We have 20 working days to process your building consent application. This is often referred to as “the 20 working day statutory clock” in the Building Act.
The building consent process involves trained professionals in a range of building disciplines including architecture, engineering, construction and plumbing.
Once you lodge an application and we receive the payment, we use the building consent lodgement checklists to check that we have the basic information we need to start processing your application.
We may:
After we accept your application, we will allocate it to a processing officer who will also be your main contact.
The processing officer will check that your application complies with the Building Act and the Building Code, using our processing checklists.
We must be satisfied on reasonable grounds that your building work will comply with the Building Code before we can issue a consent (Section 49).
At times, we may use an external Building Consent Authority to assist us in processing a consent. In these situations, the consultant is working on behalf of us.
Section 67 is used when standard code compliance is impractical for your project and we agree to an alternative solution.
Complete this form when requesting any waiver or modification of the building code. Email it to: durability.admin@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz when complete.
A development engineer will check the application for:
If your application includes a design by a structural engineer or includes complex structures, one of our engineers may review the design to check it complies with the Building Code.
Our fire engineer or specialist may review your application if it includes complex fire design.
We send applications requiring review (by law) to Fire and Emergency New Zealand (section 47 of the Building Act). Applications are reviewed within 10 working days.
This review provides feedback on the compliance of the proposed design, and the ability for people to escape a fire safely.
We will review their feedback and let you know if any changes are required.
Designs for health and beauty, hairdressers, camping grounds and funeral parlours are reviewed by Environmental Health Officers. They will contact you if they need more information, or if you need to make changes to your application.
The development contributions team will let you know if development contributions apply.
We do planning checks as part of processing building consent applications and Project Information Memorandums. This planning check is not a substitute for any independent planning advice that you can seek on your building work’s compliance with the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA).
A planner will check:
There are multiple ways the building work might be authorised under the RMA. For example, the work may:
For further information on the RMA see the Ministry for the Environment website.
To help us carry out the planning check more efficiently, your building consent application should show if the building work is authorised under the RMA or a resource consent has been lodged.
If works shown on your building consent drawings are not authorised under the RMA by any of the means above, then we must issue a certificate under section 37 of the Building Act.
This puts on hold the part of the project that is not authorised under the RMA, until a resource consent or Certificate of Compliance is obtained, or existing use rights are established.
If a planner advises that you need to apply for a resource consent, or you have a related resource consent that is not granted yet (received formal written approval), a section 37 certificate will be attached to your building consent. This means either no building work can start, or only the work listed in the Section 37 certificate can go ahead, until the certificate is removed.
To avoid this limitation you can change your design to comply with the restrictions.
If you are planning to change your design, let us know as soon as possible.
You will have to pay extra charges if we need to re-check your application.
If we need more information, the 20-working day statutory clock is paused until we receive your response. The statutory clock only counts the days we are actively processing your application.
Incomplete applications take longer to process. Additional processing time is charged accordingly.
If we grant your consent, you will receive the decision and an invoice by email. If we grant your consent, it means you have formal written approval to proceed.
We will grant your building consent if:
Once you have paid any outstanding fees, we will issue your consent.
If you sent us a hard copy application, we will post you a printed copy of your consent. Otherwise, you can download your consent from myAUCKLAND.
The approved consent will direct you to build what is shown in your consented plans. Make sure you read and understand any building consent conditions or advice notes. The documentation will also include a list of inspections that will be required during construction.
During inspections, building officials will assess the work against your plans.
Construction must start within 12 months from the date the building consent was issued (or any specified extended period already granted to you by us). If work has not started by then, you may apply for an extension of time, otherwise the consent will lapse (expire).
Conditions may be imposed on the building consent to ensure it complies with the Building Act. It is important for you (and your contractors) to read the building consent documentation and be clear about the requirements.
Different types of conditions can be applied to your building consent, including:
If we decline your application, we will tell you the reasons why. Ask for advice from a professional if you are considering appealing the decision.
