Earthquake Prone Buildings
Changes were made to the earthquake prone buildings provisions in the Building Act 2004 following the devastating (2011) Christchurch earthquakes.
The changes to the Act, which came into effect on 1 July 2017, aim to strike a balance between protecting people from harm in an earthquake, managing the costs of strengthening or removing buildings, and any impact on heritage.
Key features of the Act include:
- Clarifying the definition of an earthquake prone building.
- Establishing a national register of earthquake prone buildings.
- Categorising New Zealand into three areas of high, medium and low seismic risk.
- Defining a new category of ‘priority buildings’ in high and medium seismic areas and including shorter identification and remediation time frames.
- Providing for an opt-in extension of time to remediate our most important heritage buildings.
- Providing for an opt-in exemption from the requirement to remediate some buildings.
Below are some frequently asked questions about the requirements around earthquake-prone buildings.
Earthquake Prone Buildings Assistance Package
The Council has an assistance package for owners of earthquake-prone buildings who wish to upgrade their buildings to meet or exceed the minimum requirement of 34%NBS. This means an assessment of the building indicates that its performance in an earthquake will be at least 34% of the new building standard.
Earthquake Prone Buildings Assistance Package- Application Form