What do I need to know about applying for Building Consent?
All building work must be carried out in accordance with the building code and the Council’s District Plan whether or not it is exempt from a building consent.
A building consent is required for most building work. This could be Restricted Building work, Restricted Building work is the design, construction and alteration of the primary structure and external moisture management systems of houses and small-medium apartment buildings; and the design of fire safety systems for small-medium apartment buildings. Restricted Building Work can only be carried out or supervised by Licensed Building Practitioners (LBP).
Some examples of what type of work might require a building consent include but are not limited to:
- Additions/alterations
- Structural building work
- Plumbing work
- Drainage work
- Heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems necessary for the functioning of the building
- Lifts
- Siteworks associated with the building
- Demolition
- Relocation
- Swimming pools
The Council’s Building Inspectors and other officers involved in the processing of Building Consent applications need to know the type and the extent of the planned building work.
Every application must be made on the prescribed form. Application packs are available from Council offices in Westport and Reefton, or from our website. The application form must be completed fully and the required information should be printed to ensure that it is clearly understood. Note that if the AGENT section on the application form is filled out then all correspondence including the building consent and invoice will be sent to the Agent, not the owner or applicant.
A comprehensive check list with required supporting documentation is included in the application pack for either residential or commercial building consents. A checklist is not required for application to install a spaceheater. If you require assistance, please do not hesitate to ask for help.
Together with your application form and checklist, you are required to provide proof of ownership, two copies of the plans drawn to scale and specifications, and a deposit. Some works for large projects may require a third copy of the plans if they need to be sent out to an external source for processing ie Fire Service.
Please refer to our information brochures for further requirements for carrying out a particular type of work.
What happens next?
Your application will be assessed for completeness, then processed by one of our building inspectors. Your application may need to be seen by other council departments, for example Planning, Operations, Environmental Health Inspector, etc.
Incomplete applications or application with inadequate details will be put on HOLD for further information requested. No further work will be done on your consent until this information is received.
The Building Act 2004 requires Council to process consents (if not suspended for further information) within 20 working days. Resources permitting, smaller projects like spaceheater installation, minor alterations, garages etc are usually processed in a much smaller time frame. If your building consent has been put on hold waiting further information, the on hold period is not included in the 20 working day time frame.
