Detached Minor Residential Units (DMRUs) – National Direction (2025)

In 2025, the Government introduced new national planning rules for Detached Minor Residential Units (DMRUs). These rules generally override the Dunedin City Second Generation District Plan (2GP) provisions relating to ancillary residential units.

What is permitted without resource consent?

Under the National Environmental Standards for Detached Minor Residential Units (NES‑DMRU), a DMRU can be built without resource consent if all of the following standards are met:

• Maximum floor area:70m²
• Maximum site coverage:50% (in residential zones)
• Setback from main house:at least 2 metres
• Setbacks from boundaries: at least 2 metres from all front, side, and rear boundaries

These standards apply nationwide.

When do district plan rules apply?

If the proposed DMRU does not meet any one of the NES‑DMRU standards, then the proposal must be assessed under the Dunedin 2GP, and resource consent may be required. The 2GP rules are summarised below under the heading  Dunedin City Second Generation District Plan (2GP)

Important: Other District Plan rules still apply

Even if the DMRU complies with the NES‑DMRU, some district plan rules remain applicable, including those relating to:

• Subdivision
• Natural and cultural heritage protection
• Non-residential use of the unit
• Papakāinga (communal Māori housing)
• Earthworks
• Natural hazards and safety (including setbacks from infrastructure or hazards)
• Infrastructure servicing requirements

If any of these rules are breached, resource consent will still be required.

Dunedin City Second Generation District Plan (2GP)

Ancillary Residential Units in Residential Zones

Under the 2GP, an ancillary residential unit is a small, self-contained dwelling located on a site that already contains a principal residential unit ie. a house/dwelling.

These units are intended to:

• Provide a greater range of housing choice, and
• Maintain the character and amenity of residential areas

There are no occupancy restrictions, meaning the unit does not need to be occupied by a family member or dependent person.

Permitted activity standards

Ancillary residential units are permitted without resource consent in certain residential zones if they meet the following requirements:

• They result in a maximum of two residential units on the site, including the ancillary residential unit.
• The site must meet the minimum site area and maximum development potential requirements as below:

• Maximum floor area:
  • Up to 60m² where the unit is standalone, or;
  • Up to 80m² where: resource consent has been obtained, or the unit is located within the same building as the primary residential unit (in which case consent is not required)
• Maximum height:
  • 3 metres from ground level to the underside of the eaves for standalone ancillary units
• A compliant outdoor living space must be provided (refer to Rule 15.5.11)
• The unit must comply with standard built form controls, including:
  • Boundary setbacks (Rule 15.6.13)
  • Site coverage limits (Rule 15.6.10)

Family Flats in Rural and Rural Residential Zones

Family flats are different from ancillary residential units as they must only be occupied by relatives or dependents of the household occupying the primary residential unit, or by employees such as farm workers or domestic help of the household living in the primary residential unit. They may not be on a different tenancy agreement to the primary residential unit.

To be a permitted activity, family flats need to meet the following standards:

• The primary residential activity must comply with the density for the zone it is located in, i.e., the minimum site size for a residential activity (refer to Rule 16.5.2 for rural zones, or Rule 17.5.2 for rural residential zones).
• The maximum gross floor area is 60m².
• The family flat must be within the same building or located within 30m of the primary residential unit, must have the same driveway and must be connected to the same services as the primary house on the site (these requirements do not apply in the following rural zones: Hill Country, High Country, Middlemarch Basin).

This advice is not site-specific and there may be factors such as natural hazards or landscape overlays which mean that resource consent is required for an ancillary residential unit or family flat.

Subdividing ancillary residential units, family flats or DMRU’s

The 2GP does not provide for subdividing off ancillary units, family flats or DMRUs. Resource consent is required for this, typically as a non-complying activity, as minimum site sizes are unlikely to be met.

Development contributions

Detached Minor Residential Units/Ancillary Units are likely to result in a development contribution being payable to the Dunedin City Council (DCC). Please refer to the DCC's Development Contributions Policy for further information; or email the Development Contributions Team to request an estimate.

Rates

The addition of an Detached Minor Residential Unit/Ancillary Unit will likely increase your rates for the property – due to both an increase in the rateable value and the addition of a second residential unit. The amount of any increase will largely depend on the increase to your rateable value, so it is not possible to estimate what the increase will be until the valuation has been set. Find more information about Rates.

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