Building on Your Land
In this section
Building a Home:
On Your New Subdivision Section
If your section is in a newly developed subdivision and your proposed house complies with all relevant District Plan requirements, then you can start building once:
- the s224 Completion Certificate has been issued for your stage of the subdivision (although the property is not legally yours until the Certificate of Title has been issued in your name) and
- building consent has been granted. For information about the building consent process contact building customer services by phone.
On an Existing Section
Please contact the Duty Planner (or email contactus@selwyn.govt.nz) with the valuation number or legal description of the property. We can then advise you of the requirements relating to that site.
If your proposed building complies with all relevant District Plan requirements, you can start building once the building consent has been granted. Please refer to the E-Plan to confirm your relevant zoning and rule requirements.
Boundary Fence & Building Rules
In general, the construction and maintenance of boundary fences is governed by the Fencing Act,and are outside the jurisdiction of Council. However, any fence more than 2 metres tall will require a building consent and may require a resource consent.
How close you can build to your property boundary depends on what you want to build and the zone that your property is in. Not sure what zone you’re in? Consult the E-Plan.
Some particular parts of the general rural zone have specific requirements. There are additional rules relating to building in specific control areas.
The activity that the building will be used for also needs to be a permitted activity, or a resource consent will be required before building work starts.
To find your boundary, locate your boundary pegs. Boundary pegs are installed at the time a survey is undertaken. While it is illegal to remove or disturb a boundary peg, they can disappear over time. If you are unable to locate a boundary peg, then a surveyor will be able to resurvey your property and install a new one at your cost.
Second Dwellings
Minor Residential Units that are accessory to the main dwelling are permitted, provided that they comply with the activity standards and rule requirements.
In the Rural zone, the number of dwellings you can have on a site depends on the area of land held in that Record of Title. For example, in the East Plains/ Te Waihora ki Waimakariri (SCA-RD2), you are entitled to one dwelling per 20ha, so if a Record of Title contains 40ha, then two dwellings are permitted, provided that the relevant bulk and location requirements are met. For further details, refer to the E-Plan.
Please note that once the first dwelling on a site has been erected, development contributions will be charged on the building consent for each subsequent dwelling on that site. The development contribution is detailed in the Council's Long Term Plan.
In Living zones, some zones only permit one residential unit and one minor residential unit per site. Other zones may permit multiple residential dwellings.
Not sure what zone you’re in? Consult the E-Plan.