Earthquake-prone building rules change
Rules for earthquake-prone buildings change from July 2027.
Building (Earthquake-prone Buildings) Amendment Act 2026 · Starts 1 Jul 2027
What's changing
- The Building Act would add definitions for new earthquake-prone-building terms.
- These terms would include targeted retrofit, facade risk mitigation, engineering evaluations and warning signs.
- The definition of an earthquake-prone building would be replaced, but the replacement wording is not provided here.
- The Act would recognise high, medium and low seismic zones, including some areas previously classed as low risk.
Who's affected
People and organisations covered by New Zealand’s earthquake-prone-building rules would be affected.
When
Most changes start on 1 July 2027; section 17 starts on 26 September 2026, the day after the Act was passed.
Background
No explanatory note was provided, so the reasons for these changes are not stated in the supplied text.