Exemptions from Building Consent Services
The Building Act 2004 has a list of building work that doesn't require a building consent. This information is contained in the 1st Schedule of the Act and can be located on the at New Zealand Legislation website.
Section 17 of the Building Act 2004 states that all building work must comply with the Building Code. Independent legal or technical advice should be sought to establish whether proposed building work is exempt.
In all cases of carrying out work that is exempt from building consent, prepared plans of completed, exempt work, complete with a covering letter including a list of contractors, should be submitted to Council. This report, if deemed acceptable, will be lodged on the property file.
While the Building Act provides for exemptions there might be other laws that you need to comply with. These include, but are not limited to, the following:
- the Building Regulations 1992
- the Resource Management Act 1991
- the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Act 2006
- the Electricity Act 1992
- the Health Act 1956
- any local government bylaws.
If you are unsure whether your proposed work is exempt from obtaining a building consent, please contact our Customer Services team on 788 9111.
