Does a pergola need building consent?
No, at any size, so long as it has no roof.
- Building Act 2004
- NZS 3604:2011
- F4/AS13rd Edition Amendment 21 Jan 2017
One clause, and no limit on size.
Clause 6 of Schedule 1 of the Building Act exempts building work in connection with a pergola, and sets no size. MBIE's guidance adds the one condition: a pergola has no roof.
Open to the sky, it is a pergola.
MBIE describes a pergola as a simple frame with no roof, often a garden feature. Its examples run from a 26 m² kitset to a 100 m², 5 m high one built at a vineyard for weddings.
Building Act 2004 Schedule 1 clause 6 · MBIE, exempt building work guidance 6.5
A roof changes which clause it falls under.
MBIE's examples: clear roofing fitted to a 32 m² pergola on a house makes it a veranda, and one over 30 m², so it needs a consent. Plastic sheeting over the top and sides means it is no longer a pergola, and it needs a consent.
Building Act 2004 Schedule 1 clauses 17, 17A, 18, 18A, 44, 46 · MBIE, exempt building work guidance 6.5
It still has to stand up and keep people safe.
All building work must meet the Building Code, consent or not, and the owner answers for it. NZS 3604 leaves out buildings with no external walls, so a free-standing pergola's frame is designed for its own loads.
Building Act 2004 ss 14B, 17 · NZS 3604:2011 1.1.3(a) · F4.3.1
Key takeaways
- A pergola needs no consent at any size, attached to the house or free-standing.
- Give it a roof and it is a veranda or a carport, with their limits.
- It still needs a sound structure, a barrier over a deck you could fall ≥ 1 m from, and the district plan.