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Do I need building plans?

Pick what you want to build. Each answer gives the rule, where it comes from, and what your council may add to it.

Do I need plans?Reference
Law
NBR Act 103 of 1977, s4 and s13
Standard
SANS 10400-A
Items
27
Checked
October 2026
AviaryDependsAn aviary up to 20 m² is minor building work: the council can waive plans, but you apply. Johannesburg lists aviaries under 20 m² on its exemption list.Boundary wallDependsA freestanding wall up to 1.8 m that does not hold back soil is minor building work: plans can be waived, but you apply first. Higher walls and retaining walls need plans.Building on a farmPlans neededThere is no general farm exemption in the Act: farm buildings need approved plans like any other, unless they qualify as minor building work.Built-in braaiDependsA braai is not on the minor works list, so it is the council's call. One with a chimney, under a roof, or a whole braai room is a building and needs plans.CarportDependsAn open-sided carport up to 40 m² is minor building work: the council can waive full plans, but you apply first. Johannesburg treats carports as a plan submission. Enclosed, it is a garage and needs plans.DeckDependsNo national rule names decks. A roofed or enclosed deck attached to the house is an extension and needs plans; for a low open deck or a raised one, ask your council.Enclosing a stoepPlans neededEnclosing a stoep, veranda or patio adds floor area and changes the building, so it needs plans, and it has to fit within the building lines and coverage.GaragePlans neededAn enclosed garage is not minor building work, so it needs approved plans, whether it stands on its own or is attached to the house. Only a carport (walls on no more than two sides) or open-sided shelter up to 40 m² is minor work.Garage conversionPlans neededTurning a garage into a room is an alteration and a change of use, so it needs approved plans. Check the zoning's parking rule before you lose the garage.Garden shedDependsA tool shed up to 10 m² is minor building work: plans can be waived, but you apply first. At 5 m² or less the national rules need no application. Bigger sheds need plans.Granny flatPlans neededA granny flat is a second dwelling. It needs approved plans, and before that your zoning has to allow it, which in some places means a consent application.Internal wallsDependsMoving a non-structural internal wall is minor building work: you apply, but plans can be waived. Taking out a load-bearing wall needs plans and an engineer.LapaPlans neededA lapa is a roofed building and is not on the minor building work list, so plans are the safe assumption. Thatched lapas also have fire-distance rules from boundaries and other buildings.Palisade fence and gateDependsA steel palisade fence is not named on the national list. Councils usually treat one up to 1.8 m as minor building work, so plans are normally waived but you apply first. A wire fence needs nothing at all.Patio roofPlans neededA solid roof over a patio, fixed to the house, is an extension and normally needs approved plans. An open slatted pergola is different and needs no plans.PavingUsually exemptPaving is usually not a building plans question, but your council has the final say. Raised or retaining edges, coverage and stormwater rules can still apply.PergolaDependsNationally a pergola needs neither plans nor an application, but Johannesburg still asks for a motivation letter and sketch. It must stay open: add a solid roof and it becomes an extension.Prefab, Nutec or container homePlans neededA prefab, Nutec, log or container home is a building like any other and needs approved plans. Systems outside the standard building rules also need an Agrément certificate or an engineer's rational design.Rental roomsPlans neededRooms built to let are dwellings. They need approved plans, zoning rights for the number of units, and an occupancy certificate before anyone moves in.Replacing a roofDependsReplacing a roof with the same or similar material is minor building work. A different, heavier covering or a new roof structure needs plans.Retaining wallPlans neededA wall that holds back soil is excluded from the minor works wall rule, so it needs plans, and normally an engineer's design.Solar geyserDependsA solar water heater up to 6 m² on a roof, or 12 m² elsewhere, is minor building work: plans can be waived, but you apply first.Solar panelsDependsSolar panels on a roof are not on the minor works list. Whether your council wants plans depends on the council and the mounting; every grid-tied system needs the municipality's electrical registration.Swimming poolPlans neededPools are on the national minor works list, but Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni process them as plan submissions with their own fees. Pool safety fencing is a legal duty either way.Water tank and standDependsA ground-level rainwater tank is rarely a plans question. A large tank on a raised stand carries tonnes of water and is a structure the council may want to see.Wendy houseDependsA child's playhouse up to 5 m², or a wendy house used purely as a tool shed up to 10 m², is minor building work. Used as a room, office or rental, it is a building and needs plans and the right zoning.Windows and doorsDependsSwapping a door for a window (or the reverse) without widening the opening is minor building work. A new opening in a load-bearing wall needs plans.

Under the building regulations, small structures count as minor building work: the council's building control officer may exempt them from full plans under section 13 of the Act. You still apply for that authorisation before you build. Only a handful of things need neither plans nor an application at all.

What counts as minor building work

From Regulation A1 of the National Building Regulations (SANS 10400-A):

Structure or workLimit
Carport, or open-sided car, caravan or boat shelter40 m²
Freestanding wall or wire fence, not retaining soil1.8 m high
Tool shed, poultry house, change room at a pool10 m²
Child's playhouse, cycle shed5 m²
Greenhouse15 m²
Aviary20 m²
Solar water heater6 m² on a roof, 12 m² elsewhere
Any pergola, any private swimming pool
Replacing a roof with the same or similar material
Door to window or window to door, opening not widened
Opening in, or removing, a non-structural wall

The building control officer may also treat "any other building" as minor work where plans are not necessary.

What needs nothing at all

Regulation A2 exempts from both plans and the application: minor building work of 5 m² or less (a small tool or cycle shed, for example), a pergola, a wire fence, and an open-sided fabric-covered shelter for a car, caravan or boat. A small room or anything people live or work in is not minor work, whatever its size. Some councils, Johannesburg among them, still ask for a motivation letter for listed structures.

Exempt is not lawless

Minor building work still has to keep to building lines, servitudes and the zoning, and to any regulations the building control officer sets as a condition. Councils charge for the application: Johannesburg R523 on a Residential 1 stand (R836 other zonings, 2026/27 draft tariff), Tshwane R920 (2025/26), Ekurhuleni R647.07 per building plus the occupancy certificate application fee (2026/27).

Sources

  1. National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act 103 of 1977 (the dtic copy)
  2. SANS 10400-A:2010, Regulations A1 and A2 (minor building work)
  3. City of Johannesburg CPMS submission checklists (minor works list)
  4. City of Johannesburg minor works exemption form
  5. City of Tshwane tariffs 2025/26, Schedule 16
  6. Ekurhuleni Schedule 7 tariffs 2026/27
  7. City of Johannesburg tariffs 2026/27 (council item 79, copy)

Checked October 2026. Councils change their tariffs every July, so confirm fees before you pay.

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