Building Inspections, Code Compliance Certificates and Certificates of Public Use

Building inspections

Inspection condition

Inspection means taking all reasonable steps to ensure building work is done in accordance with a building consent. Your consent will include a list of inspections that Council requires to complete to ensure your building work is done in accordance with your consent.

Under the Building Act Section 90, all building consents are subject to the condition that Council (as the building consent authority) may authorise agents who are entitled to inspect*:

• Land on which building work is being (or is proposed to be) carried out
• Building work done (or that has been done) on or off the building site.

*Section 90 states these agents may inspect at all times during normal working hours or while building work takes place.

Booking an inspection

To make a booking for an inspection, please ring the Council on 06 871 5000 and provide your contact details, consent number and what the inspection is for.

We suggest that you book as far ahead as possible.

Inspection requirements

The role of the inspector is to verify the construction is to the consent plans. It is important that the people onsite prepare for the inspection. This includes:

• Having all plans and specifications available on-site. Note: If these are not on-site, the inspector will leave and you will still be charged for the inspection.
• You must provide safe access to and from the site and where scaffolding is provided this must meet Health and Safety requirements.
• Having someone on-site who can communicate with the building officer, answer questions and receive any instructions.

The inspector will make records during the inspections and may take photos of the work. A record of the inspection will be available within the Objective Build portal a copy can also be emailed to the owner or any other person who requests a copy.

Three typical outcomes of an inspection include:

1. Passed: the inspector is happy for the work to continue.
2. Failed: any failed items will need to be remedied before new work can continue.
3. Partial: Conditional continuation: parts of the work can continue while other parts are remedied or completed.

Note: Re-inspection of the failed items maybe required before you continue

Typical inspections

Within your building consent pack will be a list of required inspections. It is your responsibility to make sure those inspections occur at the right time. If inspections are not completed as required Council may not be able to issue a Code Compliance Certificate at the end of your project.  Council cannot certify work we haven’t seen.

Required inspections may include (but are not limited to):

• Demolition Inspection; before rebulding the building structure. Check all required damaged or unwanted building material is removed.
• Foundation inspection; before placing any concrete for foundation walls or footings.  Check conditions for any specialist documentation requirements such as surveyor siting or Finish Floor Levels, engineering certification of ground bearing or structural detailing. Locate building as per consent, determine good ground, may require Engineer certification.
  Check for steel and placement and foundation/pile sizes.
• Masonry inspection; before placing block fill check sizes, steelwork and ties, knockouts/ cavity clean and bond beam placement.
• Prefloor inspection; before placing any concrete for concrete floor slabs and any integral footings.  Check for pads, beams, steelwork, placement of reinforcing, support for mesh and steel, floor thickness and concrete type. Check conditions for any specialist documentation requirements such as surveyor siting or Finish Floor Levels, engineering certification of ground bearing or structural detailing.
• Subfloor framing inspection; before covering any sub-floor framing. Check for pile fixing and heights, insulation, anchor plate fixing, timber treatment, sizes and spans. Confirm previous inspections have passed including all required documentation received. If not stop work. Do not proceed.
• Prewrap/ Preline Inspection;
• Prewrap; prior to the roof underlay being installed and the building wrap being placed around the building. Framing members size and spans, truss manufactures detailing, wind loading fixing, brace panel fixing and connectivity, timber treatment, set out matches plan, frame penetration size and spacing, insulation fixing and type, air seals window tapes and framing moisture. Confirm previous inspections have passed including all required documentation received. If not stop work. Do not proceed.
• Preline; before lining walls. Check timber moisture, insulation fitting and rating, airseal around penetrations to exterior walls and to confirm future penetrations through bracing elements.
• Cladding / Brick Inspection;
• Cavity; cavity battens in place, flashing installed to penetrations, door/windows/vents, parapet/aprons/beam junctions. Building wraps, baton type and sizes, cavity closure and penetrations sealed.
• Panel substrate; substrate in place, fixing comply, flashing to penetrations, door/windows/vents, parapet/aprons/beam junctions.
• Plaster/ mesh coat; Plaster systems mesh coat or scratch coat installed. Nettings fixing and laps, control joint placement, slip coat, flashing penetrations, cavity closure and drainage, parapet wall junctions.
• Half high brick - correct brick sizes, tie fixing and spacing, cavity spacing, flashings, consistent joint sizes, base sealed and foundation overhang.
• Decks, Gutters and Roofing Inspection; Flashings, junctions and internal gutters, upstands and balustrades prior to scaffolding being removed.
• Post-Line inspection; post line bracing while fixings are still visible. Where fire-rated walls are included, sufficient inspections to verify correct installation of specified linings and protection of penetrations or sufficient inspections to verify correct installation of specified linings and attenuation of penetrations.
• Solid fuel heater inspection; installation manufactures specifications comply, seismic constraints, hearth, mantel and flue clearances, chimney clean, top sealed and vented, flue liner in place, roof framing reinstated and wetback connection is correct.
• Solar water heater Systems Inspection; installation manufactures specifications comply, seismic constraints, roof framing secured and HWC connection is correct.
• Final Outbuilding and Ancillary Inspection; final inspection on completion of all building work. Landscaping complete, floor height levels, drainage system in place, Entrance and exit ways, claddings and roofing complete, internal linings in place, wet areas sealed surfaces with fixtures secured and sealed, hot water supply system and temperature, ceiling space and insulation fitted correctly.
• Final Building and Plumbing Inspection; final inspection on completion of all building work. Landscaping complete, floor height levels, drainage system in place, Entrance and exit ways, claddings and roofing complete, internal linings in place, wet areas sealed surfaces with fixtures secured and sealed, hot water supply system and temperature, ceiling space and insulation fitted correctly.
• Final Residential Inspection; final inspection on completion of all building work. Landscaping complete, floor height levels, drainage system in place, Entrance and exit ways, claddings and roofing complete, internal linings in place, wet areas sealed surfaces with fixtures secured and sealed, hot water supply system and temperature, ceiling space and insulation fitted correctly.
• Final Commercial Inspection; final inspection on completion of all building work. Landscaping complete, floor height levels, drainage system in place, Entrance and exit ways, claddings and roofing complete, internal linings in place, wet areas sealed surfaces with fixtures secured and sealed, hot water supply system and temperature, ceiling space and insulation fitted correctly, Facilities for disabled, Fire protection systems/ warnings/ alerts, car parking requirements. Specified systems as per Form 5.

Plumbing and Drainage inspections

• Sewer and Septic Tank Drainage inspection; Drains in place with pipework bedding material connections venting and falls to verify. Identify system type, measure falls, granular bedding, locate all fixtures, bends and inspection points and venting. This inspection includes underfloor drains.
• Stormwater Drainage Inspection; Drains in place with pipework bedding material, connections and falls to verify. Measure falls, granular bedding, locate all inspection points and approved outlets.
• Plumbing preline & Soil Stack Inspection; plumbing systems before fitting any linings. Pipework type and fittings, support horizontally and vertically, water supply type and valving, hot water system, pipework protection and lagging, pressure test.

You will need to ensure all required inspections outlined in your consent pack have been satisfied and passed. People on site should read any inspection records carefully as they contain important information.

Code Compliance Certificate (CCC)

A Code Compliance Certificate is a formal statement outlining:

• Council is satisfied on reasonable grounds the building work complies with the building consent, and
• If the building consent includes specified systems, that these specified systems in the building are capable of performing to the performance standards set out in the building consent.

An owner must apply for a Code Compliance certificate once all consented building work has been completed. The application must be made as soon as practicable after this work has been completed, and in the prescribed form. The Code Compliance application form can be accessed via Objective build here. All relevant sections of the form must be completed including the date the project was completed, property details, specified systems for commercial consents, owner and agent details as well as licensed building practitioner and all other construction personnel

When applying for a Code Compliance Certificate you will need to provide:

Where relevant:

• Energy works certificates
• Licensed building practitioner memoranda
• Documentation from Engineers that inspected the work
• Producer Statement for specialist works
• Documentation showing the specified systems are capable of performing to the standards as listed on the building consent.

This information should be to the same standard as the consent, and be site and project specific. Engineers should provide copies of their inspection records with their construction review statements (PS4s).

Council have 20 working days to decide whether to issue or refuse the Code Compliance Certificate. If the Code Compliance Certificate is refused we will include an explanation for the refusal. We are required in law to only issue Code Compliance Certificates if we are satisfied on reasonable grounds the building work complies with the consent.
Council may suspend the application to seek additional information. In this case the 20-day timeframe stops until the information is received. The clock is restarted after all the requested information is supplied.

If there is a compliance schedule associated with your Building consent this will have to be issued with your CCC.

We may withhold a Code Compliance Certificate if development contribution fees or other fees are outstanding. In this case Council would provide an invoice stating what the fees were for, e.g. additional inspections, and detail how to pay.

When premises for public use can be occupied (including Certificate for Public Use process)

Where you are working on a building that’s open to members of the public or used by members of the public, you may wish to continue using the building while work is underway. It is important to ensure people using the building can do so safely and not be adversely affected by any building work.

The owner must obtain a Certificate of Public Use if the building is to be open to the public prior to the CCC being issued.

To apply for a certificate for public use you need to fill in an application form and pay a fee.

Notice to Fix

Where work is not done in accordance with the consent, Council may issue a Notice to Fix. This is a formal notice that will explain: what any breaches are, how they should be remedied and what date they must be remedied by.