Height in Relation to Boundary on a New Zealand Site Plan

Height in relation to boundary is a planning control used to limit the height and bulk of buildings close to neighbouring properties. It creates an imaginary sloping plane—often called a recession plane—that rises inward from a legal boundary.

A building that stays below the applicable plane may comply with this particular planning standard. A wall, roof, dormer, parapet or other part of the building that projects through the plane may require redesign or resource consent.

A New Zealand site plan should identify which boundaries are relevant, show the proposed building’s position and setbacks, and refer clearly to the elevations or sections where the recession-plane assessment is demonstrated.

What Does Height in Relation to Boundary Mean?

Height in relation to boundary controls how tall a building can be as it approaches a relevant property boundary.

The control usually begins at a stated vertical height above ground level at the boundary. From that point, an imaginary line rises inward across the site at a specified angle.

Together, these lines form a three-dimensional building envelope. Relevant parts of the proposed building are generally expected to remain within that envelope unless:

• The district plan provides an exception
• A permitted projection or intrusion applies
• The adjoining owner gives written approval where legally relevant
• The council grants resource consent

MBIE explains that recession planes are commonly measured from a specified point above ground level at a boundary and projected inward at an angle. The exact dimensions depend on the local planning rules.^[1]

Why Do Councils Use Recession Planes?

Recession planes help manage the effects of building bulk near neighbouring properties.

They can help protect:

• Access to daylight
• Sunlight around residential buildings
• A reasonable sense of openness
• Privacy between properties
• Neighbourhood amenity
• The relationship between building height and boundary distance

They do not guarantee uninterrupted sunlight or prevent all overlooking. They are one planning control among several that may also include maximum height, setbacks, coverage, outlook space and outdoor-living requirements.

Recession Plane, Daylight Plane and Height in Relation to Boundary

Different councils and planning documents use slightly different terminology.

Common terms include:

• Height in relation to boundary
• Recession plane
• Daylight recession plane
• Daylight control
• Building envelope
• Sunlight-access plane

These terms are often used for a similar concept, but the legal definition and method must be taken from the planning document applying to the property.

There Is No Single New Zealand-Wide Recession Plane

A common mistake is assuming that every property uses the same starting height and angle.

That is not correct.

For example:

• Some residential rules use a plane beginning 2.5 metres above the boundary at 45 degrees.
• Some higher-density rules use a 4-metre starting height with a 60-degree plane.
• Christchurch residential provisions can use starting heights around 2.3 metres and different directional angles.
• Special overlays, qualifying matters, centre zones and coastal or character areas can use different controls.

Auckland’s Single House Zone provides one example of a 45-degree recession plane measured from 2.5 metres above ground level along applicable side and rear boundaries. Other Auckland residential standards and other councils use different settings.^[2][3]

How a Recession Plane Works

A basic assessment uses four pieces of information:

1. The relevant legal boundary
2. The ground level at that boundary
3. The specified vertical starting height
4. The specified inward angle

The plane is projected inward from the boundary, normally at right angles to it.

As the proposed building moves farther from the boundary, the permitted envelope becomes higher. This is why increasing the setback can sometimes resolve a recession-plane infringement.

Simple illustrative example

Assume a planning rule starts at 2.5 metres above ground level and rises inward at 45 degrees.

At a 45-degree angle, each additional metre of horizontal setback provides approximately one additional metre of height above the starting point.

This is an educational example only. The applicable rule may use a different starting height, angle, ground-level definition or measurement method.

Height in Relation to Boundary Is Not the Same as a Setback

A setback is a horizontal distance between a building and a boundary. Height in relation to boundary is an angled building-envelope control.

Example

A house may satisfy a required 1-metre side setback but still breach the recession plane because:

• The wall is tall
• The roof pitch is steep
• The floor is raised
• The site slopes down toward the neighbour
• A dormer or upper-storey projection extends into the plane

What Is a Relevant Boundary?

The recession-plane rule generally applies to boundaries identified by the applicable district plan.

These may include:

• Side boundaries
• Rear boundaries
• Boundaries adjoining residential zones
• Boundaries adjoining lower-intensity zones
• Cross-lease or licence boundaries in some Building Code contexts
• Boundaries associated with access lots or access strips

Road boundaries are often treated differently, although that depends on the rule.

Some boundaries may be exempt where:

• The neighbouring property is a road
• The boundary adjoins open space
• Two buildings share an approved common wall
• The adjoining site has a compatible higher-intensity zoning
• A specific exception in the district plan applies

The site plan should label the boundaries being assessed and note any boundary that is excluded under the rule.

Cross-Lease and Unit-Title Boundaries

Boundary assessment can become more complicated on cross-lease and unit-title properties.

The drawing may need to distinguish:

• The outside freehold boundary
• Registered flats-plan building boundaries
• Exclusive-use areas
• Common areas
• Unit boundaries
• Licence or occupation boundaries

Do not assume that only the outside title boundary matters. Planning definitions, Building Code fire provisions and private ownership arrangements can refer to different boundary concepts.

Read Site Plan Requirements for Cross-Lease Properties in New Zealand.

What Ground Level Is Used?

The starting height is generally measured from a defined ground level at the relevant boundary.

The applicable definition may refer to:

• Existing ground level
• Natural ground level
• Finished ground level
• The lower of existing or proposed ground level
• A surveyed level at the boundary
• A level adjusted for previous filling or excavation

This is especially important where:

• The site slopes
• Retaining walls exist
• The site has been filled
• The neighbouring property is lower
• Earthworks are proposed
• Flood requirements raise the finished floor level

A one-metre error in boundary ground level can materially change the apparent recession-plane compliance.

Existing Ground Versus Proposed Ground

Artificially raising the ground beside a boundary does not necessarily allow the recession plane to begin from the new higher level.

Councils may require:

• Existing surveyed contours
• Proposed contours
• Cut-and-fill depths
• Retaining-wall heights
• Boundary spot levels
• Evidence of the original ground profile

The designer should identify the level source clearly rather than labelling all levels simply as “ground.”

What Should the Site Plan Show?

1. Complete Legal Boundaries

Show the full legal property outline rather than only the boundary nearest the proposed building.

Include:

• Front boundary
• Rear boundary
• Both side boundaries
• Boundary lengths
• Street frontage
• Access legs or rights of way
• Angled or curved boundaries

The boundary information should come from reliable cadastral, title or survey information.

2. Proposed Building Footprint

Show the complete footprint of the proposed building and distinguish it from existing structures.

Include:

• External wall line
• Attached garage
• Upper-floor projection
• Covered entrance
• Decks and balconies
• Verandahs
• Chimneys and prominent projections

A recession-plane assessment based only on the ground-floor walls can miss an upper storey, roof edge or balcony that sits closer to the boundary.

3. Roof and Eave Outline

Show the roof outline where it differs from the wall footprint.

This is important because the following parts can breach the plane:

• Roof ridge
• Hip or gable roof edges
• Eaves
• Gutters
• Dormers
• Parapets
• Canopies
• Chimneys

Some planning rules allow specified projections to intrude into the recession plane. Do not assume every eave, chimney or dormer is automatically excluded.

4. Shortest Boundary Setbacks

Dimension the shortest horizontal distance from the relevant parts of the building to each applicable boundary.

Depending on the design, show distances from:

• External wall
• Upper-floor wall
• Balcony edge
• Roof-supporting post
• Covered patio
• Garage wall
• Other significant projection

The council should not need to estimate the distance from the graphic scale.

5. Label the Relevant Boundaries

Use a clear identifier for each boundary, such as:

• Boundary A–B
• Western Side Boundary
• Eastern Side Boundary
• Rear Boundary
• Road Boundary—Plane Not Applicable

Use the same identifier on the site plan, elevations, sections and compliance schedule.

6. Section and Elevation Markers

The site plan should show where each recession-plane section is cut.

A useful marker might identify:

• Section A–A through western boundary
• Section B–B through eastern boundary
• South elevation assessed against rear boundary
• Critical roof corner assessment

The section should run perpendicular to the relevant boundary where required by the assessment method.

7. Existing and Proposed Ground Levels

Show enough level information to establish the plane accurately.

This can include:

• Boundary spot levels
• Building-corner levels
• Existing contours
• Proposed contours
• Top and bottom of retaining walls
• Cut-and-fill depths

Where the property slopes along a boundary, several sections may be needed because the available building envelope changes with the ground level.

8. Finished Floor Levels

Show the finished floor level because it affects the height of the walls, roof and upper floors relative to the boundary.

For split-level or multi-storey buildings, label:

• Ground-floor FFL
• Garage FFL
• Upper-floor level
• Deck or balcony level
• Roof-ridge level

A raised floor may be necessary for flooding or foundation design but can increase a recession-plane infringement.

9. Building Height

Show the vertical dimensions or levels needed to understand the building form.

These may include:

• Wall or top-plate height
• Eave height
• Parapet height
• Roof-ridge height
• Dormer height
• Chimney height
• Maximum overall building height

Maximum building height and height in relation to boundary are separate controls. A building can comply with one and breach the other.

What Should the Section or Elevation Show?

The detailed assessment is usually easier to understand on an elevation or section than on the site plan alone.

Show:

• The relevant boundary line
• Ground level at the boundary
• The required starting height
• The required recession-plane angle
• Horizontal building setback
• Existing ground profile
• Proposed ground profile
• Finished floor level
• External wall
• Roof outline
• Ridge, parapet or highest relevant point
• Any permitted projection
• Any infringement area

How to Show a Complying Building

For a complying design, the elevation or section should make it clear that the complete relevant building profile remains below the recession plane.

A useful note may state:

Proposed building remains within the applicable height-in-relation-to-boundary envelope along Boundary A–B. Refer to Section A–A.

The note should be supported by dimensions and levels rather than used as a substitute for the assessment.

How to Show an Infringement

Where the building breaches the plane, show the infringement precisely.

Identify:

• The boundary affected
• The part of the building affected
• Maximum vertical infringement
• Horizontal or along-boundary extent
• Total length of the affected roof or wall
• Ground levels used
• Any permitted-intrusion provision considered

A resource consent drawing may use distinct hatching to show the part extending through the plane.

Avoid vague notes such as “minor breach.” The council needs measurable information.

Permitted Projections and Intrusions

Many district plans allow limited projections through a recession plane.

Possible examples include:

• Eaves
• Gutters
• Chimneys
• Flues
• Antennas
• Solar equipment
• Dormers
• Gable ends
• Small architectural features

The permitted dimensions and conditions vary. A projection should be labelled and assessed against the exact exception rather than ignored.

Gable Ends

Gable roofs can create a triangular projection through a recession plane even when the wall and eaves comply.

Some district plans provide a specific gable-end allowance where:

• The gable faces the boundary
• Its width is below a specified maximum
• The plane intersects the gable above a specified point
• The total permitted intrusion is limited

Show the gable clearly on the relevant elevation and cite the provision being relied upon.

Dormers, Parapets and Chimneys

Small vertical features can become the highest point relative to the plane.

Show:

• Width
• Height
• Distance from the boundary
• Relationship to the roof
• Whether an exception applies

A chimney exemption may not automatically cover a broad decorative parapet or enclosed roof feature.

Sloping Sites

Sloping sites require careful level information because the recession plane begins from the ground at the boundary.

On a boundary that rises or falls, the building envelope also changes along its length.

The application may need:

• A topographic survey
• Boundary spot levels
• Several cross-sections
• Longitudinal boundary profiles
• Three-dimensional modelling
• A compliance diagram at every critical building corner

Using one average boundary level can hide an infringement at the lower end of the site.

Retaining Walls and Filled Ground

Retaining walls can complicate the assessment where one side of the boundary is higher than the other.

Show:

• Wall location
• Wall height
• Ground level on both sides
• Original ground level where known
• Proposed fill
• Boundary location relative to the wall

Do not assume the top of a retaining wall is automatically the correct recession-plane datum.

Neighbouring Ground Is Lower

Some planning provisions require the lower adjoining ground level to be considered where the neighbouring property sits below the applicant’s site.

This can reduce the permitted envelope and make the proposed building appear taller from the neighbour’s property.

A survey may need to include:

• Levels along both sides of the boundary
• Existing retaining structures
• Neighbouring finished ground
• Any historic filling

Multi-Storey Houses

Upper floors are more likely to approach or breach the plane.

The assessment should show:

• Lower and upper wall lines
• Upper-floor cantilevers
• Balconies
• Roof terraces
• Parapets
• Roof ridge
• Stair or lift projections

Possible design responses include:

• Moving the upper storey away from the boundary
• Reducing wall height
• Changing the roof pitch
• Using a hipped rather than gable roof
• Lowering the finished floor level
• Increasing the ground-floor setback

Garages, Sheds and Sleepouts

Accessory buildings may also need to comply with height-in-relation-to-boundary rules.

This applies even where the structure does not require building consent.

Show:

• Building dimensions
• Maximum height
• Roof shape
• Boundary setback
• Existing ground level
• Relevant recession-plane section

MBIE advises owners of consent-exempt detached buildings to check district-plan recession-plane requirements and other planning controls before construction.^[1]

Does Building-Consent Exemption Remove the Rule?

No.

Building-consent requirements and resource-management requirements are separate.

A small shed or sleepout can be exempt from building consent but still require resource consent because it:

• Breaches the height-in-relation-to-boundary plane
• Sits inside a required yard
• Exceeds site coverage
• Affects a protected feature
• Conflicts with an overlay or consent notice

When Is Resource Consent Required?

Resource consent may be required when a building projects beyond the applicable plane and no permitted exception applies.

The council may consider effects such as:

• Loss of sunlight
• Daylight reduction
• Visual dominance
• Privacy
• Outlook
• Effects on outdoor living areas
• Effects on neighbouring windows
• Consistency with neighbourhood character

Wellington City Council identifies height in relation to boundary as a type of boundary activity that can require resource consent when the applicable standard is not met.^[4]

Written Approval From a Neighbour

A council may ask whether affected adjoining owners have provided written approval.

Written approval can be useful, but it does not automatically:

• Make the project a permitted activity
• Guarantee resource consent
• Remove effects on other people
• Override easements or covenants
• Replace building consent

The neighbour should normally receive the same plans that are submitted to council, including the recession-plane infringement.

Changes to the proposal after approval may require the approval to be obtained again.

How to Reduce a Recession-Plane Breach

Possible design changes include:

• Moving the building farther from the boundary
• Lowering the finished floor level
• Reducing wall height
• Reducing roof pitch
• Changing a gable roof to a hip roof
• Stepping back the upper storey
• Removing or relocating a dormer
• Lowering a parapet
• Reducing a balcony projection
• Changing the location of the tallest building portion

A small horizontal relocation can create a meaningful increase in available height, particularly under steeper recession-plane angles.

Height in Relation to Boundary Versus Maximum Height

Height in Relation to Boundary Versus Shadow Diagrams

A recession-plane assessment and a shadow study are not the same.

The recession plane is a geometric planning standard. A shadow diagram models the shadows created by the building at selected dates and times.

A project can:

• Comply with the recession plane but still cast some shadow
• Breach the recession plane but have limited practical shading effects
• Require both a recession-plane diagram and shadow analysis for resource consent

Common Site Plan Mistakes

Using the wrong council rule

Starting heights, angles and exemptions vary between district plans and zones.

Showing only the fence line

The recession plane must be based on the relevant legal boundary, not an unverified fence.

Leaving the roof outline off the site plan

The ridge, eaves, dormers or upper storey may be the critical parts of the assessment.

Using one section for an irregular building

Several corners or roof projections may need separate assessment.

Using an average boundary level

Sloping boundaries should be assessed using appropriate levels along their length.

Ignoring proposed fill

The applicable ground-level definition may not permit the plane to start from newly raised land.

Forgetting an upper-floor cantilever

A projecting room can sit closer to the boundary than the ground-floor wall.

Showing a plane parallel to the boundary

The plane is commonly projected inward at right angles to the boundary, subject to the applicable rule.

Failing to label the angle and starting height

The reviewer should be able to confirm which rule has been applied.

Calling every roof projection permitted

Only projections meeting the district plan’s exact conditions can rely on an exception.

Assuming neighbour approval removes the need for consent

Written approval affects the assessment of that person’s effects but does not automatically change the activity status.

Submitting inconsistent levels

The site plan, elevations, sections and topographic survey should use the same datum and floor levels.

Height-in-Relation-to-Boundary Checklist

• Confirm the correct property and legal title
• Identify the current zone and relevant overlays
• Find the applicable height-in-relation-to-boundary rule
• Confirm which boundaries the rule applies to
• Confirm the starting height
• Confirm the recession-plane angle
• Confirm the ground-level definition
• Check permitted projections and exceptions
• Verify legal boundary positions
• Obtain accurate boundary ground levels
• Show the complete wall and roof outlines
• Dimension the shortest setbacks
• Label each relevant boundary
• Add section and elevation markers
• Show finished floor and roof levels
• Assess every critical building corner
• Show any infringement precisely
• Confirm whether resource consent is required

Information to Gather Before Ordering

• Property address
• Record of title
• Lot and deposited-plan details
• Existing cadastral or topographic survey
• Legal boundary dimensions
• Boundary spot levels
• Existing and proposed contours
• Proposed floor plans
• Roof plan
• Exterior elevations
• Building sections
• Finished floor levels
• Wall, eave and ridge heights
• Boundary setbacks
• Retaining-wall information
• Cut-and-fill details
• Applicable district-plan rule
• Any council planning advice
• Neighbouring-building information where relevant
• Photographs of the site and boundaries

Order a Height-in-Relation-to-Boundary Site Plan

NZ Site Plan can prepare a clear property drawing showing the legal boundaries, proposed building footprint, roof outline, boundary setbacks, relevant boundary labels, site levels and section references needed for a height-in-relation-to-boundary assessment.

The drawing can be prepared using title information, an existing survey, topographic levels, floor plans, elevations, measurements and photographs supplied by the property owner or designer.

Where the project requires architectural design, cadastral surveying, topographic surveying, planning interpretation, shadow analysis or a resource-consent application, those services must be obtained separately from the appropriate qualified professional.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is height in relation to boundary?

It is a planning control that limits building height according to the building’s distance from a specified boundary.

Is it the same as a recession plane?

Usually, yes. Recession plane and daylight plane are common names for the inclined building-envelope control.

What is the standard angle in New Zealand?

There is no single standard angle for every property. Angles, starting heights and applicable boundaries differ between councils, zones and overlays.

Where does the plane start?

It starts from the height and ground-level datum specified by the applicable district plan at the relevant boundary.

Does the plane apply to the front boundary?

Not always. Many rules focus on side and rear boundaries, but the exact boundaries must be checked for the property.

Does meeting the setback mean the building complies?

No. A building can satisfy the minimum horizontal setback while its wall or roof still projects through the recession plane.

Do eaves count?

They may. Some district plans allow limited eave projections, while others use specific dimensions or conditions.

Does a chimney count?

A limited chimney projection may be permitted under some rules. Check the exact exception rather than assuming it is excluded.

How is the rule checked on a sloping site?

Accurate boundary levels and multiple sections may be required because the permitted envelope changes as the ground rises or falls.

Can I use council GIS contours?

GIS information can assist preliminary planning, but surveyed levels may be needed where compliance is close or the site is steep.

Can a consent-exempt shed breach the plane?

Yes. Exemption from building consent does not remove district-plan controls or resource-consent requirements.

What happens when the building breaches the plane?

The design may need to be changed, or resource consent may be required if no permitted exception applies.

Does neighbour approval make the breach permitted?

No. Written approval can affect how the council assesses effects on that neighbour, but the activity can still require resource consent.

Can NZ Site Plan certify planning compliance?

NZ Site Plan can prepare the property drawing using the dimensions, levels and rules supplied. Formal planning interpretation, certification and resource-consent advice should be obtained from the council or a qualified planner where required.