Granny Flats (Small stand-alone dwellings)

From15 January 2026, homeowners can now build granny flats in their backyards without requiring building or resource consents.

The new granny flats exemption allows small standalone dwellings up to 70 square metres in size to be built without a building 
consent if all exemption conditions are met.

Granny flats exemption: Guidance and resources

The guidance explains the conditions for using the exemption and what qualifies as a granny flat. It sets out the steps to follow at each stage of the build and outlines the roles and responsibilities of homeowners, licensed building professionals, and councils. It also includes practical checklists, templates, and links to resources to explain the exemption conditions and how to comply with them.

Granny flats exemption: Guidance and resources | Building Performance .

Before building work starts on a granny flat homeowners must apply for a Project Information Memorandum (PIM) using a Form 2AA.

Before submitting an application, we advise you to check that you have met all the exemption criteria. See the Building design conditions checklist.

Some of the criteria include (but not limited to):

1.Building must be:

new
single storey
standalone
self-contained and intended for a single household or family

2. Building dimensions and location:

floor area of 70 square metres or less
max floor level 1 metre above the supporting ground
max building height 4 metres above floor level
2 metres or more from other residential buildings or legal boundaries
not built across boundaries between allotments

3. Certain construction materials must be used. Check the full list in the checklist linked above.

4. Compliance with water, drainage. foul water and electricity & gas criteria must be met.

Make sure all the actions required by the exemption have been carried out - Granny flats exemption: Completion checklist.

You are required to submit this documentation to Council once the work is completed. The homeowner must submit the documentation to the Council within 20 working days of completing the build i.e. within 20 working days of receiving all the required documentation from licensed building professionals.

The Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment have provided the following guidance that you may find useful: Granny flats exemption: Guidance and resources | Building Performance.

Fact sheets

How to submit a PIM for a small standalone dwelling with STDC:
To submit a PIM application for a small standalone dwelling please submit the Form 2AA on the Objective Build customer portal which can be found here.

If you have any further queries, please contact our Building team at building@stdc.govt.nz or call us on 0800 111 323.