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Building Near Public Pipes and Drains

Lodging an application for a building consent?

First, you need to check our records to see what’s under the ground where you want to build. If there are stormwater, water and/or wastewater pipes near where you intend to do building work, you need to talk to us.

How do I find out where the pipes are?

You can use the GISBOOST™ service (see link below) which provides the opportunity to view basic spatial information such as aerial imagery, property boundaries and the location of water, sewer and stormwater services within New Plymouth District.

You also need to double check pipe location by obtaining a copy of the as-built plumbing and drainage card. In some cases our records may not suffice and on-site investigations will need to be made.

Obtain a PIM

Under the Building Act, a project information memorandum (PIM) is mandatory for all works requiring building consent, and is the first step towards gaining approval to build. A PIM is issued by us, and includes information and requirements under various Acts as they relate to your building project.

The PIM includes details of water, stormwater or waste-water pipes. It’s a good idea to apply for a PIM in the planning stages of your project, before lodging your building consent application. This means that potential issues regarding pipes can be identified early.

Why is it important to protect the pipes?

We maintain a network of pipes to provide a clean water supply, and wastewater and stormwater disposal, in a way that safeguards our community from disease and protects our environment and property. Approval to build over pipes will not normally be given if the integrity of the system is compromised in any way. Return to top

How can I be sure where buried pipes are?

Have a suitably qualified person prepare site and foundation plans of the building and accurately plot the pipes in relation to your building work. Our records should be treated as a guide only. If doubt exists, contact us as there are various methods available to locate the pipes. The responsibility is to ensure that these service pipes are not built over.

How close can I build to a pipe?

We generally require the structure to be located either:

1.5m from the centre line of the pipe; or
the depth of the pipe plus the distance of the pipe plus 0.2 metres (e.g. 2m depth pipe, 150mm diameter requires distance of 2.0 + 0.15 + 0.2 = 2.35m) which ever is the greatest.

If you are within these distances additional piling may be required.

What if I want to build over the pipes?

We are reluctant to allow buildings or additions to be built over or near pipes, because doing so can damage the pipes and make it difficult to maintain them in the future. In cases where approval is granted, costs to meet conditions must be met by the applicant and these can be significant.

If stormwater, water and/or wastewater pipes are under the ground where you want to build, you have three options:

Consider alternative locations within the property to site the building. This is the most desirable option because the pipes are not affected and there are no costs to you.
Divert the pipes around the building site. This may cost you anywhere between $5,000 and $20,000. Diversion work must be completed before building work starts. Diversion is dependent on the alignments and grades of the existing pipe and is not always possible.
As a last resort, you may be granted permission to build over the pipes, subject to a deed of covenant and a memorandum of encumbrance being registered against the property title. Permission to build over public pipes is granted only in exceptional cases and applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis. The applicant must meet all associated costs including the inspection of the condition of the pipe, and legal documents. Building may commence only when we are satisfied that there are sufficient safeguards in place to protect the pipes.Return to top

Why are there restrictions?

Ideally all pipe work should be within the road reserve, but this is not always possible. Under the Local Government Act, we have the right to have pipes on private property, and to maintain and protect them. Many pipes were installed within private property by the subdividers of the land and we inherited these pipes.

In New Plymouth District there are many kilometres of water, stormwater and wastewater pipes. Some of these pipes are within private property and although some are within registered easements, many older pipes are not but they are legally allowed to remain. We occasionally require access to these pipes for repair or replacement.