Certificates of Acceptance
A Certificate of Acceptance (COA) is a mechanism for the acceptance of building work that has been carried out without a Building Consent. It provides verification for the owner of a building that part, or all, of specified building work complies with the Building Code.
A Certificate of Acceptance can be issued where:
- Building work has been carried out in urgency to avoid health and safety risks.
- Work that required building consent was carried out after 1 July, 1992 without a building consent.
- An approved private Building Consent Authority or Building Certifier is unable to issue a Code Compliance Certificate for work carried out under a building consent.
- A Code Compliance Certificate cannot be issued for work carried out to a building that is open to members of the public, and for which a building consent was issued before 31 March, 2005.
A Certificate of Acceptance (COA) can be issued only if the work complies with the Building Code at the time the COA is applied for. It will list the work that the Council has inspected, and may also list items (exclusions) that the Council could not verify as complying with the Building Code.
Apply for a Certificate of Acceptance
Your application will need to provide evidence of how the work complies with the Building Code, including those parts of the work that the Council cannot inspect.
Certificate of Acceptance Application Form in the related document below.
All applications need to include the following:
- Detailed plans and specifications from a Licensed Building Practitioner (link here to Licensed Building Practitioners)
- Design and/or supervision certificates for:
- Trusses
- Engineering
- Electrical
- Plumbing
- Drainage
- Roofing and cladding installers
- A current Certificate of Title
- A report from a suitably qualified consultant on the applicable construction and compliance with the Building Code.
- A letter from the present owner explaining why a building consent was not obtained (if applicable) prior to construction.
Submit the completed application forms by one of the following methods:
- Take the application to the Council.
- Mail the application to the Building Team.
Once the Council has received an application and all necessary information including plans, specifications and reports, the project is reviewed by Building and Planning staff. Further information may be requested at this point.
After the COA has been reviewed an inspection will be arranged to verify compliance.
If the inspection passes, a COA may be issued for the entire structure or only the portion that meets the Building Code.
Building work carried out before 1 July 1992
A Certificate of Acceptance cannot be issued for building work identified as having been completed before 1 July 1992. There is no process available through Council for acceptance or qualification of this work.
Where such building work is the subject of a building report in a sale and purchase agreement, you will need to obtain the services of a qualified person from the private sector to confirm the building work is safe and sound.
Fees and Timeframe
A $500.00 deposit must accompany all applications for Certificates of Acceptance. If extra costs are incurred when processing an application, these costs will be passed on and invoiced to the applicant and must be paid before a Certificate of Acceptance will be issued.
Council must grant or refuse the application within 20 working days of receiving an application for a Certificate of Acceptance.
During that period it may request further information. Until the required information is supplied, the period of delay is not counted as part of the 20 days.
