Schedule 1A exemption

The short answer

Schedule 1A allows some wholly new, stand-alone, single-storey dwellings of no more than 70 m² to be built without a building consent. Those headline features are only the front gate: the design, site, services, materials, licensed people and records must satisfy every remaining condition.

A project also needs a separate planning check under the Resource Management Act, the NES-DMRU and any district or regional rules that remain applicable. Passing one gate never proves the other has been passed.

What changes on the exempt pathway

The council does not review a building-consent application, carry out the usual consent inspections or issue a code compliance certificate. The homeowner and licensed professionals carry more responsibility for checking the design, controlling changes and retaining evidence.

A PIM must be received before work starts. The work must still comply with the Building Code, use the required licensed or registered people and generally be completed within two years of the PIM unless an extension is granted.

Watch design changes carefully

Moving the building, increasing floor area, changing structure or cladding, or substituting a product can affect an exemption condition. Pause before the change is built and have the relevant designer or trade check both the exemption and the evidence needed for the completed work.