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Applying for a Building Consent

How to apply for a building consent

You can apply for a building consent through the ObjectiveBuild Building Consent system. You can also use this portal to apply for amendments to your approved building consent or a code compliance certificate when you have finished building.

The application is to be completed by the property owner or their authorised agent, e.g. architect, engineer, draughtsman or builder.

You must attach all documents relevant to your building project as a PDF.

Note:
A Record of Title not older than 6 months is required with the application available from Landonline (LINZ). Council can obtain the Record of Title on your behalf if requested.

Building consent applications can be complex. We recommend that you engage a professional to help with design work and drawings.

Documents to attach may include:

  • Plans that should include
  • a location plan
  • a site plan (we cannot accept aerial photographs as a site plan)
  • a floor plan of each floor (if there is more than one)
  • an elevation of each exterior wall
  • a foundation layout
  • a drainage plan
  • sufficient cross-sections to show the full nature and extent of the work, including\details of junctions and flashings
  • Specifications
  • Ground bearing report
  • 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)
  • LBP names and license numbers
  • Design Certificate (2A) Restricted Building Work

Why We Need a Ground Report

Foundations must comply with Building Code clause B1 Structure. We need evidence that the ground can support the building. Ground on the West Coast can change over short distances and is affected by high rainfall and groundwater. A statement that the ground is suitable, without test evidence, is not enough.

Good ground is soil or rock that can permanently support an ultimate bearing pressure of 300 kPa (B1/AS1 cl. 1.2.1.1). It does not include topsoil, soft clays, loose gravel, expansive soils, or ground that could move 25 mm or more (e.g. from slips, subsidence, liquefaction or changing groundwater). Uncontrolled fill is not good ground: foundations must sit on natural ground below any fill, or the fill must be engineered fill designed and certified by a CPEng. If good ground cannot be shown, the foundations need to be designed by a Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng).

West Coast Ground to Watch For

  • peat and soft organic silts;
  • river gravels with loose layers, voids or iron pan;
  • fill, dredge tailings and mine tailings;
  • old mine workings;
  • slopes and slip-prone land;
  • high or seasonal groundwater; and
  • sandy or silty ground that may liquefy in an earthquake – see the Beca West Coast Regional Liquefaction Assessment (2021).

Check your LIM, the Te Tai o Poutini Plan hazard maps and the West Coast Regional Council Natural Hazards portal before you design.

What we need

Building type

What to provide

Who can prepare it

Sheds and farm buildings (Importance Level 1)

Ground report (see section 4). You can use our Ground Report Form – IL1 Buildings

A suitably qualified person (see below). If good ground is not found, a CPEng.

Houses (Importance Level 2)

Ground report meeting NZS 3604 section 3.3. Because of West Coast ground conditions, we strongly recommend a ground bearing capacity report by a CPEng. A geotechnical report may be needed on difficult or hazard-prone sites.

A suitably qualified person, or a CPEng (recommended). Geotechnical report: CPEng (geotechnical) or engineering geologist (PEngGeol).

Larger or important buildings (Importance Levels 3 and 4)

Ground bearing capacity report and geotechnical investigation.

CPEng and CPEng (geotechnical) or PEngGeol.

Suitably qualified person: Someone with proven experience assessing ground on the West Coast – for example an engineer, engineering geologist or technician, or an experienced licensed building practitioner or builder with documented Scala penetrometer experience. Include their experience in the report.

What Your Ground Report Should Include

  • author’s name, contact details and experience;
  • site address and legal description;
  • the building and the ground bearing the design relies on (e.g. 300 kPa ultimate);
  • a site plan showing test locations;
  • type, number and depth of tests (test pits or Scala penetrometer) with a description of the soils found, including any fill, organic material or iron pan;
  • any groundwater, and the date and weather of testing;
  • photos; and
  • a clear conclusion on whether the ground is good ground or meets the design.

For houses designed to NZS 3604, testing must follow NZS 3604 section 3.3 (e.g. at least four test sites for a building up to 200 m²).

Please complete the Ground Report Form – IL1 Buildings and submit that with your building consent application.

During Construction

At the first inspection we check that the ground matches your report. If it is different (e.g. peat, fill, soft ground or water), the report author or engineer will need to confirm the foundations are still suitable before work continues. Changes to the foundation design need a consent amendment.

More Information

Please contact us on building@greydc.govt.nz before you apply if you are unsure what your site needs.

Document Order for Building Consent Applications

Grey District Council follows the MBIE Standard Order of Documents checklist for building consent applications. Applicants should download and use this checklist to ensure documents are submitted in the correct order.

Submitting your Plans, Supporting Documents, and Specifications in the standard order helps streamline the consent process. It allows Building Inspectors to efficiently locate the required information on-site, especially when reviewing large files.

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

Acceptance and management of professional or expert opinions

It may be appropriate to engage a suitably qualified and experienced professional or expert to assist in preparing your building consent application. Experts can help by providing evidence to support your application in demonstrating compliance with the building code.

Supporting evidence may take many forms, including:

  • tests, verification methods or other standards
  • appraisals of products or systems
  • reports, including calculations and modelling
  • peer reviews
  • comparison with similar products and systems
  • comparison with generic products and systems that are compliant with acceptable solutions
  • producer statements and other forms of certificate (IQP/LBP certificates, for example)
  • case studies of products and systems in use.

Professional opinions can assist in demonstrating compliance with the building code on reasonable grounds. They can also be used to assess alternative solutions.

When processing your building consent Council will need to determine if:

  • the source or author of the professional opinion is expert (competent) and independent
  • the basis for the opinion is acceptable

Self-certification for plumbing and drainlaying

You can choose to have eligible plumbing and drainlaying certified by an endorsed plumber or drainlayer instead of inspected by the Council. If you want to use this, identify the plumbing and/or drainlaying to be self-certified in your application (Form 2) and on your plans, and use a practitioner who holds a current self-certification endorsement. See our section on self certification for plumbing and drainlaying for full details: https://www.greydc.govt.nz/06your-home/building-co...

Please submit paper applications to 105 Tainui Street, Greymouth 7805, New Zealand. Our staff are trained to assist you, and can scan your documents for a small fee.

Forms are available to download here.

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:

  • Project Information Memoranda(PIMs) 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.

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

On receiving your application, we 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 required information has been provided correctly, your application 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 Resource Management Act 1991, the Building Act 2004, New Zealand Building Code the District Plan and any other relevant legislative requirements. When the processing of the building consent is complete and the building officer is satisfied on reasonable grounds that compliance has been achieved, the consent is granted.

Following payment of any outstanding fees, the building consent is issued with conditions. At this point building work may begin unless the consent has been issued with a building consent restriction under the Resource Management Act 1991. 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.

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. If we have not been contacted to undertake any inspections before then, we will contact you advising that the building consent will lapse at the expiry of the 12-month period. You may decide not to do the work; in which case the consent will lapse. Alternatively, you can apply for an extension of time to start the work. Time extensions are considered on a case-by-case basis. If we don't hear from you within the stated time, the consent will lapse and have no effect, and you will need to apply for a new building consent if you want to proceed with the building work.

  • Council must decide whether to issue or refuse a Code Compliance Certificate (CCC) within two years of granting a building consent.

Other legislation that may need to be considered:

  • Local Government Act 2002
  • Health Act 1956

Building consent conditions are requirements imposed on your building consent. These are deemed necessary to ensure the compliance of the proposed building. The conditions are listed on the building consent, and you must comply with these conditions.

The following are allowable conditions under the Building Act 2004 and regulations:

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 waiver or modification to the Building Code it will be subject to Section 67(2) of the Building Act 2004, this allows the authority to add any conditions that it considers appropriate.

Building Act 2004, sections 71–74

If you are planning building work, natural hazards affecting your land can change whether — and how — the Council can grant your building consent. The Building Act 2004 requires us to consider natural hazards when we assess consents for new buildings and major alterations. There are risks in building on land subject to a natural hazard, for both the owner and the Council, so we recommend you get advice early.

What is a natural hazard?

Under section 71(3) of the Building Act 2004, a natural hazard means any of the following:

  • Erosion — including coastal erosion, bank erosion and sheet erosion
  • Falling debris — including soil, rock, snow and ice
  • Subsidence
  • Inundation — including flooding, overland flow, storm surge, tidal effects and ponding
  • Slippage
    Earthquakes and tsunami are not natural hazards under these sections — they are dealt with elsewhere in the Building Act and the Building Code.
    A Land Information Memorandum (LIM) or Project Information Memorandum (PIM) sets out the natural hazards the Council knows about for your property. If you are unsure whether your land is affected, talk to us before you design or lodge your project.
    When we assess your application there are three possible outcomes.
    1. Consent granted as normal (section 71(2))
    Where adequate provision has been or will be made to protect the land and building work, or where the building work will not worsen the hazard, consent is granted with no hazard notice on your title.
    2. Consent granted with a natural hazard notice (sections 72–74)
    Where the land remains subject to the hazard, but your building work will not accelerate, worsen or create a hazard, the Council must grant consent — but a natural hazard notice is recorded on your record of title.
    3. Consent refused (section 71(1))
    Where adequate provision to protect the land or building work cannot be made.
    Unless the work is minor, you may need a report from a geotechnical engineer or hydrologist. As a guide, installing a domestic fire or carrying out minor interior alterations would generally not trigger these sections, whereas constructing a retaining wall on land subject to slippage would.
  • It alerts future owners, buyers, banks and insurers that the land is subject to a specified natural hazard and may affect the value of your property.
  • It protects the Council from liability (section 392). If the building is later damaged by a hazard event, you and any future owner cannot claim against the Council for having granted the consent.
  • It can affect your natural hazards insurance. Natural hazards cover is now provided under the Natural Hazards Insurance Act 2023 (NHCover) by the Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake (formerly the Earthquake Commission / EQC). Where a notice names a hazard on your title, the Commission may fully or partly decline a claim for damage caused by that same type of hazard.
    Granting a building consent may confirm that the building work will comply with the Building Code, but a natural hazard notice is still required to recognise that the land remains subject to a natural hazard.
    Natural hazard provisions can be complex, and the right advice early avoids delays and unexpected conditions later. Before you lodge, we recommend you:
  • Book a pre-application meeting with a Building Control Officer to understand how the natural hazard provisions may affect your project.
  • Commission any specialist reports (geotechnical or hydrological) early.
  • Seek professional or legal advice — talk to your solicitor, insurer and the Natural Hazards Commission before you buy, build on, or alter a property in a hazard-prone area, so you can make fully informed decisions.

How do I find out if my land is affected?What happens if my land is subject to a natural hazard?What a natural hazard notice on your title meansBook a pre-application meeting

For more information, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) publishes guidance on the natural hazard provisions of the Building Act.

A note on older titles

Natural hazards were previously covered by section 36 of the Building Act 1991, and before that by section 641A of the Local Government Act 1974. If you own an older property, check your record of title for any earlier endorsement.

Form: Natural Hazards Guide

Section 75

To enable a building to be constructed over a legal boundary, it is required that each of the affected allotments (whether on the same certificate of title or not) are tied so that one cannot be sold or leased without the other.

There are two legal ways of addressing this issue:

  • either by tying each of the allotments by means of complying with s77,
  • or by legally amalgamating the allotments by way of survey plan which places all the affected land under the same certificate of title.

In either case the affected properties must be under the same ownership.

These matters should be addressed or understood before making a building consent application to avoid delays and misunderstandings during processing.

Section 75 in the Building Act

Section 77

Section 77 of the Building Act requires that when a building application is made to us (the building consent authority) to construct a building over an existing legal boundary(s), the consent cannot be granted until we issue a certificate under this section that the affected land cannot be sold or leased except in conjunction with the other land subject to the building work.

This condition is set out in a certificate authenticated by us, signed by the owner, and lodged with the district land registrar who makes an entry on each certificate of title or each affected allotment to which the condition applies.

Section 77of the Act allows us to accept the building consent for processing, but the consent cannot be issued until the certificate under section 77 has been registered against all affected property titles.

This is the simplest method of allowing a building to be constructed over legal boundaries.

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.

If a building with a specified intended life needs that life extended, this is managed under section 116 of the Building Act 2004 — the building owner must give Council written notice before extending the life of the building. If your project involves subdividing a building that has a specified intended life, this is managed under section 116A. See Alterations to Existing Buildings for full details on what this means and how to apply.

Under Section 46 of the Building Act 2004, the BCA is required to send certain applications to Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) Fire Engineering Unit for review under the Fire and Emergency New Zealand Act 2017.

Where this occurs, the Fire Engineering Unit has ten (10) working days in which to provide their feedback/memorandum to the BCA.

The memorandum issued by the Fire Engineering Unit 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” (ANARP) 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.

Last reviewed: 27/10/2026

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