Quick Answer
In Dunedin the 2026 national granny flat standard is the headline: one detached unit of up to 70m² on most residential and rural sections without resource consent, in a city whose second-generation plan (2GP) previously left far less room. Dunedin was not required to adopt the MDRS, so multiple new dwellings and subdivision still run through the 2GP's own rules, which our screening treats conservatively and honestly.
A 70m² Granny Flat — the 2026 National Standard
From 15 January 2026 the national standard for detached minor residential units (SL 2025/315) applies in Dunedin as everywhere in New Zealand: one detached unit of up to 70m² is a permitted activity on sites in residential, rural, mixed use and Māori purpose zones that already have a main house — no resource consent needed if the standards are met. A companion Building Act exemption removes building consent for a compliant single-storey unit.
The standards that matter: at least 2m from boundaries and from the main house in residential zones (10m front and 5m side and rear in rural zones), total building coverage at or under 50% of the site, and one minor unit per site. District plan hazard overlays and title covenants still apply.
Read the full granny flat rules guideTwo or Three Homes on One Section
Dunedin sits outside the Tier 1 councils, so the government's three-dwelling MDRS was never mandatory here. The 2GP's residential density provisions apply instead, and they vary enough by zone and site that our screening deliberately routes multi-unit questions to a professional check after confirming the zone, slope, tenure and overlay position.
That is a conservative answer by design: we would rather send you to a planner with a clean parcel report than overpromise a density the 2GP will not give you.
Subdividing a Dunedin Section
Subdivision in Dunedin follows the 2GP's lot minimums, which we have not yet independently verified into hard screening numbers. The zone gate, slope, tenure and overlay checks run in full, and the lot arithmetic goes to a professional check.
What the Zoning Map Won’t Tell You
Dunedin's practical constraints are slope and the coastal edge. Our screening measures the parcel's actual slope from LINZ elevation data and flags anything over 15 degrees for geotechnical review, which catches a meaningful share of the city's hillside sections, and checks the district plan hazard layers for the flat land.
Screen Your Dunedin Address, Free
Everything above is the general picture. Your section's answer depends on its exact zone, parcel geometry, existing buildings, slope, tenure and overlays — which is what our feasibility screening computes live from LINZ parcel data and Dunedin City Council's own planning layers, with every rule cited to its source. Screening is free and unlimited across granny flats, multiple dwellings and subdivision.
Screen a Dunedin section freeDunedin Development — Common Questions
See what your Dunedin section could take
Free screening against the actual rules — your zone, your setbacks, your hazard overlays — computed for your address in under a minute, with every rule cited.