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All questions relating to building consents, resource consents, building inspections, project information memorandums (PIMs) and land information memorandums (LIMs) should be referred to the Council’s Planning and Environment Department 03 440 0615.
Building consentsA building consent is required for most building work, including:
- swimming pools, retaining walls, garages and carports, alterations and extensions, new buildings and some decks and fences
- plumbing and drainage work
- heating, including fireplaces, ventilation and air conditioning systems
- demolition works
- relocation of existing buildings
- change of use of buildings
What is a building consent?A building consent is approval from the Council to carry out building works at a specific site, ensuring that there is sanitary plumbing and drainage, that minimum fire safety standards have been met and that works are structurally sound.
Why do I need building consent?Works undertaken without building consent, excluding those specifically identified in the Building Act, are illegal; they are often costly to set right and may put people‘s safety or property at risk. Illegal building works may also affect your insurance cover and/or house sale negotiations. If you are doing some work and do not know whether you need a building consent the best thing to do is ask. Call one of our Building Control Officers on 03 440 0056 to find out.
How do I apply for building consent?Completing the application form in full and providing all the information listed in the user guide will ensure you submit everything needed for the Council to accept your application. When you are ready to lodge your application please phone 440 0056 (Alexandra) or 445 0211 (Cromwell) and make a PAC appointment. A Building Control Officer and a Planning Officer will be allocated to review your application for completeness and compliance. Processing delays will result if the information submitted is incomplete or does not provide the level of detail required. Application forms and user guides are available at all the Council service centres or by ringing 03 440 0056.
A large number of building consent applications are delayed or rejected because of insufficient information relating to the engineering aspects of a proposal. This information may include (but is not limited to) a geotechnical report, a flood risk assessment and/or drainage and stormwater reports. We recommend that you appoint an architect, draughtsperson, builder, engineer and/or other qualified consultant to assist you in preparing your application.
To download the Building Consent Application form, click here (pdf, 160kb)
To download a Building Consent user guide:
How much will my building consent cost?The cost varies depending on the complexity and dollar value of your building project. The Council’s building control officers can provide a fee estimate for your project in advance, but an invoice will not be provided until you submit your application. Please do not write out cheques in advance based on the fee estimate - this is a guide only. Fee invoices must be paid (by cheque, cash or EFTPOS) when you submit your application.
If you cancel your consent application, some fees may still apply.
How is my building consent application processed?Once accepted and entered into the Council’s computer system, a building Control Officer (usually the officer who checked your application with you before it was lodged) will check the plans, specifications and any other documentation supplied with the application. This is to ensure that the building work, if carried out in accordance with the documentation will comply with the building code.
If the work has specific design that is particularly complex or unfamiliar the to Officer it will be referred to another Officer with specialist knowledge or occasionally for peer review by a suitably qualified professional. If peer review is required it will be at a cost to the applicant.
If any further information is needed you will be notified and no further work will be done on processing your consent until the information is received. Once the Officer is satisfied that the work will comply with the Building Code consent will be granted and sent to you along with the Project Information Memorandum.
How long does it take to obtain a building consent?Once we receive an application and have completed the pre-application consultation check we enter your information into the Council’s database, if the application is complete. Once it is entered, we then have 20 working days to grant the building consent.
If more information is needed in the consent application, we will stop the clock on the 20 working days requirement to process building consents and send the owner or agent a letter outlining the information that is needed. Once we receive all the correct information, the ‘20 working day’ clock can restart and the building consent can be granted and issued.
Do I need a resource consent as well?About half of all people applying for a building consent in Central Otago District also require a resource consent. This depends on the location (zoning) of the building site, the nature of the proposed project, and whether or not it complies with the Central Otago District Plan. If the proposed building works are not permitted by the District Plan, resource consent is required.
Depending on the zone of the property, some common examples of building projects requiring resource consent include:
- building in close proximity to property boundaries
- excavating to a depth of 1m or more within 2m of a boundary
- changing the use of a residential or commercial building (for example, you may require more car parks)
- building over an area that covers more land than existing buildings
If resource consent is required building work cannot commence until a resource consent has been granted (Building Act 2004, Section 37).
Contact the Council’s Planning and Environment Department helpdesk (telephone 03 440 0615) for further information about resource consents.
Prepare for on-site inspectionsBuilding consent
We will send you the building consent in a convenient pack for storage on-site. It contains valuable information in addition to the building consent, such as the list of inspections that will be needed for your project and the project information memorandum.
Book an inspection
Give us at least 1 working day’s notice to book the inspections. (However, there may be times when our Building Inspectors may not be able to do an inspection when requested, because of heavy workloads.)
Documents required
Make sure you have all your approved building consent documents on-site for the inspection otherwise we can not do an inspection.
Inspection process
The Building Control Officer will check that the building work is in accordance with the building consent documents and the requirements of the Building Act 2004 and Building Code.
Each inspection must be passed by the Building Control Officer before the work can continue. The owner/agent is responsible to ensure that all inspections identified on the site inspection sheet are approved.
What happens next?
The Building Control Officer can either pass or fail the on-site inspection.
For a pass – this will be recorded on both the on-site inspection sheet and the Building Control Officer’s inspection sheet and then entered into Council’s computer records.
For a fail – this will mean a re-inspection is needed once the work in question has been rectified. A letter will also be sent confirming what re-work is required. If additional inspections are required we may have to charge a fee, as re-inspections are not provided for in the initial building consent fees.
How long is my building consent valid for?To keep your building consent valid you must start building work within twelve months of receiving consent.
Code compliance certificatesWhat is a code compliance certificate?
The Council issues a code compliance certificate for consented building work when it is satisfied that the building work complies with the New Zealand Building Code.
The owner is responsible for notifying the Council as soon as practicable that the building work has been completed according to the building consent.
The lack of a code compliance certificate for consented building work can be a major barrier to the sale/purchase of a property. When notifying the Council of completed work, allowance should made for time to arrange an inspection and to rectify any work that does not comply with the building code.
If no application is made the Council must decide whether to issue the code compliance certificate 2 years after the date on which the Building Consent was granted.
The prescribed form is sent out with the building consent documents. This must have attached any energy certificates. The Council has 20 working days in which to decide whether to grany the code compliance certificate.
How do I get my Code Compliance Certificate?
Before you apply for your code compliance certificate you need to ensure that the final inspection of your building work has been passed.
The application form will have been sent to you in the building consent pack, but if you need a new one you can contact us and have one sent out.
You should send any energy certification and producer statements that are relevant to the work with your application.
What if I have more questions?For more information or advice on preparing building consent applications contact our Planning and Environment Department helpdesk (telephone 03 440 0056).
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