Building

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Building Overview

We want all of the district’s residents to live in and use safe and sanitary buildings. This section contains information about the requirements related to building projects.

What is our role?

We administer the Building Act and building regulations within New Plymouth District by:

Issuing project information memoranda (PIMs).
Processing building consent applications.
Granting or refusing waivers or modifications of the New Zealand Building Code (NZBC).
Issuing code compliance certificates (CCCs).
Issuing compliance schedules and recording building warrants of fitness for buildings other than single residential dwellings.
Enforcing the provisions of the Building Act, the building regulations and the NZBC.
Maintaining records of building information and making them available to the public.

What’s your role?

If you are the owner of a property where building, site works, demolition, plumbing or drainage works are to be done, the Building Act places many responsibilities on you including legal responsibility if any part of the project does not meet Building Act requirements. This includes responsibility for your contractors.

The consent process

Getting started

Prepare plans to show site layout, building footprint and elevations.
Obtain a PIM (from us) .
Prepare detailed plans and specifications to show all building details.

Submitting applications

Submit your building consent and all other applications for your building project to us.
Your applications goes through the acceptance process (to check the required information is provided).
We process your applications.
If all requirements are met, wel issue your building consent and other approvals.

Building

Owner or head contractor supervises construction and requests inspections from us.
Our officers check building work is in accordance with the approved consent.
Owner notifies us when the project is complete.
We conduct a final inspection.

Completion

We issue a code compliance certificate (CCC) to the owner.

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Tips

Make sure your designer does a site visit before drawing the plans to confirm topography, drainage and access issues.
Engage a professional architect, designer or draughtsperson to prepare plans and specifications.
Fees and charges related to processing our approvals are calculated on a cost recovery basis, so you will reduce costs and delays if your application is complete at the time of lodgement.
Have the final inspection carried out before paying your final progress payment to the builder. If you have paid in full before your CCC is issued you may find it hard to get your builder to fix any areas that do not meet the Building Act 2004.
Read the sewerage system maintenance document if appropriate.

Sewerage system maintenance (827KB PDF)

Lodging your application

When lodging applications with us you may either:

Submit related consent applications, e.g. a resource consent application and a vehicle crossing application, on different days. The initial application must be accompanied by an application cover page form. You will be allocated a project number that needs to be quoted on subsequent applications.
Submit all applications at once, accompanied by an application cover page form.

Note: Binding interpretations of the Building Act can be used only by the courts. Guidelines issued by us are provided with the intention of helping you understand the legislation. They are, however, offered on a no liability basis, and in any particular case those concerned should consult their own legal advisers.

Permission to use materials published by the Building Authority is gratefully acknowledged.