Building Act

In New Zealand, the building of houses and other buildings is controlled by the Building Act 2004. It applies to the construction of new buildings as well as the alteration and demolition of existing buildings.

The Building Act 2004 has repealed the Building Act 1991 and introduces a number of changes to the law governing building work. These changes are introduced in stages. Some have already taken effect, but others will be implemented over the next few years.

In this section you will find information about:

• the Building Act and its background
• initial changes when the Building Act 2004 came into effect on 30 November 2004
• changes from 31 March 2005 that affected the building consent and inspection process
• amendments to the Act that took effect from 14 April 2005
• further changes to be implemented over the next few years
• structure of the Building Act 
• where to get more information about the Act
• how to get a copy of the Act.