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Applying for a Building Consent

How to apply for a building consent

We recommend completing the appropriate checklists, (Form-002R for residential applications or Form-002I for commercial/industrial applications) and attaching these to your BC application (Form2). We recommend engaging a professional person to help with compiling your application

Other documents to attach may include:

  • Plans and specifications
  • Ground bearing report – required for all new construction or extensions
  • Engineering calculations (if applicable)
  • Wall bracing calculations (if applicable)
  • Truss certificate (if applicable)
  • Wastewater details complete with a wastewater evaluation form (if applicable)
  • An E2 risk matrix demonstrating weathertightness features (if applicable)

Once you have gathered all the necessary information you can either apply online or submit a paper application to our offices.

On receiving your application a Building Control Officer will vet your plans to ensure all relevant information has been provided. If your application is deemed incomplete, a correspondence will be sent advising the information required to allow your application to proceed.

Please note: this is not a technical assessment but merely a check to ensure all necessary information has been provided.

If all information has been provided correctly, your application for quality processing will be accepted and the clock started from when you lodged the application. All applications or information received will be recorded as received the NEXT working day.

Once accepted your consent will be assessed against the relevant Resource Management Act 1991, the New Zealand Building Act, New Zealand Building Code. In respect to the New Zealand Building Code the Building Consent Authority will need to be satisfied on reasonable grounds that the provisions of the Building Code would be met if the building work were properly completed in accordance with the plans and specification that accompanied the application. When this is deemed to be the case, your consent will be granted and issued subject to payment of any fees and any levies being paid.

IMPORTANT

  • A building consent will lapse if the work is not started within 12 months after the date of issue of the consent. Please let the Building Control team know if you will require more time to begin work.
  • Council has to decide whether to issue or refuse a Code Compliance Certificate (CCC) within two years of granting a building consent. If the work is not going to be completed within two years, it is essential that you advise the Council and request an extension of time.

If a Resource Consent is identified as being required during the consent process you will be notified and required to apply for and have this granted before any building work may commence. A Section 37 certificate will be issued with the Building Consent if the Resource Consent hasn’t been obtained prior to Building Consent issue.

Other legislation that may need to be considered:

  • Local Government Act 2002
  • Health Act 1956

Paper applications

Please submit paper applications to 105 Tainui Street, Greymouth 7805, New Zealand. Our staff are trained to help you if you require and can scan your documents at a cost.

Forms are available to download here.

Online applications

Applications for building consents can be made using Objective Build, our online consent application system.

Objective Build is the electronic means for you to upload and submit the following applications:

  • PIM only, to read more about PIM's please click here
  • Building consent (with or without PIM)
  • Amendment to a building consent
  • Code Compliance Certificate
  • Exemption from the need for building consent

Objective Build also enables uploading of documents during the consent and inspection phases.

How to pay

On receipt of your building consent application Council will send you an invoice requesting a deposit. Click here for the schedule of fees.

Payment can be made by any of the following methods:

  • Direct debit: Phone 03-769-8626 or email accounts.receivable@greydc.govt.nz to set up a direct debit.
  • Direct Credit/Internet Banking: By following the instructions on the invoice.
  • In Person: By presenting at the Council office for payment by Cash, Eftpos, Visa or Mastercard

In all cases a Building consent will be granted subject to section 90 of the Building Act, this enables the Building Consent Authorities authorised agents to inspect the work as stated by this section of the Building Act.

If a Building Consent application involves a wavier or modification to the Building Code it will be subject to Section 67 of the Building Act, this allows the authority to add any conditions that it considers appropriate.

Sections 71-74 of the Building Act 2004 are concerned with building on land which is subject to natural hazards, such as flooding, slippage and erosion.

There are risks in building on land subject to natural hazard for both the owner and Council. Under the Building Act, natural hazard means any of the following:

  • erosion
  • falling debris (rockfall)
  • subsidence
  • inundation (flooding)
  • slippage

When there is the construction of a building, or major alterations to a building, on land subject to a natural hazard, section 72 allows a building consent to be granted in certain situations but requires a notice to be placed on the property title. This notice warns future property owners of the natural hazard and takes away Council liability if there is damage as a result of the natural hazard.

While in some cases the granting of the building consent will have decided that the building work will comply with the building code, the natural hazard notice is still required to recognise that the land is subject to a natural hazard.

Natural hazard notices may affect the value of your property and your insurance cover, including disaster insurance provided by the Earthquake Commission (EQC). If you think natural hazards may apply to your project the Council recommends you seek professional or legal advice so you can make fully informed decisions.

We also recommend that you book a pre-application meeting to help you understand how the natural hazards provisions may affect your project.

Land Subject to Natural Hazards (S72)[Form IS 29] (PDF, 31KB)

Building on two or more allotments is subject to NZ Building Act Section 75. A certificate will be issued by the Territorial Authority that states that, as a condition of granting the building consent one or more of the allotments specified must not be transferred or leased except in conjunction with any of the other or others of those allotments.

Building Over Two or More Lots (S75)[Form IS 25

When a building that is constructed or altered to have a specified intended life of less than 50 years, the BCA will issue the consent subject to Section 113 of the Building Act. This will impose a condition that states the building must be altered, removed or demolished on or before the end of its specified intended life, the Building Consent Authority will add any other condition it considers necessary.

Under Section 46 of the Building Act 2004, the BCA is required to send certain applications to Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) Design Review Unit Engineering (DRUEU) for review under the Fire Service Act. Where this occurs, the DRU EU has ten (10) working days in which to provide their feedback/memorandum to the BCA.

The memorandum issued by the DRU EU will set out their advice in regard to provisions for means of escape from fire and the needs of persons who are authorised by law to enter the building to undertake fire-fighting.

Information about the types of applications that are required to be sent are available here.

Alterations to buildings subject to EPB notice

Where alterations are proposed to buildings subject to an EPB notice the BCA must give consideration to NZ Building Act Section 133AT. It requires that the BCA be satisfied on reasonable grounds the building will comply As Near As Reasonably Practicable to Means of Escape and Access for People with Disabilities provisions before granting a building consent, also in the case of a substantial project it must include the necessary structural work needed to deem the building no longer Earthquake Prone. It also gives the Territorial Authority some discretion in this regard under certain circumstances.

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