Thinking about demolition? Here's what you need to know.

Building consent is not required to demolish a detached building up to three storeys high, but resource consent may be required in some situations.

You can find more details here: Exemption 30 (Schedule 1 of the Building Act).

It is important to remember no demolition work can be undertaken on heritage buildings, or any others protected by the district plan, without first seeking council approval.

The partial demolition of buildings is also not exempt under this clause and will generally require building consent.

As a building owner, you should also check council requirements for the repair and reinstatement of any damage to the road reserve. You may also need to consider:

• contacting relevant service authorities to discuss requirements for termination of existing services (e.g. electricity, gas)
• the handling and disposing of hazardous building materials
• controlling silt runoff, excess noise and dust (generated by the demolition)
• securing the site to restrict public access

We recommend you use skilled and professional demolition experts for major demolition work, so that demolition hazards and hazardous materials (such as asbestos) are safely managed.

You can find more information about the exemption here: 2.9 Demolition of detached building | Building Performance