Building consent process
Steps in the process
How long will it take?
When will my consent be issued?
What are building consent conditions?
How long with my consent be valid for?
Steps in the process
- Lodge your completed building consent application including all required information, documentation and the lodgement fee (from 1 March if Restricted Building Work (RBW) is taking place you are also required to provide a Certificate of Design from a Licensed Building Practitioner).
If you are applying for a building consent where the designer is awaiting approval for a licence to be granted from the Department of Building and Housing (DBH), the following rules will apply:
- Council will request a copy of the application submitted to DBH or a copy of the confirmation letter from DBH for receipt of the application.
- A reminder letter will be issued to the owner/agent informing them of their rights and obligations as per the legislative requirements for Restricted Building Works and Licensed Building Practitioners.
- Council cannot grant the building consent until the owner/agent has provided the fully completed Certificate of Design (this includes all LBPs' details and registration numbers).
- The council issues a Project Information Memorandum (PIM), if requested, advising if there are site specific hazards and whether a resource consent is needed.
- Your building consent application is processed during which further information may be requested.
- The council issues building consent (advising if resource consent required if not done previously). All actual processing charges must be paid before uplifting the building consent.
- Building work must commence within 12 months from the date the building consent was issued. Book building inspections required as indicated in the conditions document (the homeowner or agent must notify the council who the Licensed Building Practitioner is prior to the inspection).
- Building work must be completed within two years from the date the building consent was granted. Apply for a code compliance certificate before the final inspection. (For RBW, a record of works certificates from the Licensed Building Practitioner(s) must be submitted). Additional inspections required are charged and bonds are refunded.
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How long will it take to process my application?
We are required and aim to process your application within 20 working days.
However, if we need to ask you for further information the clock stops until you provide us with that information. If that happens your application will take longer than 20 working days to process. We ask for further information when your application is not as clear as it could be. Therefore, it is important that your application is as detailed as possible and includes all the information we ask for.
If you are not able to show that your proposed building work will meet the requirements of the Building Act and the Building Code, we may be unable to issue you with a building consent.
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When will my consent be issued?
Once we are satisfied that the consent meets all of the required criteria the consent and/or PIM will be granted and issued. You (or someone nominated by you) will be advised that the building consent is ready to be picked up.
You will need to pay all outstanding processing charges before your building consent will be issued.
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What are building consent conditions?
These are conditions imposed on the building consent to ensure compliance with certain requirements of the Building Act. We will also indicate specific requirements relating to your building project that must be followed or adhered to during the construction of your project.
It is very important that you (and your contractors) read the building consent documentation to ensure you are clear about the requirements. It will contain a list of inspections required to be undertaken by council staff during the building process, and a list of producer statements (if applicable) required from specialists (typically engineering disciplines). The identified specialists will be required to provide documentation of the inspections they undertake in support of their producer statement.
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How long is my building consent valid for?
Work must start on your project within 12 months after the date the consent was issued.
If we have not done any inspections before then, we will send you a letter reminding you that work must be started and asking if you intend to proceed with the work. You may decide that you will not do the work, in which case the consent will lapse, or you may 
apply for an extension of time (PDF 111kb) to start the work. An extension of time to start work may be granted in some circumstances after we have reviewed the building consent file.
If an extension of time is granted, the maximum period is 12 months.
If we do not hear from you within the stated time, or an extension is refused, the consent will lapse. This means that a new consent would have to be applied for and issued before any work can be carried out.
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