Granny Flats (Small Stand-alone dwellings)
Making it Easy to build Granny Flats (Small Stand-alone Dwelling)
The Government announced in 2025, they wanted to make it easier to build granny flats and has now enacted the Building and Construction (Small Stand-alone Dwelling) Amendment Act (‘Act’), providing for a building consent exemption for granny flats.
The granny flats building consent exemption allows certain new, single-storey, standalone dwellings up to 70 square metres to be built without a building consent, provided all exemption conditions are met and the work is carried out or supervised by licensed building professionals and the building complies with the New Zealand Building Code.
The Government has also developed the National Environment Standard for Detached Minor Residential Units 2025 (NES-DMRU). This operates independently from the building consent process, however was developed to ensure consistency and clarity around the development of granny flats. The NES-DMRU provides a resource consent exemption for granny flats in some situations where exemptions conditions are met, alongside other the permitted activity rule under the Rangitikei District Plan. A granny flat may still require a resource consent in certain circumstances.
We recommend contacting our Building Consent Team and Planning Team to discuss your project before proceeding. This will help ensure the process meets all requirements. You can contact council using building.services@rangitikei.govt.nz and planning@rangitikei.govt.nz or 06 327 0099.
Planning for a Granny Flat
Before starting any work, it is important to check whether the proposed build meets the requirements of the Exemptions under the Building Act and the Environmental Standards for Detached Minor Residential Units (NES-DMRU).
If your project qualifies for the building consent exemption, you must apply for a Project Information Memorandum (PIM) before starting any work.
MBIE has prepared a step by step guide which is available here - Step-by-step guide: a high-level overview of the steps to use the granny flat building consent exemption. Please use this guide to help ensure your project runs smoothly and you meet the legal requirements.
Key conditions of the Building Consent Exemption
The owner must apply and be issued a PIM prior to commencing the build.
The dwelling must be:
- New, standalone and single-storey
- No more than 70 square metres in floor area (including any internal garage)
- Two metres or more from any other residential building or legal boundary
- Built using lightweight steel or timber framing and lightweight roof cladding
- Wall cladding with a maximum weight of 220 kilograms per square metre
- Connected to network utility operator (NUO) systems where available, or have compliant on-site systems. If an onsite effluent treatment system is proposed, Horizons Regional Council rules also apply.
- Not contain a level-entry shower requiring a waterproof membrane
- Designed and built (or supervised) by licensed building professionals.
All plumbing, drainage, electrical and gas work must be carried out by appropriately licensed professionals and certified as required.
Please note: there are design rules for new granny flats that apply to this exemption and further details are available at Granny flats exemptions.
The build must be completed within two years of the PIM being issued – extensions may be granted by council before the two-year period lapses.
Once the build is completed, the owner must send all certificate and final plans to Council within 20 working days.
Key conditions of the Resource Consent Exemption
The owner must ensure they meet the following NES-DMRU exemptions requirements.
The proposed Detached Minor Residential Unit (DMRU) must be:
- In the General Residential Zone, General Rural Zone, or Rural Lifestyle Zone.
- The only minor residential unit at the site
- Secondary to an existing principal dwelling
- No more than 70sqm floor area - measured between the finished internal faces of the external walls
- No more than one minor residential unit per site
- No less than 2 metres from the principal dwelling
- Minimum boundary setbacks - measured from the exterior face of the wall cladding: - General Residential Zone: no less than 2 metres from any front, side, rear boundaries
- General Rural & Rural Lifestyle Zone: no less than 10 metres from the front boundary and 5 metres from the side and rear boundaries - No more than 50% building coverage in the General Residential Zone
- Natural Hazard risk:
- Must not be in Natural Hazard Overlay 1 (Flooding) or the Taihape West Slip Overlay
- If located within Natural Hazard Overlay 2 (Flooding), the minimum floor level must be 500mm above the 1 in 200 year flood level
- Earthworks in General Residential Zone: No more than 500cum volume
- No more than one metre vertical cut
- Minimum 3m setback from any boundary
Before Starting Building Work
There are two key steps you need before starting to build:
Step 1: Complete and submit an application for project information memorandum for non-consented small stand alone dwelling (Form 2AA of the Building (Forms) Regulations 2004). Form attached to this page. A PIM gives you information about your proposed building work and identifies any special features of the land, such as natural hazards, infrastructure mains etc. Applications will not be accepted until 15 January 2026, when the provisions come into force.
Council has 10 working days to review the project information provided and issue the PIM
Step 2: Council will review your project information, a PIM must be issued before any building work can begin. (Note - Council does not check your plans to make sure they meet the Building Code)
You will receive advice on whether your project is:
- Likely to meet building exemption conditions
- Unlikely to meet building exemption conditions
- Uncertain
This will include information regarding whether the project is likely to meet the provisions of the NES-DMR. If your project meets the Building Act exemption but requires resource consent, you can’t build until that resource consent is granted.
Some site conditions, like natural hazards, may still mean you need a building consent and/or resource consent.
Once Building Work is Finished
The building work must be completed within 2 years from the issuing of the PIM, unless you apply to Council for an extension and it is approved.
Homeowners must provide all required documentation to council within 20 working days of completion.
- Final plans
- Building and plumbing/drainage plans, including any changes made during construction - Records of work from Licensed Building Practitioner
- Certifications for services from the people who carried out the work
- Plumbing
- Drainage
- Gas
- Electrical
Licensed Building Practitioners (LBPs) are required to provide the Record(s) of Work (Form 6A of the Building (Forms) Regulations 2004) to both the council and homeowner.
- Licensed building professionals who fail to provide required records may face disciplinary action.
Councils add these records to the property file; this process creates a record of the work done on your property. It’s useful later if someone applies for a Land Information Memorandum (LIM).
Councils are not required to monitor progress or remind homeowners of deadlines – responsibility rests with the homeowner.
- Homeowners who fail to provide required documentation within 20 working days of completion may be issued an infringement notice ($500) or fined up to $1,000.
Council doesn’t inspect or certify Building Code compliance under the exemption, but we still have the usual powers to deal with any work that is unsafe or doesn’t comply with the rules.
Councils may take enforcement action if notified of non-compliance or if the building is unsafe or insanitary.
Homeowner Responsibilities
Homeowner’s are responsible for:
- Applying for a PIM (Form 2AA of the Building (Forms) Regulations 2004)
- Obtaining a PIM (Forms 2AAB and 2AAC of the Building (Forms) Regulations 2004) from the council before starting any building work
- Ensuring all exemption conditions are met and that the building work complies with the Building Code
- Ensuring licensed building professionals are used for all restricted building work
- Submitting all required documentation to council within 20 working days of completion
- Applying for a building consent if the exemption conditions are not met
Council’s Role and Responsibilities
Council’s are responsible for:
- Receiving project information memorandum (PIM) applications (Form 2AA of the Building (Forms) Regulations 2004)
- Checking the preliminary design plans and description of the proposed building work to see if, based on the information supplied, the following characteristics in clause 1 of Schedule 1A (the exemption criteria) appear to be met:
- the building is standalone (not attached to another building)the building is wholly
- new (not an addition or alteration)
- the floor area is 70 square metres or less
- the building is single storey only
- Attaching an additional information form to accompany the issued PIM (Forms 2AAC and 2AAB of the Building (Forms) Regulations 2004) stating, based solely on the information provided in the application, whether the proposed building work is:
- likely to satisfy the characteristics in clause 1 of Schedule 1A
- unlikely to satisfy those characteristics, or
- unclear whether it satisfies those characteristics - Providing relevant site information in the PIM, including planning rules, natural hazards, heritage status, infrastructure availability, and applicable bylaws
- Issuing a PIM (Forms 2AAB and 2AAC of the Building (Forms) Regulations 2004) for a granny flat within 10 working days of receiving a complete application
- Receiving and storing Records of Work from Licensed Building Practitioner(s)
- Receiving and storing required documentation from homeowners after completion (final plans, Records of Work, Certificates of Work, energy work certificates)
- Including this information in the property file and Land Information Memorandum (LIM)
- Considering and processing requests for PIM extensions if a homeowner believes their build will not be completed within two years of the PIM being issued
- Issuing a Notice to Fix if the building is unsafe or non-compliant.
Councils are not responsible for:
- approving eligibility for the exemption
- inspecting, monitoring or approving building work under the granny flats exemption
- checking compliance of the building work with the Building Code
- assessing documentation for compliance (records are stored, not reviewed)
- verifying, inspecting, or guaranteeing compliance with the exemption criteria —responsibility for compliance remains with the homeowner.
Councils hold good faith liability protection for information provided in PIMs and for storing records.
For more information
Please visit:
Forms
- Form 2AA: Application for project information memorandum for non-consented small standalone dwelling
Used by applicants to apply for a PIM before building work starts on a granny flat. - Form 2AAB: Project information memorandum for non-consented small standalone dwelling
Used by councils to issue a PIM for a granny flat. - Form 2AAC: Additional information to accompany project information memorandum for non-consented small standalone dwelling
Used by councils to issue additional site-specific details with the PIM for a granny flat. - Form 2A: Memorandum from licensed building practitioner (record of design work)
Used by Licensed Building Practitioners (design) to record any restricted design work completed on a granny flat. - Form 6A: Memorandum from licensed building practitioner (record of building work)
Used by Licensed Building Practitioners to record the restricted building work they carried out on a granny flat. - Form: Record of work: sanitary plumbing and drainlaying for non-consented small standalone dwelling
Used by registered plumbers and drainlayers to record the sanitary plumbing or drainlaying work completed on a granny flat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Follow the information provided and fill in the required Form 2AA along with the required information and email to building.services@rangitikei.govt.nz
If you don’t want to apply for a building consent, you must wait until the new building legislation is in force which will be 15th January 2026.
Your project will also need to meet the building and resource consent exemption requirements.
Before you start building work, the Project Information Memorandum (PIM) must be issued. An invoice for payment of fees will be issued with your PIM decision.
The Exempt Building Work fee is listed in our fees and charges
- Asset Protection Bond – this may be charged if there may be potential damage to councils infrastructure (this is refundable or partly refundable once the project is completed if no damage has occurred)
- Service Connection fees – sewer, water, stormwater
- Vehicle crossing application fee
Usually no - if your property is located within one of the identified zones and your project meets the permitted activity standards in the National Environmental Standard for Detached Minor Residential Units (NES-DMRU) and other relevant rules in the District Plan such as standards relating to earthworks. Remember the NES-DMRU won’t be in force until 15th January 2026.
If it doesn’t meet these rules, you will need a resource consent.
You may also need a building and/or resource consent if your site is on, or could be affected by, natural hazards.
Usually no - if your project meets the exemption conditions. You can access more information about the exemption conditions here.
If it doesn’t meet these conditions, you will need a building consent.
You may also need a building or resource consent if your site is on, or could be affected by, natural hazards.
If everything was done properly when it was built, it’s covered by those consents. The new rules under the Building Act and NES-DMRU won’t affect it.
If you want to build a new granny flat, you’ll need to follow the new rules and requirements.
No - the exemption only applies to new granny flats. Your current sleepout is covered by its original building and/or resource consent. If you want to make changes, you may need another consent process, depending on what those changes are.
If you build without a PIM being issued you’re carrying out illegal building work under the Building Act. Council can issue a Notice to Fix, which is a formal legal notice requiring you to correct the situation.
This means you must stop work and take steps to comply with the law, which may include:
- Getting a Certificate of Acceptance for what’s already built
- Applying for a building consent and/or resource consent for what is still to be built
- Removal of all/or some of the building work
Ignoring a Notice to Fix can lead to further enforcement action and penalties.
We keep our usual powers to deal with any building work that is unsafe or doesn’t comply with the rules.
Councils may issue a Notice to Fix for non-compliance.
Building work that does not meet exemption conditions and is carried out without a building consent is an offence under the Building Act and may result in prosecution, fines (up to $200,000, plus $10,000 per day for continuing offences) and enforcement action.
Homeowners who fail to provide required documentation within 20 working days of completion may be issued an infringement notice ($500) or fined up to $1,000.
Licensed building professionals who fail to provide required records may face disciplinary action.
Yes - if services are available. Your granny flat must connect to Council’s water and wastewater systems and make sure stormwater is managed appropriately. Council need to approve these connections. This work must follow RDC’s Infrastructure Guidelines and will be assessed during the PIM process.
If you can’t connect to existing services, you might be able to use onsite systems for water supply, wastewater, and stormwater. In some locations, this could trigger a resource consent. If an onsite effluent treatment system is proposed, Horizons Regional Council rules also apply.
It’s important to check whether the pipes on your property are of the correct size and there is capacity for the additional flows. This will be assessed during the PIM process from the information supplied with the application.
To keep a permanent record for the property. Council keeps these documents so there’s an ongoing record of the building work on the property for future owners. This information is important if the property is bought or sold.
Yes. A granny flat is considered an improvement, which typically increases your property’s value. If your property is in an urban area, you may also pay extra rates for services like water, wastewater, and rubbish collection.
You might need additional approvals from Council or other providers before you begin. These requirements are separate from the Building Act and must be factored into the planning and design of your granny flat—even if the building work doesn’t require a building consent.
Common additional approvals include:
- Utility connections – water, wastewater, stormwater, electricity, or gas
- Vehicle crossings – new or altered access to the road or kerb
- Land use restrictions – easements, covenants, or consent notices that affect where and how you build
Contact Council and the relevant providers to confirm what applies to your site and project.
No - In some subdivisions, there are private covenants that restrict the number of residential units and where residential units are placed on a site. The Council does not enforce private covenants. If a person constructs a granny flat (detached minor residential unit) on a site in breach of a private covenant, then it’s a matter between the landowner and the person who takes the legal action.
No, you will require a building consent for relocating a second hand dwelling as it does not meet the requirements of the Small Stand-alone Dwellings exemption requirements. It may need a resource consent, this is because the NES-DMRU exemption requirements only apply to new buildings and not for second hand buildings.