Building work that is exempt from needing a building consent recognises that the building work is low risk and has conditions to help manage risk. All building work must still meet the requirements of the building code and other relevant legislation.

As the homeowner or building owner you are responsible for

  • determining if your building work needs a building consent or is exempt, and
  • making sure that the exempt work meets the building code and other relevant legalisation - in particular the district plan.

In some cases exempt building work needs to be carried out, supervised, designed or reviewed by a professional such as a

How to check if my building work is exempt

Check out the Buildit tool to find out

  • which building projects don’t need building consent, and
  • the details for each type of non-consented building project.

Based on your answers, this tool will provide advice on whether your project needs a building consent or may be exempt. It will also give you the next steps to check, which may include

  • additional rules and restrictions for the project
  • links to the full project guidance on MBIE’s Building Performance website
  • guidance on how to comply with the Building Code
  • useful rules and legislation to read through.

When deciding if your work is exempt or needs a building consent, be aware that

  • if your new building work has cooking facilities or a toilet you must get a building consent
  • plumbing work is not covered under exempt work
  • any electrical work still needs a registered electrician and certificate of compliance
  • a sleepout must have a smoke alarm and a readily available source of potable water available for use
  • exempt building work is not retrospective – if you carried out non-exempt unconsented building work after 31 March 2005 you will still need to apply for a certificate of acceptance
  • we can issue a notice to fix for non-compliant building work.

Note: If you’re purchasing a prefabricated building (eg proprietary garden sheds, greenhouses, cabins, sleepouts etc) you need to be aware of how your small building is to be used and located to be exempt from needing a building consent. If you don’t meet the criteria to be exempt, you will need to apply for a building consent.

Even if your work is exempt, for your own piece of mind you can still either apply for a

  • building consent, or
  • discretionary exemption where your building work doesn’t quite fall under exempt building work but is still low risk work and will comply with the building code.

If you are unsure however on whether your building work is exempt – contact us or ask advice from other industry professionals with the relevant knowledge and expertise.

For more details and information on exemption building work check out the following

Before you begin your project that is exempt from needing a building consent, consider the following:

  • District planning rules and requirements
  • Plumbing
  • Durability
  • Smoke alarms
  • Stormwater
  • On-site wastewater disposal systems
  • Location of services
  • Building close to boundaries
  • Measuring the net floor area.

More information