Granny Flats (Small Stand-Alone Dwellings)

You must obtain a Project Information Memorandum (PIM). This document will tell you about relevant planning rules, based on the documentation provided.

The Small Stand Alone Dwelling (Granny Flat) Building Consent Exemption operates alongside the resource management system and the new National Environmental Standards for Detached Minor Residential Units 2025 (NES-DMRU).

The NES-DMRU allows minor residential units (commonly known as granny flats) up to 70 square metres to be built without a resource consent, provided you have an existing dwelling on your property and certain permitted activity standards and criteria are met. If your proposed granny flat does not meet the standards and criteria, a resource consent may still be required.

As a starting point, to qualify for a resource consent exemption, the NES-DMRU requires that your property be located in a zone classified as residential, rural, mixed-use, or Māori purpose zone. The intention is for consistency and clarity in how detached minor residential units (granny flats) are assessed across the country.

The zones under the Hauraki District Plan (2014) that the classifications apply to are:

• 5.1 Rural Zone (classified as ‘General Rural Zone’ for the purpose of the regulations)
• 5.7 Residential Zone (classified as ‘General Residential Zone’ for the purpose of the regulations)
• 5.8 Low Density Residential Zone (classified as ‘Low Density Residential Zone’ for the purpose of the regulations)
• 5.9 Marae Development Zone (classified as ‘Māori Purpose Zone’ for the purpose of the regulations)
• 5.10 Township Zone (classified as ‘Settlement Zone’ for the purpose of the regulations)

The zones under the Franklin Section of the Hauraki District Plan (2000) that the classifications apply to are:

• Part 23A - Rule 23 - Rural Zone (classified as ‘General Rural Zone’ for the purpose of the regulations)
• Part 23C - Rule 23C - Village Zone (classified as ‘Settlement Zone’ for the purpose of the regulations)

Planning considerations include

Other District Plan standards that still apply, include standards relating to papakāinga, earthworks, natural hazards, subdivision, reverse sensitivity, infrastructure requirements, and the use of DMRU other than for residential activities, e.g. visitor accommodation or commercial activities.

For some properties, additional restrictions apply under the District Plan, e.g. outstanding natural areas, which means that the NES-DMRU may not be able to be used for a resource consent exemption.

Interests registered on your Record of Title that will still apply under the NES-DMRU include Easements, Covenants, and Consent Notices. All consent notice conditions need to be met, or a variation to the consent notice conditions needs to be sought. Each of these legal instruments may further restrict where a granny flat can be located and may also specifically limit your property to only having one dwelling.

You can obtain a copy of your Record of Title from LINZ and review our information on resource consents and District Plans for more information.

Information required to be shown on PIM Plans

When applying for a PIM, the plans will need to show and label:

• the building “detached minor residential unit” with a “maximum floor area of 70 m2”
• the existing dwelling (principal residential unit) as “existing dwelling on the site”
• any other existing building/s on the site with the use identified
• the “building coverage maximum of (insert the total area of the buildings as a percentage of the total net site area)%”
• the “setback from the principal residential unit (existing dwelling) to the DMRU” (show dimension)
• the setback of the DMRU from all boundaries (dimensions)
• details of any earthworks – cut/fill – approximate area and volume, maximum depth of cut/fill within and outside the yard setbacks for residential zones
• vehicle access to the site
• connections to services where applicable (water, sewer, stormwater), and on-site systems (stormwater and sewer) and potable water supply where applicable
• location of legal and physical restrictions such as easements, overland flow paths, setbacks from drains and streams.

The application fee for a Small Standalone Dwelling PIM is $1,350.00.

This covers the PIM application, processing and administration time, and the filing and storing of completion documentation. If you need us to provide the Record of Title for your property, an additional $35.00 applies.

An invoice will be emailed to you prior to the issuing of your PIM application.

Additional fees may apply depending on your project. This includes resource consent and/or other approvals that may be needed, and development contributions may be payable.

Building a granny flat means you are adding a habitable building to your property. It will likely increase the property's capital value, which affects rates.

For more information, please refer to Council’s Rates page or contact the Rates Team.

Building a granny flat may attract development contributions if the development creates additional demand on Council-provided services.

Development contributions help fund the additional cost of community facilities and infrastructure required as a result of growth.

Whether contributions apply depends on factors such as the scale of the development and demand placed on services.

Information on development contributions can be found on our website or please contact the Development Engineering team.

To submit a project information memorandum (PIM) application for non-consented small standalone dwelling, you will need to create or log onto the Objective Build portal and select New Application, enter the property address this will then take you to a new screen where you can click on apply for a Small Standalone Dwelling PIM – Form 2AA application.

For more help with lodging an application please refer to How to Lodge an Application.

To accompany your application you must provide:

• Preliminary design plans
• A description of the proposed building work and the cost

Council will check your application to confirm that all required information has been provided.

If your application is complete, the PIM will be issued within 10 working days. If your application is incomplete, we may request the missing information. The 10-day processing timeframe is paused until the applicant provides the necessary details.

An invoice will be emailed to you for payment before the PIM is issued.

Completing building work within two years of the PIM being issued – or getting an extension to your PIM – is essential to continuing to meet the granny flats exemption conditions and avoid needing a building consent.

If the granny flat is not completed and the PIM lapses, the granny flats exemption no longer applies.

To obtain an extension to the PIM timeframe:

• apply well before the two-year anniversary of the PIM issue date
• the request must be made while the original PIM is still valid
• councils may agree to extend the timeframe if they are satisfied that the build is progressing and the exemption conditions continue to be met.

Councils are not required to monitor progress or remind the homeowner of the deadline. It is the homeowner’s responsibility to track progress and act early if delays arise. Councils may agree to extend the timeframe. The fee for an extension of time application is as per our fees and charges.

If the PIM lapses before the granny flat is complete the homeowner may need to apply for a certificate of acceptance and/or building consent to obtain regulatory approval of the work.

If you are considering building a granny flat and would like advice specific to your property, please contact Hauraki District Council’s Building or Planning Team on 07 862 8609 (0800 734 834) or email info@hauraki-dc.govt.nz