Assessing potentially earthquake-prone buildings
Last updated: 15 August 2017
When a territorial authority (local council) identifies a building as potentially earthquake prone, the building owner is required to provide an engineering assessment for their building within 12 months from the date they are notified.
The building owner can apply for one extension of up to 12 months in certain circumstances.
Engineers need to make sure they undertake assessments in accordance with the EPB methodology. The methodology sets out:
- the qualification requirements for engineers
- how to determine the appropriate type of assessment
- the technical requirements for the assessment
- the reporting requirements.
Territorial authorities need to make sure they adequately inform the building owner of their responsibility to provide an engineering assessment that meets the criteria set out in the EPB methodology.
Building owners need to make sure they commission an engineer who knows the requirements of the EPB methodology and has the qualification requirements set out in the EPB methodology.
Assessing parts of buildings
The Building Act refers to a building and a part of a building. This means that engineers assessing potentially earthquake-prone buildings need to consider parts of buildings as well as the overall performance of the whole building.
The methodology to identify earthquake-prone buildings describes how parts of buildings should be considered in engineering assessments of potentially earthquake-prone buildings.
The Seismic Assessment of Existing Buildings sets out the technical methods for engineers undertaking assessments of potentially earthquake-prone buildings.
Building professionals and earthquake-prone buildings has further information.
Earthquake-prone building resources has an information sheet ‘Assessing earthquake-prone buildings’.
Online learning: Assessing earthquake-prone buildings
Learn more by taking the online course about assessing potentially earthquake-prone buildings.