8 Site Checks to Nail Before You Order Your Shed

What slows a shed project during council consent? More often than not, it’s where you’re putting your shed. Councils assess several site factors, and if you don’t meet the rules, you can hit delays, RFIs, and rework.

The good news: most of these can be identified early. Do the homework up front, and you’ll speed up consenting, price accurately, and avoid costly surprises. In this guide, we cover eight site checks to sort before you lock in your shed design.

Quick Links:

• Boundary setbacks
• Height restrictions
• Flood zones
• Outstanding natural areas & overlays
• Ground conditions
• Site-works restrictions
• Stormwater disposal
• Proximity to powerlines

1) Boundary setbacks 

On a rural block, a boundary setback is simply how far your shed must sit from the legal boundary. As a ballpark, many councils ask for about 6 metres to side and rear boundaries, but this can be anywhere from 1m to 20m. Along a road boundary, the required setbacks are usually larger. 10–15 metres is common on rural roads, and can increase on state highways. The key thing: The setback distance varies by district plan and zone, so don’t lock in the layout until you’ve checked what rules apply to your site. 

If you need to build closer to the boundary than your current setback allows, there are two ways you can go about this: 

The first is a Deemed Permitted Boundary Activity (DPBA) - the process followed for projects that infringe on the district plan boundary rules. A DPBA  works when the only rule you’re breaching is the distance from the side or rear boundary, and if the affected neighbour gives written approval. If that’s not possible, the second option is to get resource consent,  which costs more and takes longer, with no guaranteed outcome.

If you are unsure of the exact setbacks for your property, get in touch with our team, and we can do some research for you and advise what is possible. 

2) Height restrictions

On some rural sites, councils can cap overall shed height (usually measured from existing ground to the ridge). Some councils may even add extra limits if you’re close to a boundary. It's important to note that the exact measurements vary by district and zone. If you’re over the height limit, you could reduce the roof pitch to bring the apex height down or shift the shed further from the boundaries. If this still doesn't meet the requirements on your site, you’ll likely need resource consent, which adds time and isn’t guaranteed.

3) Flood zones

Many rural blocks sit in mapped flood zones or have overland flow paths that show on council GIS maps. If your shed lands in one, Council may set minimum floor levels, or ask for an engineer’s input on flow paths and scour.

It can be difficult to get approval when building in a flood zone, and we would recommend moving the shed out of the flood zone whenever that option is possible. If you must build in a hazard area, expect to lift the finished floor level, shape the pad to keep water moving, and sort stormwater so you’re not diverting excess water to your neighbouring property.

Every district maps this differently, so check your property on the council viewer before you finalise your exact shed location. 

4) Outstanding natural areas & overlays

Some rural sites sit under extra planning layers like Outstanding Natural Landscapes/Features, Significant Natural Areas, and coastal or heritage overlays. These don’t ban sheds, but they do tighten the rules. You might face stricter height/earthworks limits, rules around  specific cladding colours and reflectivity, and, in some cases, have to provide a landscape or ecology assessment with your application.

Often a resource consent is required to build in these areas. You may also have to choose your cladding from a limited colour range with a low sheen, and keep cuts and fills tidy. If you must build inside an overlay, plan to provide extra evidence and prepare for a longer consenting process.

5) Ground conditions

Councils don't always ask for a Geotech report if the area you are building is widely known to be good quality ground with good load-bearing; however, we are noticing that councils are asking for them more regularly. If your site location has soft soil, fill, peat, high groundwater or a large site cut, you will likely need to get a full geotech report done by a Geo engineer. This report confirms load bearing capacity of the ground and ensures the shed footing design is going to be suitable.

If your platform is firm, natural ground, site prep can be straightforward: Strip topsoil to hard ground and spread 200–400 mm of AP20 (or similar) gravel, and compact. When the ground conditions have poor load-bearing capability, special footings often need to be engineered. This can add significant cost and can mean your shed building consent is delayed until the council has satisfactory evidence of compliance from the engineers.

If you know your ground conditions are soft or peaty, we recommend getting a Geotech engineer to site early in the planning process, as this will help your shed company give you more accurate costings and speed the consenting process up. 

6) Site-works restrictions

In some rural areas, there are limits on earthworks, noise and timing. Some councils cap how many square meters of site works you can do and how much you can cut or fill before resource consent is needed. They may expect you to keep stockpiles tidy, control dust and sediment, and even carry out the site works in the dry seasons to avoid damage to the surrounding area. If you’re near a watercourse, rules tighten again. Before you start siteworks, make sure there are no restrictions in place, and check your local earthworks requirements. 

7) Stormwater disposal

Your shed’s roof collects a lot of water, and this has to be discharged correctly. On rural sites, stormwater is often captured in soak pits or channelled into a natural swale if the water isn't collected in tanks. However, in some cases, extra steps may have to be taken to ensure compliance. For example, there are some locations that forbid uncontrolled stormwater discharge if you are within 100m of a natural waterway. If you are located in one of these zones, special rules apply to ensure all stormwater is captured.

8) Proximity to powerlines

Proximity to overhead powerlines is another factor that can significantly delay your project. Your shed will need to be a safe distance from these powerlines, and that distance depends on the voltage of those lines. If you cannot move the shed location, the powerlines will need to be moved, which can be a very costly and time-consuming process.  

If you do these checks early in your planning phase rather than leaving it to chance with your local council, this will save you a lot of time, money and compliance headaches.

If you’re unsure which rules apply to your block, get in touch with the team at Alpine, and we can carry out initial site-specific research to ensure your dream shed is achievable.

While it is difficult to foresee every council compliance hurdle, many are avoidable with good research and planning.