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Local Government (Water Services) Act 2025

Provision of water services: operational matters - Management of stormwater networks - Stormwater network bylaws

206: Stormwater network bylaws

You could also call this:

"Rules to help manage stormwater and prevent flooding in your community"

Illustration for Local Government (Water Services) Act 2025

When you live in a place, there are rules to help keep you safe and the environment healthy. These rules are called bylaws, and they can be about stormwater networks. A stormwater network is like a system that helps manage rainwater and prevents flooding.

You might wonder what these bylaws can do. They can require people to manage and operate critical infrastructure, like important parts of the stormwater network. They can also require owners of private land to manage overland flow paths and watercourses, which are like paths that water follows when it rains.

If you own private land, you might need to notify the water service provider about certain things, like if you plan to do something near an overland flow path that could cause problems. You will also need to comply with any stormwater network bylaws that apply to your land. This means you have to follow the rules to help keep the stormwater network working properly.

There are some exceptions, like if an overland flow path is within or crosses a transport corridor, a territorial authority cannot make a bylaw about it. But generally, if there is a bylaw, you need to follow it to help keep everyone safe and the environment healthy. You can learn more about stormwater network bylaws and how they work by looking at section 258, section 203(1)(c), and section 203(1)(g)(ii), and other related sections like sections 182 and 208.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS1004570.

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"Checking and updating the stormwater plan every 10 years"

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"Rules for private landowners with stormwater systems on their property"

Part 3Provision of water services: operational matters
Management of stormwater networks: Stormwater network bylaws

206Stormwater network bylaws

  1. Water services bylaws that a territorial authority may make under section 258 include stormwater network bylaws to support a water service provider’s stormwater network risk management plan (see section 258(1)(c)).

  2. Without limiting subsection (1), stormwater network bylaws may impose requirements—

  3. in relation to managing and operating critical infrastructure and all other parts of a stormwater network that can affect the operation of critical infrastructure (see section 203(1)(c)); and
    1. on the owners of private land in relation to managing overland flow paths and watercourses (see section 203(1)(g)(ii)); and
      1. in relation to any matter concerning the management and operation of a stormwater network, including—
        1. obstructions and diversions of stormwater; and
          1. ground soakage systems; and
            1. alterations to the network; and
              1. damage to the network.

              2. Without limiting subsection (2)(b), stormwater network bylaws may require private landowners to notify the water service provider about—

              3. any impairment of the capacity of a relevant overland flow path or watercourse to receive stormwater from, or take stormwater to, other infrastructure in the network; and
                1. any activity the landowner proposes to carry out near the overland flow path or watercourse that has the potential to cause an impairment of that capacity.

                  1. A territorial authority must not make a stormwater network bylaw in relation to an overland flow path within or crossing a transport corridor.

                  2. An owner of private land that has an overland flow path or a watercourse crossing over or beneath it must comply with any stormwater network bylaw that applies to that land.

                  3. Nothing in sections 182 and 208 prevents a stormwater network bylaw from applying to a private owner (as defined in section 208(4)).