Boundary activities

Check if you meet the criteria

If you're building or extending your home, you may be able to apply for a "deemed permitted boundary activity" instead of a resource consent if:

• the only District Plan rules your project infringes are boundary rules – for example, the building recession plane – and no other District Plan rules are infringed
• none of the infringed boundaries are public boundaries – for example, a park or a road, and
• the neighbours who share the infringed boundary have given their written approval.

What are boundary rules?

Boundary rules are rules in the District Plan that relate to your property's boundaries. They include rules about:

• recession planes – how high a structure can be in relation to the boundary
• yard setbacks – how far from the boundary you can build a structure
• decks more than 1.5 metres above ground level built near boundaries
• fences and retaining walls.

If your proposal infringes rules relating to site coverage or maximum height, you'll need to go through the standard resource consent process.

Resource consents

Note: If you're not sure whether a rule is a boundary rule or not, you can contact a planner on 04 801 3590 or email planning@wcc.govt.nz

What are the boundary rules for each area?

These rules only apply in the following areas identified within the District Plan. Some rules within the Utilities chapter of the District Plan are also considered boundary rules.

How to apply

After your completed application and supporting documents are submitted and you've paid your application fee, the process takes 10 working days.

1. Know what you need to provide

With your application, you'll need to supply:

• a detailed description of your project or activity
• the full name and address of each owner of a property with an infringed boundary
• a completed approval form from each of these property owners, including their signatures on the plan.

Written approval for deemed permitted boundary activity (507KB PDF)

You’ll also need to supply a plan of the site drawn at a usable and identified scale (preferably 1:100 or 1:200) showing:

• all property boundaries
• all contours (including any retaining walls on or near the boundaries)
• any waterbodies
• any buildings already on site, with their height and site coverage calculations
• the proposed buildings/additions, with their height and site coverage calculations
• building recession planes along all boundaries for both existing and proposed buildings
• any proposed earthworks, showing how they comply with the District Plan rules.

Note: We can’t assess applications that don’t have the required supporting documents. If we find your application is incomplete, you’ll need to resubmit it.

2. Submit your application

Application for deemed permitted boundary activity (503KB PDF)

3. Pay the fee

Applying for a deemed permitted boundary activity costs $465. 

4. We assess your application

If we agree that your proposal is a boundary activity we will provide you with a written notice stating that the activity is permitted.

If we find your proposal infringes other District Plans rules or that your application doesn't meet the criteria, we’ll notify you of this and you'll need to apply for a resource consent instead.

Note: If we spend extra time processing your application, you may be charged a further fee.

Resource consent fees