Recent changes to the Building Act and Resource Management Act (RMA) are making it easier to build granny flats, or as the building legislation calls them, small standalone dwellings, and under the RMA, detached minor residential units.
In force since 15 January, the changes are focused on increasing housing options while maintaining safety, confidence and compliance with the New Zealand Building Code.
In parallel, the National Environmental Standards for Detached Minor Residential Units under the RMA can make some granny flat projects permitted activities.
This means homeowners can now build a standalone, single-storey dwelling up to 70m² without a traditional building consent, provided all exemption conditions are met, and work is carried out or supervised by licensed building professionals.
A Project Information Memorandum (PIM) must be obtained from us before work starts, and we must be notified once construction is complete with the required documentation. Depending on the design and connection to existing services, development contributions (up front charges for infrastructure) may also apply.
There are a number of conditions that have to be met for the project to achieve compliance – the full list is available on our website.
Homeowners are encouraged to check both sets of rules and should speak with us early in the planning process to understand requirements within the rule changes.
For detailed guidance and application forms, visit tasman.govt.nz/granny-flat-exemptions(external link) or contact our planning and building teams by calling 03 543 8400.