Granny flats building consent exemption on track

The Government is on track to introduce legislation towards the middle of the year to make it easier to build small standalone dwellings without a building consent. The proposed changes are estimated to lead to almost 13,000 additional dwellings that meet the exemption criteria being built over the next decade.

The proposed building consent exemption will allow small standalone dwellings up to 70 square metres in size, commonly known as granny flats, to be built without a building consent if:

• It has a simple design and meets the Building Code.
• Building work is carried out or supervised by licensed building professionals.
• Homeowners notify their local council before they commence building and once it is completed.

The size of small standalone dwellings covered by the proposed exemption has increased to a maximum of 70 square metres.

To support councils with local infrastructure funding for growing communities, infrastructure charges will still apply to consent-exempt small standalone dwellings. These will be charged by the council through the project information memorandum (PIM) process.

The law has not yet been changed and the proposed building consent exemption will not be retrospective. This means that if you are about to start building a granny flat now, you will still need building consent unless you wait for the new law to come into force. If you are unsure whether your building work needs a building consent or not, check in with your local council.

This work is being progressed alongside work relating to the resource consent system through the Ministry for the Environment.

Read the Government’s announcement:

Super-sized granny flats coming to backyards(external link) – Beehive.govt.nz

Read the summary of submissions and consultation documents:

Making it easier to build granny flats (2024)

Find more information about the granny flats work programme:

Changes to small standalone dwelling (granny flat) building consent rules(external link) – building.govt.nz