Applying for a Building Consent

How do I choose a design professional?

We suggest using people with appropriate qualifications, skills and experience who are either part of an industry organisations, e.g. Engineering New Zealand or are licensed building practitioners.

It’s important to note that if your project is residential and contains restricted building work, you must use a licensed building practitioner (LBP)  to do or supervise the design work.

Professionals who can help you design your building or renovation project may include:

• Registered architects
• Architectural designers or draughtsperson
• Chartered professional engineers (for specific, more complex design)
• Builders or a building companies who may be able to arrange your drawings and designs (often referred to as 'group home builders)

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has guidance on its website on choosing a design professional.

The Consumer Protection website also has some useful tips.

Detail required in plans and supporting material

Checklist for good building plans

• Keep plans specific and relevant: Plans, supporting material and specifications must be site and project specific and only include information that relates to the job.
• Use recognised scales: Plans must also be drawn to recognised scales.
• Reference Building Code/Act: Plans and specifications must clearly show how the work will comply with the Building Code/Act
• Outline proposed work: Outline the specific building work you would like to do.
• Include product information: Product information should also be included, and this must also be site and project-specific, and relevant.

• Information required for a commercial building consent
• Information required for a residential building consent

Commercial work

Where the work is commercial (or includes a residential cable car) the application must include information on specified systems. You must also include the performance standards to which the specified systems will be installed, and the inspection maintenance and reporting procedures to be listed on the compliance schedule.

Fire reports or engineering design

When submitting fire reports or engineering design, you should ensure the person providing that information to you is suitably qualified and experienced. If your fire design has an alternate solution or specific engineering design you should only use chartered professional engineers for these specialised roles.

Proposed inspection, maintenance and reporting procedures for specified systems

If your building includes specified systems such as fire sprinklers, alarms, backflow preventers, emergency lighting etc., your application must include information on these. This should include the

• Performance standards to which the specified systems will be installed
• Inspection maintenance and reporting procedures to be listed on the compliance schedule.

Performance standards should include references to:

EITHER a specific Building Code performance or
OR if referring to Standards or Acceptable Solutions, the references should include dates and versions of the documents referred to.

Note: For single household unit this section only applies if you have a cable car.

Applications for minor variations or amendments to a consent

Amendments to building consents must be made before the work is done. This application can be made by completing the Building Consent Amendment Form 2.

To expedite the processing of your building consent application, it's essential to clearly highlight ("cloud") the area of the work being altered. This practice helps reviewers quickly identify changes and ensures a more efficient assessment.

Minor variations are small changes that can usually be approved by the inspector onsite. It is in you/your builder’s best interest to raise these with the inspector as soon as possible. You may need to provide drawings etc. showing what the minor variation is. Council don’t have an application form for minor variations. To submit a minor variation at any stage during the consent process please contact the Duty Building Technician.

Guide for applying for building consents

VIEW MBIE'S INFORMATION ON APPLYING FOR A BUILDING CONSENT

Helpful hints for the building consent process

This section provides further guidance to help assist the building consent process.

Carefully select design and building professionals

Having a design and building professionals is the key to enjoying a smooth building consent process.

We suggest you:

• Ask your friends and family if they can recommend anyone
• Ask the design or building professional to provide references
• Check to see if they are licensed building practitioners (residential) and if they are part of any recognised industry groups. If so, check any complaints or concerns have been made about them.
• Ask if they have done the type of work you are wanting before you engage them.

If your products aren’t tried and true, seek advice first

Think about suitability, as well as the ongoing costs associated with maintenance and replacement of products and systems. Are the products/systems ‘tried and true’, or do you want to use ones that are innovative? If you want to use innovative products, ask your designer what they know about these products and ask your builder/tradesperson if they have used them before.

Read Council documents carefully and ask if unsure

If you don't understand your building consent documents once you've read them, you are welcome to ring our helpful Duty Building Technician on 06 87 5100 and discuss.

Act early if you have concerns

Is your building consent application going backwards and forwards with Council? Is the consent being delayed by ongoing questions your designer can’t seem to resolve? Is there an issue with every inspection? Are inspections constantly failing? Is the site mostly clean and tidy? Can the builder answer your questions in a way that makes sense?

If you are starting to worry about the project you should seek expert advice as soon as possible. Council can help in some areas but we cannot help over issues of contract. Council will not impose barriers to obtaining a building consent unless something is not right.