Building Consents for Pole Sheds
Building Consent Exemptions for Pole Buildings
You can build a single-storey pole shed or hay barn in a rural zone without a building consent if:
- the design has been carried out or reviewed by a Chartered Professional Engineer, or
- a Licensed Building Practitioner has carried out or supervised design and construction.
- the building does not exceed 110 square metres in floor area; and
- design wind speeds do not exceed 44 metres per second (High wind zone); and
- the building is not more than 1 storey (being a floor level of up to 1 metre above the supporting ground and a height of up to 4 metres above the floor level); and
- the maximum unsupported roof span in any direction does not exceed 6 metres; and
- the building has a minimum distance from any residential building, public road, rail or legal boundary at least equal to the measure of its own height; and
- the building is not subject to the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996; and
- the building is not accessible by the public (i.e. is Building Importance Level 1, non-habitable).
Single-storey detached buildings
- Single-storey detached buildings include sleep outs, sheds, greenhouses and other similar structures. Kitchen and bathroom facilities are not included in the exemption. Any plumbing work to a new or current building still requires a building consent, and any electrical work will still have to be carried out by a registered electrician. Options under this exemption are:
- Kitset or prefab buildings with a maximum floor area of between 10-30 square metres where a manufacturer or supplier has had the design carried out or reviewed by a Chartered Professional Engineer. Product manufacturers who would like to sell kit sets must engage a chartered professional engineer to sign off on a repeatable kit set design
- Buildings with a maximum floor area of 30 square metres where a Licensed Building Practitioner is to carry out or supervise design and construction
- Buildings with a maximum floor area of 10 square metres can be built by a non-professional.
- Buildings with a maximum floor area of 30 square metres can be built by a non-professional, where only lightweight materials with structural components built in accordance to Building Code compliance B1/AS1 are used.
Carports up to 40 square metres
You can build a carport up to 40 square metres with an exemption if:
- the design has been carried out or reviewed by a Chartered Professional Engineer, or
- a Licensed Building Practitioner has carried out or supervised design and construction.
- Carports with a maximum floor area of 20 square metres can be built without a professional.
Visit www.building.govt.nz and search “Pole Sheds” for more detail