Dams
Exemption (da) of Schedule 1
A building consent is not required for the following building work:
(da) the construction or alteration of any dam that is not a large dam.
Guidance
This exemption allows dams that are not large dams (as defined in the Building Act) to be constructed without the need to obtain a building consent, although they still need to comply with the Building Code.
A large dam is any artificial barrier that holds back liquid and retains a depth of over 3 metres and a volume greater than 20,000 cubic metres. This is about the capacity of eight Olympic-sized swimming pools, or a rugby field with water 3 metres deep (ie, up to the crossbars of the goalposts).
| Examples where this exemption could apply |
Examples where building consent is required |
- A farmer constructs a water reservoir to provide irrigation to crops. The dam complies with the Building Code and retains a depth of 2.4 metres over an area of 8,000 square metres (approximately 19,200 cubic metres of water).
|
- A dam is proposed on a river. The dam is retaining water of 20 metres in depth and when full would flood a large area (over 20,000 cubic metres). This will require a building consent.
|