For most Kiwi homes, putting in a heat pump to heat a room doesn’t need a building consent. That’s the short answer. The longer answer is that no building consent doesn’t mean no rules. The electrical work still has to be done and certified by a registered electrician, the install still has to meet the Building Code, and your council’s district plan still applies to where the outdoor unit goes and how much noise it makes.
Here’s how the pieces fit together, and when it’s worth picking up the phone to your council before you sign a quote.
Building consent and resource consent: what’s the difference?
People mix these up all the time, so keep them apart in your head.
A building consent is about the building work itself. Is it safe, healthy, built to the Building Code? It comes from the Building Act 2004, and your council’s building team issues it.
A resource consent is about the effect of an activity on the environment and the neighbours. It comes from the district plan, which sets out which activities need one. Noise, how close things sit to a boundary, and heritage rules all live here.
A heat pump job can be free of one and still be caught by the other. In practice the district plan is the one that trips people up, and it’s usually because of noise.
What does Schedule 1 of the Building Act let you skip?
The Building Act requires a building consent for most building work. Schedule 1 is the list of exceptions: work low risk enough that you can go ahead without a consent.
Two things about Schedule 1 matter.
- Exempt work still has to comply. Under section 40 of the Act, all building work must comply with the Building Code to the extent the Act requires. Kaipara District Council’s consent guide adds that building work must also meet the district plan. An exemption saves you the paperwork, not the standard.
- The council has some discretion. Where a job sits slightly beyond the scope of an exemption, you can ask the council to consider an exemption under Schedule 1, often called an exemption 2 application. The council then decides whether it will still require a consent. Kaipara’s advice is to contact the council first and find out whether it’s likely to use that discretion.
Every exemption is set out in MBIE’s Schedule 1 guidance on building.govt.nz. If your job is unusual, read the relevant exemption there or ask the council’s duty building officer.
What do councils say about heat pumps?
Councils work from the same Building Act, and their guidance lines up. Christchurch City Council’s position is that fixed electric space heaters, heat pumps included, don’t need a building consent, but they must be installed by registered electricians who certify their own work. Waimakariri District Council makes the other half of the point: a heat pump isn’t assessed under a building consent and isn’t checked or signed off at any building inspection, so the onus is on the owner or landlord to make sure it meets the district plan.
That second point is the one to take to heart. Nobody from the council will come and look at your new heat pump. If it ends up too loud for the neighbours, fixing it is on you.
When should you ring your council before you book the installer?
A standard single heat pump on a house is the easy case. Ring the council’s building or planning team before you commit if any of these apply to you.
- The job is more than fixing a unit and running pipes. If you’re building a new platform, frame or enclosure, cutting into structure, or your installer has suggested other building work to make room, ask whether that part needs a consent.
- It’s a commercial building. Kaipara’s guide lists commercial ventilation and air conditioning systems among the work that needs a consent.
- The outdoor unit will sit close to a boundary. Noise rules are set council by council, so the distance that works in one district may not work in the next.
- Your home has a heritage listing or sits in a special character area. Those are district plan matters, so check with the planning team rather than the building team.
- It’s a heat pump hot water cylinder. That’s a different product with plumbing work involved, and different rules can apply. Ask your council about consent for your job.
Rules and interpretations differ from council to council, and they change. Treat all of it as a starting point rather than a legal opinion. If there’s any doubt, a five-minute call to your council before the install costs far less than putting things right afterwards.
→ Related: Heat pump boundary rules
→ Related: Hot water heat pumps
What paperwork should you still get?
No building consent doesn’t mean no records. A heat pump install should still leave you with a paper trail, and the most important document is the Certificate of Compliance for the electrical work. Keep it somewhere safe, because you may need it for an insurance claim or when you sell the house.
Worth keeping too:
- the installer’s invoice, with the make and model of both the indoor and outdoor units
- the manufacturer’s warranty details and any registration confirmation
- the unit’s sound data from the brochure or spec sheet, in case a noise question ever comes up
- photos of where the outdoor unit sits and how it’s mounted
If you’re a landlord, these records also help when you fill in the heating part of the compliance statement. The Healthy Homes heating standard sets out what that statement needs.
→ Related: Who can install a heat pump
A quick consent checklist before you start
- Confirm it’s a space heating heat pump, not a hot water cylinder.
- Check whether any building work beyond the install itself is planned.
- Look at where the outdoor unit will go and check your council’s district plan noise rules.
- Use a registered electrician for the connection and get the Certificate of Compliance.
- If anything is unusual, call your council first.
Where to find a heat pump installer near you
When you’re ready, compare installers who fit high-wall heat pumps or ducted systems, or pick your town to see who works near you. Ask each one where they plan to put the outdoor unit, and why.