Building and Construction (Small Stand-alone Dwellings) Amendment Bill
This bill lets people build a small, stand-alone home without needing a building consent — the official permit that's normally required before you can build. To qualify, the home must be brand new, single-storey, and no bigger than 70 square metres. Instead of a consent, owners must get a project information memorandum (a document from their local council giving information about the land), and all work must be done by licensed tradespeople who provide records of what they did.
What this affects
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Small homes of 70 square metres or less can now be built without the usual council building permit, which could make it faster and cheaper to add a small dwelling on a property.
Despite section 40, a building consent is not required for building work specified in Schedule 1A
A small stand-alone dwelling is a building that has all of the following characteristics: (a) it is stand-alone; (b) it is new; (c) it has a floor area that is equal to or less than 70 square metres; (d) it has a single storey only.
Progress through Parliament
Have your say
This bill is open for public submissions to the Transport and Infrastructure Committee. Anyone can tell the committee what they think, and you don’t need to be an expert. Submissions close 22 June 2025.
Bill text sourced from legislation.govt.nz (Parliamentary Counsel Office). Arapono’s summary and breakdown are drafted with AI grounded in that official text and reviewed by an Arapono editor for accuracy and neutrality before publishing. Arapono is non-partisan and takes no position on this bill.