Processing and Granting Building Consents

Processing building consents

Once you have submitted your building consent, Council has 20 working days from the date the application is formally received for processing to decide whether to grant or refuse the building consent. In cases where an application relates to a national multiple-use approval, Council has 10 working days to makes a decision to grant or refuse the the building consent.

An initial deposit is required to be paid before the processing of a building consent application can be commenced. An invoice can be obtained from Council once the building consent application has been received.

Once the application has been checked for completeness, your application will be reviewed by a Building Control Officer and assessed (processed) for compliance against the Building Code and Building Act.

Building Act consideration of your application will specifically cover the following:

• Does the application identify if there is a natural hazard on the land under section 71
• Does the application identify if there is more than one allotment under section 75
• Does the application identify specified systems to be installed requiring a compliance schedule under section 100
• Is the building work an alteration under section 112
• Is the building work a change of use under section 115
• Does this application relate to a specified intended life under section 113 or an extension of the granted specified intended life under section 116
• Does this application relate to the subdivision of an existing building under section 116A
• Does this application relate to an Earthquake Prone Building under section 133AT

Grey District Council sent information to property owners of potentially earthquake prone buildings in March 2016. Information regarding earthquake prone buildings is available here.

If you are wanting to undertake building work on a house, you will need to be aware of restricted building work. Information regarding restricted building work can be found here.

Producer statements will be considered for Council to be satisfied on reasonable grounds the proposed building work will meet the requirement of the Building Code. Any producer statement submitted by an appropriately qualified person must be accompanied by the correct design methodologies and supporting calculations.

If we have to request further information (RFI), the statuary time clock is stopped and processing is suspended until all of this information is provided. Please note that if the requested information or advice is not received within 28 days we will make contact to check on progress, and the application may be refused as per the Building Act section 50.

Once the Building Control Officer is satisfied on reasonable grounds with the statutory compliance in accordance with Section 49 of the Building Act, the building consent can be granted.

Granted means – as per Section 49 Grant of building consent

(1) A building consent authority must grant a building consent if it is 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 specifications that accompanied the application.

(2) However, a building consent authority is not required to grant a building consent until it receives—

(a) any charge or fee fixed by it in relation to the consent; and

(b) any levy payable under section 53.

https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2004/00...

Further information can be found on our Customers and Designers Information page.

Granting and issuing the consent

Once the consent is granted, you will receive a letter advising you that the application is ready to be issued. Any money owing at this time needs to be paid before you receive the consent. Once any fees are paid notification will be emailed to the agent and the owner advising that the consent and approved documents are in the customer portal ready to be downloaded, and it is considered issued. If hardcopy documents are requested, they are charged out with appropriate printing charges.

Unfortunately, having a building consent does not necessarily mean that construction may start. In some cases other permissions (like Resource Consent) may first need to be obtained. Such notifications are issued with your building consent documentation.

The issued Form 5 certificate for your building consent will list any conditions (below), advice notes, endorsements, construction monitoring and inspection requirements established throughout the processing of the application. Each building site is unique and will have its own individual requirements so it is important you read the documents and pay particular attention to all the requirements listed on your building consent.

Building Act conditions that may apply:

• Section 67 (waivers or modifications of building code)
• Section 73 (building on land subject to natural hazards)
• Section 75 (Construction of building on 2 or more allotments)
• Section 90 (Inspections by building consent authorities)
• Section 113 (Buildings with specified intended lives)

Cost of building consents

The total cost of a building consent depends on the type of application, cost of work involved and the level of detail provided.

The quality of the information provided at the time of application will also affect the overall fees. For example, a poor level of design information takes longer to process and the time taken to review the same and respond to further enquiries is potentially an added cost to the building owner.

All building consents are subject to the following levies:

Please refer to Fees and Charges for current consent costs.

Development Contributions

While major commercial and industrial activities have the potential to greatly benefit the District, they can also lead to a strain on recreational and social resources. Where a development occurs, an additional financial contribution may be required to support Council’s reserves, recreational facilities and community facilities in an area of locality affected by the development.

Development Contributions will apply to major commercial and industrial activities and are not applied to residential construction.

Major commercial and industrial activities developments with an estimated value of over $500,000 are subject to a financial contribution of up to 0.5% of the value of the building work. The value of other financial contributions relating to the development will be considered when calculating the amount of contribution required.

The Building Consent Authority cannot issue a Code Compliance Certificate (CCC) for a project until Development Contributions are paid or a written agreement is made with Council to allow the issue of CCC.

Read more about Development Contributions in the District Plan.