Building Act 2004

Review of building code

Schedule 1A: Other building work for which building consent not required

You could also call this:

"Building work that doesn't need consent, like small stand-alone homes"

You are building a small stand-alone dwelling. It must meet certain rules. It must be stand-alone, new, and have a floor area of 70 square metres or less. It must have one storey only. You need to follow specific requirements when building a small stand-alone dwelling. It must meet the requirements for a detached dwelling and have a maximum height of 4 metres. It must be at least 2 metres away from other buildings or boundaries. The water supply, sanitary plumbing, and drainage systems must meet certain standards. They must be designed and built according to acceptable solutions or verification methods. You can connect to network utility operator systems or on-site systems. A small stand-alone dwelling can include a garage with internal access. It must meet the characteristics and requirements outlined in the rules. You can find more information about these rules in the Building Act 2004 and related links, such as section 7, section 35A, section 41, and section 42B.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS1568571.

This page was last updated on 5 February 2026 — View changes

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Schedule 1: Building work for which building consent not required, or

"Building work that does not need a consent"

Schedule 2: Buildings in respect of which requirement for provision of access and facilities for persons with disabilities applies, or

"Buildings that must be accessible to people with disabilities"

1AOther building work for which building consent not required Empowered by ss 7, 35A, 41, 42B

1Characteristics of small stand-alone dwelling

This schedule applies to building work in connection with a small stand-alone dwelling. A small stand-alone dwelling is a building that has all of the following characteristics:
it is stand-alone:
it is new (that is, it is wholly new and not an addition or alteration to existing building work or an existing building):
it has a floor area that is equal to or less than 70 square metres:
it has a single storey only.

Notes

Schedule 1A clause 1: inserted, on 15 January 2026, by section 26 of the Building and Construction (Small Stand-alone Dwellings) Amendment Act 2025 (2025 No 59).

2Requirements for small stand-alone dwelling

A small stand-alone dwelling must be constructed in accordance with the following requirements:
it meets the requirements for a detached dwelling, as defined in clause A1 of the building code:
it has a maximum height of 4 metres above the floor:
it has a floor level of up to 1 metre above the supporting ground:
it must not contain a mezzanine floor:
it has a frame made of lightweight building products (being steel or timber):
it is at least 2 metres away from any other residential building or any legal boundary:
it is built using lightweight building products for the roof that have a maximum weight of 20 kilograms per square metre:
its wall cladding has a maximum weight of 220 kilograms per square metre or less:
its water supply, sanitary plumbing, and drainage must—
1. be designed and built in accordance with the following acceptable solutions or verification methods for compliance with clauses E1, G12, and G13 of the building code:
  1. E1/AS1, E1/AS2, or E1/VM1 for its surface water system; and
  2. G12/AS1 or G12/AS3 for its water supply system; and
  3. both G13/AS1 and G13/AS2 or G13/AS3 for its foul water drainage system; and
2. connect to network utility operator systems (NUO systems), if those systems are available, or, if not available (within the meaning of clause 3), connect to on-site systems:
an on-site system referred to in paragraph (i)(ii) must be designed and built in accordance with—
1. any applicable acceptable solution specified in paragraph (i)(i) of this clause of this schedule; or
2. verification methods E1/VM1 and G13/VM4 (if applicable):
it must have an independent source of supply for electricity and, if gas is to be used in the dwelling, an independent source of supply for gas:
where heaters are installed, they must be either electric or gas heaters:
it does not have a level entry shower requiring a waterproof membrane.

The following additional requirements apply to the water supply, sanitary plumbing, and drainage systems for a small stand-alone dwelling (but do not apply to on-site systems):
there must be no more than 30 fixture units, as defined by AS/NZS 3500.0.2021 and rated under clause 6.3 of AS/NZS 3500.2.2025:
there must be no pumped systems within the dwelling:
the main drain must be no less than DN100, at a grade of 1:60:
all branch drains must be no less than DN65, at a grade of 1:40:
upstream vents in connection with any branch or main drain must be no less than DN65:
there must be no uncontrolled water heating.

For the purposes of subclause (1)(i) and (j),—
a connection to an NUO system or an on-site system does not require a building consent:
building work in connection with an on-site system does not require a building consent.

A small stand-alone dwelling can include a garage with internal access if the characteristics in clause 1 and requirements in clause 2 are met.

Notes

Schedule 1A clause 2: inserted, on 15 January 2026, by section 26 of the Building and Construction (Small Stand-alone Dwellings) Amendment Act 2025 (2025 No 59).

3Interpretation

In this schedule, unless the context otherwise requires,—
AS/NZS 3500.0.2021 means AS/NZS 3500.0.2021 Australian/New Zealand Standard—Plumbing and Drainage—Part 0: Glossary of terms
AS/NZS 3500.2.2025 means AS/NZS 3500.2.2025 Australian/New Zealand Standard—Plumbing and Drainage—Part 2: Sanitary Plumbing and Drainage
branch drain has the same meaning as in AS/NZS 3500.0.2021
E1/AS1 means Acceptable Solution E1/AS1 as set out in the Acceptable Solutions for New Zealand Building Code Clause E1 Surface Water, issued by the chief executive under section 22 and available on the Ministry’s Internet site, as in force on 2 November 2023
E1/AS2 means Acceptable Solution E1/AS2 as set out in the Acceptable Solutions for New Zealand Building Code Clause E1 Surface Water, issued by the chief executive under section 22 and available on the Ministry’s Internet site, as in force on 2 November 2023
E1/VM1 means Verification Method E1/VM1 as set out in the Verification Methods for New Zealand Building Code Clause E1 Surface Water, issued by the chief executive under section 22 and available on the Ministry’s Internet site, as in force on 2 November 2023
floor area, in relation to a small stand-alone dwelling, means the overall internal dimensions measured between the finished internal faces of the external walls of the building
G12/AS1 means Acceptable Solution G12/AS1 as set out in the Acceptable Solutions for New Zealand Building Code Clause G12 Water Supplies, issued by the chief executive under section 22 and available on the Ministry’s Internet site, as in force on 2 November 2024
G12/AS3 means Acceptable Solution G12/AS3 as set out in the Acceptable Solutions for New Zealand Building Code Clause G12 Water Supplies, issued by the chief executive under section 22 and available on the Ministry’s Internet site, as in force on 2 November 2024
G13/AS1 means Acceptable Solution G13/AS1 as set out in the Acceptable Solutions for New Zealand Building Code Clause G13 Foul Water, issued by the chief executive under section 22 and available on the Ministry’s Internet site, as in force on 2 November 2023
G13/AS2 means Acceptable Solution G13/AS2 as set out in the Acceptable Solutions for New Zealand Building Code Clause G13 Foul Water, issued by the chief executive under section 22 and available on the Ministry’s Internet site, as in force on 2 November 2023
G13/AS3 means Acceptable Solution G13/AS3 as set out in the Acceptable Solutions for New Zealand Building Code Clause G13 Foul Water, issued by the chief executive under section 22 and available on the Ministry’s Internet site, as in force on 2 November 2023
G13/VM4 means Verification Method G13/VM4 as set out in the Verification Methods for New Zealand Building Code Clause G13 Foul Water, issued by the chief executive under section 22 and available on the Ministry’s Internet site, as in force on 2 November 2023
main drain has the same meaning as in AS/NZS 3500.0.2021
not available, in relation to an NUO system, means—
1. there is no NUO system sufficiently close to the relevant small stand-alone dwelling to enable a connection to be made between that dwelling and an NUO system; or
2. there is an NUO system (as certified in the project information memorandum) that is sufficiently close to the relevant small stand-alone dwelling to enable a connection to be made between the dwelling and the NUO system, but the network utility operator informs the owner of the dwelling that the NUO system does not have sufficient capacity to allow a connection to be made
on-site system means a system for the independent management of stormwater, wastewater, or water supply that does not connect to an NUO system
upstream vent has the same meaning as in AS/NZS 3500.0.2021.

Notes

Schedule 1A clause 3: inserted, on 15 January 2026, by section 26 of the Building and Construction (Small Stand-alone Dwellings) Amendment Act 2025 (2025 No 59).