Restricted Building Work (RBW)
If you’re doing or supervising building or design work as part of the construction or alteration of residential buildings, this work may be classified as ‘restricted building work’ (RBW). You must be a licensed building practitioner in the appropriate class to do or supervise this type of work.
A lot of residential building work will include RBW.
If the work does not require a building consent then it is not RBW.
Building categories covered by RBW
RBW relates to residential construction and design, for certain houses and small to medium apartment buildings. It can be new construction, or alterations to an existing building.
Definition of a house
For the purposes of RBW, a house is a free-standing, fully detached building consisting of a single residential unit. It can also have one or more residential facilities such as a foyer, laundry, garage, etc.
Definition of a small to medium apartment building
For the purposes of RBW, a small to medium apartment building:
- contains 2 or more residential units (apartments) or residential facilities (foyer, laundry, garage, etc)
- does not contain commercial units or facilities (it has no shops)
- has a maximum height of less than 10m (the vertical distance between the highest point of its roof – excluding aerials, chimneys, flagpoles and vents – and the lowest point of the ground).
Types of work that are RBW
RBW is building or design work that is critical to the integrity of a building. In particular, it ensures the building is structurally sound and weathertight.
RBW includes:
- the primary structure (construction or alteration) – all the structural elements of the building that contribute to resisting vertical and horizontal loads
- external moisture management systems (construction or alteration) – the building elements and systems which prevent the ingress of external moisture and help control moisture within the building fabric
- fire safety systems(design) – the building elements intended to protect people and property from fire.
Is it RBW? Get the verdict
Use this flowchart to identify if building work is RBW:
Click image to view full size.
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Does the work need a building consent – for example, is it covered by Schedule 1 of the Building Act 2004
No – The work is not Restricted Building Work (End workflow here if the answer is No)
Yes – Does the work involve design or construction/alteration? – for example, the work is demolition of removal work
No – The work is not Restricted Building Work (End workflow here if the answer is No)
Yes – Is the building residential? – for example, is it an office building, school, prison, hospital, stadium, ancillary building or outbuilding
No – The work is not Restricted Building Work (End workflow here if the answer is No)
Yes – Does the work involve a house (of any height) or an apartment building less than 10 metres high? – for example, is it an apartment building with more than 2-3 stories
No – The work is not Restricted Building Work (End workflow here if the answer is No)
Yes – If an apartment, is it purely residential, eg no shops?
No – The work is not Restricted Building Work (End workflow here if the answer is No)
Yes – Does the work relate to primary structure?
Yes – This work is Restricted Building Work (End workflow here if the answer is Yes)
No – Does the work relate to external moisture management?
Yes – This work is Restricted Building Work (End workflow here if the answer is Yes)
No – Does the work relate to design of fire safety systems for a small-to-medium-sized apartment building
Yes – This work is Restricted Building Work (End workflow here if the answer is Yes)
No – The work is not Restricted Building Work (End workflow here if the answer is No)
Image description
Something is Restricted Building Work (RBW) if:
- it involves the design, construction or alteration of a building; and
- the building work requires a building consent; and
- that building is a residential house or a multi-unit building of less than 10 metres in total height; and
- the building is purely residential; and
- the work relates to the primary structure or external moisture management in any building, or the design of fire safety systems in a multi-unit building.
In this section
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Design process
Designing primary structure, the weathertight elements, or fire safety systems on residential buildings may be classified as Restricted Building Work (RBW).
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Construction process
Before restricted building work commences under a building consent, the owner must give the council written notice of the name of every licensed building practitioner (LBP) who is engaged to carry out or supervise the restricted building work (RBW).