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Improving access for people with disabilities

This is a new exemption, introduced in October 2008.

Exemption (af) of Schedule 1

A building consent is not required for the following building work:

(af) the alteration to an entrance or an internal doorway of a dwelling to improve access for persons with disabilities, if compliance with the provisions of the Building Code relating to structural stability is not reduced.

Guidance

This exemption enables existing residential dwellings to be altered to improve access for people with disabilities. Common examples include doorway modifications (eg, to enable entry of a wheelchair) and installing access ramps.

In many cases external and internal walls are often load-bearing, meaning they support the structure above such as the roof or a second story. External and internal walls also often contain bracing elements that, when combined, help the building stand up to strong winds and earthquakes.

Reducing compliance with the structural stability provisions of the Building Code will often occur if any structural members or components are affected (eg, cutting through load-bearing walls or bracing elements to widen an existing door opening). In these instances this exemption cannot be used and a building consent must be obtained.

This exemption is limited to ramps where it is not possible for a person to fall more than 1 metre even if it collapses (see exemption (g)) .

This exemption does not cover the construction of accessible or wet area showers.

Examples where this exemption could apply Examples where building consent is required
  • An entry to a dwelling has a door with a window on either side (both the windows and the door are within an aluminium frame). The entire aluminium frame can be removed and replaced with a wider door and a single window, as long as the width of the opening does not change and therefore the existing lintel is not altered and structural stability is not reduced.
  • An internal doorway is required to be widened. The door is located in a wall that is not load-bearing and doesn’t contain a bracing element. The opening can be widened without needing a building consent.
  • A ramp is constructed to provide access to a dwelling. All of the ramp is less than 1 metre in height above ground. This does not require a building consent.
  • A door opening is widened in an external load-bearing wall to improve access. A new lintel is required to support the roof load above. The building work to install the door and the structural lintel will require a building consent.
  • A ramp is constructed to provide access to a dwelling. Part of the ramp exceeds 1 metre above the ground, so the ramp will require a building consent.