A Building Consent is a document issued by the council which
verifies that the proposed work complies with the requirements of
the New Zealand Building Code 1992 and the Building Act 2004.
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A building consent is not an automatic right to start building,
there are other issues such as town planning requirements that may
impact on your ability to commence work. For instance, you may also
need to apply for a resource consent.
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Do I need a Building Consent?
The general rule of thumb is "yes you do".
There are some exemptions from the requirements to have a
building consent. Please refer to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment,
Building and Housings' website (External website)
If you are unsure as to whether the proposed work is
exempt, you should contact a Building Consultant to discuss
your proposal or bring your proposed plans to our Customer Service
Centre where the Duty Building Officer will provide guidance
as to whether the work you are planning is exempt.
Schedule 1 of the Building Act lists work that does not need a
building consent. Please refer to the Ministry of Business,
Innovation and Employment, Building and Housings' website for
further information by clicking on this link: - Exempt
Building Work (External website)
IMPORTANT NOTICE - LAUNCH OF STANDARDISED BUILDING
CONSENT APPLICATION FORMS FROM 1st DECEMBER 2012
Palmerston North City Council has adopted the standardised
Building Consent application forms from 1 December 2012.
These forms were developed following a proposal by a Local
Government New Zealand (LGNZ) reference group looking into the
administration of the building act. The reference group consisted
of representatives from various local authorities.
LGNZ recommend these forms as current best practice,
acknowledging that they can, and will be reviewed by the LGNZ
technical group as changes to the legislation and other events
require.
The use of these forms will ensure national consistency.
Please click on these links to get the forms: -
Residential Application for a Building Consent -
PDF (478kb)
Commercial and Complex Residential Application for
a Building Consent - PDF (506kb)
For further information, check out the LGNZ website (External website)
IMPORTANT NOTICE IN RELATION TO RESIDENTIAL BUILDING CONSENTS
FROM 1 March 2012
From 1 March 2012, changes to the Building Act 2004 mean that
building work (including design work) that relates to either the
structure (load-bearing walls; foundations etc) or moisture
penetration (roofs; cladding etc) of homes, including small to
medium sized apartments, will be classified as 'Restricted Building
Work' (RBW) and must be carried out by a Licensed Building
Practitioner (LBP).
This also includes the design of fire safety systems for small
to medium apartments, which is deemed to be building work critical
to the integrity of a building.
An LBP is a skilled and/or qualified, appropriately licensed
individual who is required to demonstrate their ability to meet
industry consulted competencies.
The scheme has seven license classes:
- Designers
- Carpenters
- External Plasterers
- Bricklayers and Blocklayers
- Foundation specialist
- Roofers
- Site (These are on-site supervisors or managers)
Registered Architects, Chartered Professional Engineers,
Plumbers and Gasfitters are automatically classed as LBP's under
their related registration systems.
From 1 March 2012, building consent applications which relate to
RBW will not be accepted unless they include a Memorandum
(Certificate of Design Work) from an LBP certifying that the design
work complies with the Building Code.
Trade LBP's must be notified to Council, either at the Building
Consent application stage (if known) or prior to the work
commencing. Council is unable to accept inspection bookings until
this information is provided. Please complete and submit the Trade
LBP form below prior to inspections being booked.
Trade LBP Notification Form - DOC (209Kb)
To enable Council to issue a Code of Compliance Certificate
(CCC), building owners are required to provide memoranda (record of
building work) for all of their Trade LBP's.
While most industry practitioners are aware of the upcoming
changes to this legislation it is important that members of the
public who intend to undertake building work are also aware of the
new requirements.
For further information regarding the Licensed Building
Practitioner Scheme, please refer to the Ministry of
Business, Innovation and Employment, Building and Housings'
website (External website)
Related website:
Get a copy of the Building Act - (External website)
How do I apply for a Building Consent?
An application for a Building Consent must be made on the
Building Consent application forms which are available on this
page or from the Customer Service Centre.
These forms must be fully completed before being submitted.
Two copies of all plans and documents are required.
An additional digital copy may be required for commercial
applications if a review is required by the New Zealand Fire
Service Design Review Unit.
Property Information Memorandum (PIM)
You may also decide to apply for a PIM which is a report issued
by Council that provides relevant information to a specific
proposed building project, such as:
- location of services
- likelihood of flooding
- subsidence
- soft ground etc.
Council will also inform the owner of any other
requirements; such as Resource Consents, Development
Contribution Levies payable, Vehicle Crossings or other issues that
may affect the design and/or construction of the proposed
structure.
An application for a PIM must be made on the Building Consent
application forms, which are available on this page, or
from the Customer Service Centre. All forms must be fully
completed before being submitted.
A Guide to Building and Building Consents - PDF
(1,008Kb)
A Guide to Plan Requirements - PDF (245 Kb)
How long does it take?
Council has a statutory requirement to process the Building
Consent in 20 working days of the application being received. If
more information is required, then the "Clock Stops" until all
information is received.
The person nominated as the Contact Person will be telephoned
and advised when the Building Consent is ready.
The Building Consent will be forwarded in the requested manner
after the balances of fees (if any) are paid.
Suspensions - what are they?
Processing of a Building Consent may be suspended where it is
found that information is missing or is incorrect. The processing
Officer will contact the nominated contact person and request any
additional information that may be required.
When all the information has been provided to Council and
compliance with the Building Act 2004 has been confirmed, the
suspension status will be lifted and the statutory processing time
clock restarts. This means that the time taken to provide the
information is added to the processing time.
Amendments
All building work in conjunction with a building consent must be
done in accordance with the plans, specifications and detail
provided with the building consent. If you wish to change some
aspect of the project you must apply for an amendment to the
building consent and the amendment must be approved before the work
is carried out.
The process for obtaining an amendment is similar to obtaining
the original consent. Full construction detail of any changes must
be submitted, with an application for Amendment to a Building
Consent, which must then be processed and approved by
Council.
For further guidance and examples of when an amendment
application is required as opposed to a minor variation to an
approved Building Consent, please refer to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment,
Building and Housings website (External website)
Amendment Application Form - PDF (203Kb)
Code Compliance Certificate
A building owner must apply for a Code Compliance Certificate
(CCC) as soon as possible following the completion of all building
work and inspections in accordance with the Building Consent and
within 2 years from the granting date of the Building Consent.
An extension of time may be applied for in writing by completing
the "Application for Extension of Time" form. This may be done by
the builder on the owners' behalf but this remains the
responsibility of the owner.
Application Form for Extension of Time - PDF
(60Kb)
An application form for Code Compliance Certificate will be
provided with the building consent upon issue. Copies of the form
are also available at the Customer Service Centre and by clicking
on the link below. The form must be completed in full and provided
to Council with any other necessary documentation identified on the
Building Consent (for example; electrical certificates, warranties,
Memoranda [records of building work].
Code Compliance Certificate Application Form - PDF
(180Kb)
Council has 20 working days to decide whether to issue a Code
Compliance Certificate. This will only be issued when Council is
satisfied that work has been completed in accordance with the
approved plans and specifications.
Unauthorised Building Work
Unauthorised Building Work is work done without the proper
authorisation such as a 'building permit' or 'building consent'.
Unauthorised Building Work falls into two categories, which under
current legislation must be dealt with in two different ways:
1. Building work done before July 1992
Unauthorised Building Work Information - PDF
(184Kb)
Third Party Property Information Lodgement- MS Word (249Kb)
2. Building work done after July 1992
Certificate of Acceptance - Application - PDF
(233Kb)
Swimming pools
All swimming pools, spa pools and hot tubs are required to be
fenced in accordance with the Fencing of Swimming Pools Act 1987.
All private swimming pools, spa pools and hot tubs must be
registered on the Council pool register and inspected for
compliance on a regular basis.
If you are purchasing a new pool or spa pool, you are required
to apply for a Building Consent to install the pool on your
property, along with any associated fences, gates etc. Any
work in conjunction with swimming pool fencing requires building
consent regardless of whether or not a pool already exists or is
being installed.
Swimming Pool Regulations Information - (Internal web link)
Guide for Swimming Pools, Spas and Hot Tubs - PDF
(517Kb)
Consumer Build (External website)
Water
Safety (External website)
Inbuilt & Free standing Fireplace Applications
If you are planning to install a fireplace in your home you will
need to get Building Consent. A wood burner installed on a
property smaller than two hectares in lot size must be on the Ministry for the Environment's list of approved
wood burners.
Information and a list of tested and approved wood burners are
available on the Ministry For the Environments website. Wood
burners on this list are the only wood burners that will be
approved for installation (on properties two hectares or less) in
the PNCC area.
Palmerston North City Council will not approve any Building
Consent application involving the installation of a second
hand woodburner.
Installation of a Solid Fuel Heating Appliance
Application Form - PDF (207Kb)
Ministry for the Environment Approved Wood Burners
- (External Website)
Installation of Solar Water Heating
If you are planning to install solar water heating you will need
to get Building Consent. The link below provides a list of
information and detail that you will need to attach to your
application.
Requirement for the Installation of Solar Water
Heating - PDF (244Kb)
Vehicle Crossing
An application for a Vehicle Crossing needs to be completed if
you are altering/extending an existing thoroughfare where
vehicles cross from your property onto a public road, or creating a
new one.
This form and information is available below or from the
Customer Service Centre. The form must be fully completed before
being submitted and must be accompanied by a site plan showing the
size and location of the proposed crossing.
Vehicle Crossing Application Form - PDF
(118Kb)
Vehicle Crossing Application Information - PDF
(305Kb)
Vehicle Crossing Approved Contractors List - PDF
(11Kb)
Service Connection Applications
This form and information is available below or from the
Customer Service Centre. The form must be fully completed before
being submitted and must be accompanied by a site plan showing the
size and location of the proposed service connection.
Service Connection Application Form - PDF
(20Kb)
Fees and Charges
Building Services - Fees and Charges
- PDF (535Kb)
Commercial Applications
Commercial Applications Brochure - PDF
(241Kb)
Checklists and guides
We recommend the following websites which will provide you
with helpful and relevant information to assist you in your
application.
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