Processing and Granting Building Consents
Once you have submitted your building consent, Council has 20 working days from the date the application is formally accepted for processing to decide whether to grant or refuse the building consent. The statutory time frame to make the decision to grant or refuse is reduced to 10 working days if the building that you are proposing has a MultiProof approval or the building consent consists of a single modular component designed and manufactured under the BuiltReady scheme. s48 Processing application for building consent
An initial deposit is required to be paid before issuing of the building consent. The BCA is not required to grant the Building Consent until we have received payment for applicable levies and fee’s. s49
Your application will be reviewed by a Building Control Officer and assessed (processed) to ensure that we are satisfied on reasonable grounds that the provisions of the Building Code, Building Act 2004 and associated Regulations will be met if the building work is completed in accordance with the plans and specifications. More information about Satisfied on reasonable grounds can be found here.
You may also need to obtain a resource consent under the Resource Management Act 1991 before building work can begin. Resource consenting is a separate process from building consenting. Contact Grey District Council's planning team if you are unsure whether resource consent is required.
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
If any of the above sections apply to your project, you should ensure your application addresses these requirements. Contact our building team if you are unsure whether these provisions apply to your proposed work.
Where your application involves certain fire safety systems or building types, Council is required to refer the application to Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) for input. This referral may affect processing timeframes. Further information is available in Gazette notice 2012-go2694.
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. Information regarding Producer Statements is available here.
Requests for further information (RFI)
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.
The Building Control Officer must be satisfied on reasonable grounds with the statutory compliance in accordance with Section 49 of the Building Act, any additional information or clarification we as for, is to help with making that decision. When you receive a RFI make sure you provide all your responses to the RFI.
Your RFI response should:
- clearly identify and reference changes on documents (eg revision clouds and document version numbering),
- include a document transmittal or updated cover page detailing documentation names, sheet numbers and current version references, and
- have attachments saved as a PDF and printable at the correct scale (maximum A3 size).
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.
You are able to track the status of a building consent through the ObjectiveBuild electronic lodgement portal. We strongly suggest that you accept the collaboration invite from your agent (received via email) on ObjectiveBuild to make this easier.
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.
Further information can be found on our Customers and Designers Information page.
Granting and issuing the consent
Once the consent is granted and the applicable levies and fees are paid, you will receive communication advising you that the Building Consent has been granted with the instructions on how to download the approved and consented plans and specifications. If hardcopy documents are requested, they are charged out with appropriate printing charges.
Please note:
Work must not begin on the project until a building consent (and resource consent if required) has been granted and issued.
Conditions are requirements imposed on your building consent which are deemed necessary to ensure the compliance of the proposed building. The conditions are listed on the building consent and must be complied with. There are five specific conditions that can be applied to an issued building consent, and owners and builder/developers should ensure that they understand these and their implications 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)
Lapsing of a Building Consent
Under section 52 of the Building Act 2004, a building consent lapses if the building work has not been commenced within 12 months after the date on which the consent was issued. If your consent is approaching the 12-month mark and work has not yet started, you should contact us to discuss your options, which may include applying for an extension of time.
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.
Our charges are made up of the following components:
- Time spent processing the application
- Number of inspections (type and number vary depending on type and scope of work)
- Issue of Code Compliance Certificate
- Issue of a compliance schedule (where applicable)
- All building consents are subject to the following levies:
Building Research Levy (set by the Building Research Levy Act 2004) | $1.00 per $1,000.00 value (or part thereof) of building work valued at $20,000.00 or more |
Building Levy (set by the Building Act 2004) | Building Levy - $1.75 per $1,000.00 value (or part thereof) of building work valued at $65,000 or more including GST |
If the value of the building work is less than $65,000 including GST, it will be exempt from paying the building levy. | |
Please refer to fees and charges for current consent costs.
Financial Contributions
Financial Contributions (Resource Management Act)
Grey District Council does not use development contributions under the Building Act 2004 or the Local Government Act 2002.
Instead, the Council may require financial contributions under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA), as provided for in the District Plan (Te Tai o Poutini Plan).
What are financial contributions?
Some development activities can place additional demand on local infrastructure, reserves, and community facilities. Where development occurs, the Council may require a financial contribution to address the effects of the development on public amenities and services within the affected locality.
Financial contributions are a planning tool under the RMA and are used to help manage or mitigate the effects of development in accordance with District Plan objectives and policies.
When do financial contributions apply?
Financial contributions may be applied to non-residential building floor area, additional residential unit development, subdivision, servicing and transportation matters where this is specifically provided for in the District Plan.
They are imposed where:
- They are enabled by the District Plan; and/or
- They are imposed as a condition of a resource consent.
How are financial contributions assessed?
Where applicable, the type and amount of any financial contribution will be assessed in accordance with the relevant provisions of the District Plan. This may include contributions towards:
- Reserves and open space
- Community or recreational facilities
- Other infrastructure necessary to address the effects of the development
Each application is assessed on its own merits.
Relationship to building consents
Financial contributions under the RMA are separate from building consent fees and charges.
They are not development contributions, and they are not imposed under the Building Act.
Where a financial contribution is required as a condition of a resource consent, compliance with that condition must occur in accordance with the consent and may need to be resolved before associated approvals are completed.
Complaints
If you have concerns or complaints about a building consent decision, please refer to the Building Consent Authority complaints policy.
If you disagree with a decision made by the BCA to grant or refuse a building consent or have a query about how the Building Act applies to your building work, you can apply to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) for a determination. A determination is a binding decision made by MBIE. Further information about determinations is available on the MBIE website.
