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Do I need a consent - Retaining wall

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Decision tool form for retaining wall

Go to Content

Decision tool form for retaining wall

Zones

What Auckland Unitary Plan Zone will your project-name be in?

1. Enter your address in GeoMaps

2. Find out your zone

You will need to check if any Unitary Plan controls apply to your property such as precincts or overlays. You can find this in the left hand column under your zoning. If additional controls apply, you will need to contact us or talk to a professional to find out if you need a consent.

Please check if any of the following Unitary Plan controls apply to your property.

Precinct
Overlays
Controls

3. What zone will your project-name be in?

Residential - Single House ZoneResidential - Large Lot ZoneResidential - Rural and Coastal Settlement ZoneResidential - Mixed Housing Suburban ZoneResidential - Mixed Housing Urban ZoneResidential - Terrace Housing and Apartment Buildings ZoneYou need to select an answer to proceed.

Decision tool params

HostURL

ProjectName

ImageURL

RW1

What is the maximum height of your proposed retaining wall above the ground?

Why are we asking this question?

A building consent is required if a retaining wall retains more than 1.5 metres depth of ground.

.You need to provide a value to proceed.

RW1-decision

RW2

RW2.1

YesNoYou need to select an answer to proceed.

Area of soil supported by retaining wall

RW2.1 decision

RW2.2

What is the distance between your proposed retaining wall and the property boundary behind it?

Why are we asking this question?

A building consent is required if a retaining wall supports an area located beyond your property boundary. If your retaining wall supports an area beyond your property boundary, it is assumed that the retaining wall will be subjected to additional loads because it affects your neighbour's property.

.You need to provide a value to proceed.

RW2.2 decision

How to measure the shortest distance between retaining wall and closest property

RW3

Will your proposed retaining wall include ground water drainage behind it?

If drainage is not provided behind the proposed retaining wall, the water may build up behind it and create additional load.

Why are we asking this question?

A building consent is required if a retaining wall is subject to water pressure behind it.

YesNoYou need to select an answer to proceed.

RW3-decision

Drainage behind retaining wall allowing water to escape

RW4

Will your proposed retaining wall be located within 1.5 metres of a road or public place?

YesNoYou need to select an answer to proceed.

Retaining wall built within 1.5m of road

Output Summary

Hidden-fields

show-p1yesno

show-p2yesno

show-p3yesno

show-p4yesno

show-p5yesno

RC-BC sections

Resource consent

You will need a resource consent.

According to the information you have provided, you will require a resource consent as your retaining wall:

Resource consent details

The following exceptions apply:

Exception details

As your project may be exempt from a resource consent, we recommend you call us on 09 301 0101 or e-mail onlineconsenting@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz.

You will need to apply for a resource consent for 'Adding a new retaining wall'.

You don't need a resource consent.

According to the information you have provided, your retaining wall will not require a resource consent.

Find out more about resource consents.

Building consent

You will need a building consent.

According to the information you have provided, you will require a building consent as your retaining wall:

Building consent details

The following exceptions apply:

Exception details

As your project may be exempt from a building consent, we recommend you call us on 09 301 0101 or e-mail onlineconsenting@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

Please note

It is your responsibility to ensure that your retaining wall does not result in any instability of land, structures or infrastructure at or beyond the boundary of your property.
Construction cannot start until all required resource consents have been obtained.
If you are building over or close to a public wastewater or drinking water drain, you will need an approval from Watercare or Veolia.
If you are building over or close to a public stormwater drain, you will need an engineering approval from Council. Call us for more information on 09 301 0101.

You will need to apply for a building consent for 'Adding a new retaining wall'.

You don't need a building consent.

According to the information you have provided, your retaining wall will not require a building consent under the following exemptions of Schedule 1 of the Building Act 2004:

Exemption 20

Please note

Construction cannot start until all required resource consents have been obtained.
If you are building over or close to a public wastewater or drinking water drain, you will need an approval from Watercare or Veolia.
If you are building over or close to a public stormwater drain, you will need an engineering approval from Council. Call us for more information on 09 301 0101.
Check any other enactments or regulations (for example: Unit Titles Act, Land Transfer Act, Property Law Act, Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act, Health and Safety at Work Act, Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act, Auckland Council Bylaws etc.) and property rights that may affect the proposed work. It is the responsibility of the owner to check these prior to starting your project.
Make sure your proposed project is built to the New Zealand Building Code.

Find out more about building consents.

summary image

What do I do next?

Customer journey for when a consent is required

Customer journey fo rwhe na consent is not required

Project desc

A retaining wall is:

a structure that retains (holds back) any material (usually earth/ soil) and prevents it from sliding or eroding away.

Note: This tool doesn't apply to properties with unstable soil conditions.

Summary footer

Disclaimer

The information in this online tool is presented only as a guide as to whether or not you will need a consent for your project. It does not supply a definitive legal answer and should not be relied upon to supply this. If you need more information, seek the opinion of a Licensed Professional such as a Licensed Building Practitioner (LBP) or Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng).
LBPs are people who have shown through assessment that they meet the standard of skill and competence required in particular areas of building practice such as structure and weathertightness. They are assessed before getting a licence and need to keep their knowledge up-to-date to be re-licensed.
The council accepts no responsibility for the outcome provided by the tool if you have provided incomplete or inaccurate answers.
Your resource consent outcome has been assessed under the Auckland Unitary Plan (operative in part) excluding properties in the Hauraki Gulf Islands.
Additional consent(s) may be required if your site has been identified as being in a natural hazard area (e.g. flooding, soil instability) or if your property is under a special overlay (e.g. heritage protection)

Date Completed: 19/10/2021

Summary email

E-mail yourself a summary of this advice:

Email address

You need to provide an email address to proceed.

Customer reference (optional)

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Output SummaryEditNot Started
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