Building Consent Requirements for Roofing

Wondering if you need to get permission (‘building consent’) to fix your roof?

Sometimes the most challenging aspect of renovation and repair work can be, frustratingly, working out if you need to obtain building consent—planning that has to take place long before the tools come out! Determining if your roofing project does need consent depends on several key factors revolving around the nature of the work you’re wanting to do.

The good news is that not all roofing work needs permission. Below we’ve summarised the types of work that do and don’t require consent.

You aren’t required to obtain building consent for general maintenance jobs which encompasses such tasks as:

• Fixing your roof’s paint job
• Cleaning out the gutters
• Replacing your gutters and downspouts
• Fixing, re-fixing, or replacing flashings (those metal bits that seal around the edges).

Re-roofing without permission (building consent) is generally okay if:

• Your roof is older than 15 years, and
• The new roof is the same type of material as the old one (e.g. replacing corrugated iron for pressed metal tiles). If you’re unsure if it’s “like for like”, it’s best to check with your local council. Or, if the new roofing material is of a lighter weight than the old one (e.g. replacing clay titles with profiled long run steel). Again, if you need clarification on any point, get in touch with the council.

For new structures, building consent isn’t required for the roof if the building itself doesn’t require consent. For instance, if the building is a shed 30m² or less.

The government has published a great guide on exemptions for consent requirements that can help you navigate if a consent is required or not.

Check with your local council for permission, as you’ll likely need consent if:

• Your roof needs replacing before it’s 15 years old. This is the minimum durability requirement by law for a new roof, so if it doesn’t last that long then the council will want to know why and would quite possibly like to see a replacement with more durable product.
• You want to use a different type of material for the new roof (like going from metal to concrete, clay, or stone titles, which are heavier and may require additional consideration for truss spacing and dimensions).
• You’re building a new roof as part of a new building or extension for which consent is also required (unless it’s a super small building that doesn’t need permission, as described above).
• You’re making structural changes to the existing roof frame (such as changing the roof’s angle, or putting in a dormer window).

To cap it all off, it’s important to remember, irrespective of whether building consent is required or not for your roofing project, all work undertaken needs to meet the requirements of the building code, be safe, watertight and up to snuff.

Happy renovating from the team at Musgroves!

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