Building Consents

No. A building for a garage use is constructed to different standards from dwellings. You need to decide what the use of the building is then build to the standards required. So, if you intend living in a building, it must be built to dwelling standards.

Sorry, no we cannot. Check the yellow pages and make your own choice.

Yes. All plumbing and drainage work requires a building consent.

What about other services?

Electrical and gas work does not normally need a building consent except for commercial and industrial buildings. Air conditioning systems in commercial and industrial buildings do need building consents.

Most building and demolition work requires a building consent. This includes alterations, additions and new work.  

 Work that does not require a Building Consent (1,236 Kb)

But what if my building is very small?

If the building is less than 10 square metres in size, and has no services in it, and is located at least the height of the building away from any boundary, a consent may not be required. If in doubt ask the Duty Building Control Officer. All other projects will usually need consent before the work is started.

Yes.

Yes. Fire alarm and detection systems for commercial and industrial buildings all need building consents. So too do sprinklers and similar first aid fire fighting systems. You will need to provide smoke detectors throughout your house if you do any building work, even installing a solid fuel heater. No building consent is needed for smoke alarms in detached dwellings.

Your designer should work through the New Zealand Building Code to determine this.

For most single dwellings, no fire wall is needed if all of the building is one metre or more from the boundary and the gutters are more than 650 mm from the boundary.

The New Zealand Building Code is a lengthy and complex document that contains information a non-professional may not understand. Unless you know what you are doing it can be quicker to have the plans prepared by an architect, architectural designer or engineer.

You can draw your own plans but they must show all information needed. Thorough investigation of the site and level taking are all part of the process. Non-professionals who attempt to draw their own plans often become frustrated with the amount of information asked for by Council.

Yes.

Usually less than 20 working days. That time will be extended if the information supplied with the application does not cover the entire job or is incorrect.

It is very important to lodge good plans and specifications. Delays will occur if poor plans and specifications are provided.

The fees vary depending on how big the project is, where it is located and how many inspections are needed. See Building Consents Fees for details.

Council does not offer a design service and neither does it give technical advice. You should talk to an architect, architectural designer, engineer or the product manufacturer.

If you need this advice you should use a professional to draw the plans.

Having a leaking home can be very distressing.  The remedies and legal position with these is complex.  First of all do not ignore the problem.  It will only get worse.  Guidance can be found on the Consumer Build web pages and the link is below.

Leaky home information

You should get two building consents. One is for the removal of the building from the original site. The second is to cover its placement on the new site. You may also need a resource consent.

No, this information must be available under Section 44A of Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA). If you are building a new house or making significant alterations to your existing house you must apply for a building consent. Building consents contain information such as the applicant's name, address, and the type of building work being undertaken plus plans and specifications. All of this information must be released to any person on request.

The information is available to the public on Council's web pages.

If your house has been flooded then there may be health and safety issues for you and your family.  Guidance on restoring a house after flood damage is available from BRANZ.  This document has very good information to help you with the clean up and also guidance about health matters.  Follow the link below to view the guidance.

Restoring a house after flood damage

Any person undertaking building work and the owner of the property involved have committed a breach of the Building Act 2004. It is possible that you will be asked to demolish the work or prove that the building is safe and sanitary. Notice will be issued and prosecution will follow if the notice is not complied with. You may also receive an infringement notice which includes an instant fine.

Too many items to list here but there is an application checklist available which has to be lodged with each application. A copy is available in the Building Consents forms section.

This is a very important document issued by Council when the building is completed and when Council knows that the work complies with the New Zealand Building Code. It is most important if you decide to sell your property.

The building consent process is not complete until a code compliance certificate has been issued. A code compliance certificate is issued by Council once all information is provided and is correct, and that all building work complies with the building consent. You should apply for a code compliance certificate within two years of the date your building consent was issued.

To obtain a code compliance certificate you will need to arrange and have completed a final inspection and complete the application form.  A copy of the form was included with your building consent.

Benefits

Property owners benefit in a number of situations by ensuring work on their property has a code compliance certificate. These situations include:

• selling your home
• applying for loans or other financing
• applying for insurance
• safety and peace of mind.