We are responsible for controlling the standards of buildings to ensure they are safe, contribute to people’s health and well-being and are designed, constructed and able to be used in ways that promote sustainable development. An important job is deciding whether to grant consents to people wanting to construct buildings.

Almost all building work requires approval by us through a building consent. A building consent is confirmation that the proposed building, plumbing, drainage and safety requirements comply with the building code.

We are moving to a more consistent approach to processing building consents and you are now able to use standardised application forms.

Auckland Council has transferred its powers for issuing building consents on large dams to Waikato Regional Council. Please contact Waikato Regional Council if you intend to apply for a building consent for a large dam. 

The content in this section was last reviewed in May 2011.