing.

Tips

• Do not let guests into the water until the pre-season check of water hygiene is done and you have the result. Bathing in hygienically unsafe water is not allowed (Article 10(4) of the rulebook).
• Keep a pool log: date, measured values, products added and the name of the person who measured. It is good evidence for an inspector.
• Display the pool rules on the info board at the entrance, in BHS and English. The board must also show emergency numbers and the opening hours of the pool and the lifeguard service (Article 11 of the rulebook).
• Keep a printed copy of the risk assessment at the pool.
• Outside the season, mark clearly that the pool is closed.

Where to go

• Republička uprava za inspekcijske poslove: inspektorat.vladars.rs
• Inspection unit in the city or municipal administration (Grad Trebinje, the City of Trebinje; municipalities of Bileća, Gacko, Ljubinje, Nevesinje, Berkovići)
• JZU Institut za javno zdravstvo Republike Srpske, water testing: phi.rs.ba

Laws and sources

• Zakon o turizmu (Službeni glasnik Republike Srpske no. 49/26), Articles 17, 61, 97 to 99 and 107. In force since 10 June 2026. It replaced the 2017 Law on Tourism (no. 45/17 and 16/23).
• Pravilnik o načinu pružanja usluga na kupalištima (Službeni glasnik Republike Srpske no. 61/26), Articles 4, 8 to 12 and 14 to 18. In force since 8 July 2026. It replaced the Pravilnik o minimalno-tehničkim uslovima za pružanje turističkih usluga na kupalištu (no. 89/12).