The District Plan provides for ‘working from home’ (sometimes referred to as a ‘home occupation’) as a permitted activity in Residential, Rural Residential, and Rural zones, subject to compliance with the District Plan definition and certain conditions outlined below.
Where the activity complies with the definition and the conditions, it will be permitted and resource consent will not be required. Where the activity cannot meet the definition or is operating outside of the conditions of the activity, then resource consent will be required.
Definition of working from home
The activity ‘working from home’ is defined in the District Plan as:
The use of land and buildings as a place of work, as part of an occupation, craft, profession, or service where the business activity is secondary to the residential use of the property.
In addition, ‘working from home’ must:
- only be carried out by a person or persons living on the site as their principal place of residence; and
- not include any staff (that do not live on site), including any personnel relying on equipment or vehicles stored on the site, or making regular visits to the site.
‘Working from home’ may include retail services (e.g., hairdressing), but this does not include direct retail sales, unless it is the direct sale of goods produced on-site.
‘Working from home’ includes the following activities:
- hosted visitor accommodation, in the form of homestays, bed and breakfast, or similar, for no more than five guests, provided the accommodation is contained within the same residential unit that is being used as the principal place of residence;
- early childhood education for five or fewer children; and
- animal breeding involving one breeding pair of dogs and/or cats.
Conditions of working from home
‘Working from home’ activity must only occur within specified ‘hours of operation’ and within a defined area on the site (maximum gross floor area) to be a permitted activity. These requirements are different depending on the District Plan zoning of the site and are outlined in the table below per zone:
| Zone | Hours of operation | Maximum gross floor area |
|---|---|---|
| Residential | 7am-7pm. Hours of operation don’t apply to homestays, or activities that are undertaken entirely inside a building and don’t involve machinery operation, visitors, customers or deliveries. | 50m² (includes any internal or external area used for storage of materials or goods). |
| Rural Residential | Customers and deliveries must not arrive before 7am or depart after 7pm. This does not apply to homestays. | 100m² (applies only to area used within buildings). Does not apply to the retailing of plants grown on a site. |
| Rural | Customers and deliveries must not arrive before 7am or depart after 7pm. This does not apply to homestays. | 100m² (applies only to area used within buildings). Does not apply to the retailing of plants grown on a site. |
Parking
Visitor parking is not required for ‘working from home’ but if it is provided on-site in the residential zones, it must comply with:
- the car parking standards (dimensions, manoeuvring space etc.) in the Transport section of the District Plan; and
- a mobility park must also be provided on-site.
Other requirements
- Working from home must comply with other District Plan rules where relevant, such as those regarding noise and signage.
- Building consent may be required for any building works relating to working from home.
- Environmental Health requirements e.g., some premises such as food premises and tattooists require certification or registration from Environmental Health. Further information on this can be found on the website here: Registered premises.
For further information or to contact these departments directly please do so via customer services 03 477 4000 or dcc@dcc.govt.nz.