Plumbers, Gasfitters, and Drainlayers Act 2006

Preliminary and key provisions - Key provisions - Specific sanitary plumbing exemptions

15: Exemption for householders

You could also call this:

"Homeowners can do their own plumbing work at their own home."

Illustration for Plumbers, Gasfitters, and Drainlayers Act 2006

You can do your own sanitary plumbing if you own the house you live in. You can do it with or without help from your family members who live with you. You cannot get help from anyone outside your family. You are considered the owner if you would get the rent money if you rented out your house. The government decides which areas this rule applies to, after talking to the local council. This rule applies even if your local council has rules saying only certain people can do sanitary plumbing. If you have already started doing some sanitary plumbing, you can finish it even if you are not supposed to do it. The government's decision on which areas this rule applies to is a type of law, and it must be published in a certain way, as explained in Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019, unless it only applies to specific places, in which case it must be announced in the Gazette.

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This page was last updated on 30 October 2025

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM397089.

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14: Board may issue limited certificate for purposes of section 13, or

"The Board can give you a special certificate for a limited time."

16: Exemption for sanitary plumbing in areas in rural districts, or

"Doing your own plumbing in rural areas is allowed if the Minister says it's okay."

Part 1Preliminary and key provisions
Key provisions: Specific sanitary plumbing exemptions

15Exemption for householders

The owner of any premises situated in a place to which this subsection applies and occupied, or intended to be occupied, by that person as a residence for that person, or for that person and members of that person’s family, may do any sanitary plumbing in those premises.
The sanitary plumbing done under subsection (1) may be done—
with or without the assistance of any member of the person’s family living with the person; but
without the assistance of any other person.

For the purposes of subsection (1), owner, in relation to any premises, means the person who (whether alone or as a joint tenant or tenant in common) would for the time being be entitled to receive the rack rent of the premises on his or her own account if the premises were let to a tenant at a rack rent.
Subsection (1) applies in the places that the Minister determines after consultation with the appropriate local authority.
Subsection (1) applies despite any bylaw that requires sanitary plumbing to be done only by specified persons or classes of persons.
Neither subsection (1) nor section 17 prohibits any person from completing any sanitary plumbing that the person has lawfully commenced.
A determination under subsection (4)—
is secondary legislation (see Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019 for publication requirements), unless it applies only to 1 or more named places; or
if it applies only to 1 or more named places, must be made by notice in the Gazette.

Compare

1976 No 69 s 54

Notes

Section 15(4): amended, on 28 October 2021, by section 3 of the Secondary Legislation Act 2021 (2021 No 7).
Section 15(7): inserted, on 28 October 2021, by section 3 of the Secondary Legislation Act 2021 (2021 No 7).