Building

You are here > Home > A-Z of Council Services > Building > How Building Charges are Determined?

How Building Charges are Determined

Building consent charges are set at a level intended to cover the consent and inspection costs of 95 per cent of typical projects in that cost category. Fees are reviewed each year and adjusted to reflect the likely costs.

The base fee is intended to cover the costs for administration/technical work and inspection. The administration/technical work is the receipt, vetting and issue of the consent. Costs arising from engineering checks or NZ Fire Service review, where applicable, are additional.

The inspection fee is an estimate based on the minimum number of inspections and other technical inputs needed for the project type. Inspections are charged on a fixed average booking and travel cost, plus the actual time spent on site. Where building progress is slow, additional costs may be incurred due to the need for follow-up by phone, letter and/or additional inspections.

Payment of fees

The base fee and levies applicable are required to be paid in full.

You can either:

Pay the full base fee and levies when you submit your application, or
Submit your application with no payment. Your application will be vetted to ensure it complies with the building standards, and an invoice will be sent to you for the base fees and levies. The consent will be issued when the payment is received.

At the end of the project if the actual costs have exceeded the base fee, an invoice for the additional costs will be sent. Additional costs will need to be paid before a code compliance certificate will be issued.

Refunds

In cases where applications are withdrawn or there is a significant change in the consent, a refund will be considered.

Cancellations

When an application is withdrawn before the consent is issued and fees are outstanding, an invoice for the progress payment will be sent to the fee payer.Return to top

What causes additional costs?

Projects can vary greatly in both the number of inspections and the length of time various types of inspections take. Variables that affect inspection costs include:

How the job is organised. For example, building work on steep slopes might require two or more foundation inspections. Staged jobs may require a separate range of inspections for each stage. Jobs that progress very slowly without good communication with the Building Inspectors can create additional inspections because of the need to check progress.
Undervalued work. More inspections can be needed than is covered by the lower fee. The value is that of the finished building and not what it may cost you to build.
In our experience, owner/builders are prone to undervalue work. The value given is used to update the value of improvements of your property which prospective purchasers refer to. Rates are unaffected as they are based on unimproved value.
The number of amendments. Amendments add costs as they each have to be formally lodged, checked and approved.
Complexity and/or the materials used. Complexity can add to the time on site and the number of inspections. For example, coated face claddings can typically increase the number of inspections needed.
Simple buildings such as sheds or garages that are lined or have plumbing and firewalls. This adds to inspection work.
Builder competency. Some builders need more advice and direction than others and this may result in more time being spent on site, adding to costs.
Re-inspection. Not being ready for a pre-booked inspection or failing an inspection will mean that the work needs to be re-inspected.

It is possible to have a great deal of variation in costs which would be very difficult to predetermine. When actual costs exceed the deposit paid, the costs will be invoiced. It would be prudent to cover this possibility by including a suitable clause in your building contract so that you are able to recover these costs from the owner.

Extraordinary building jobs

There are special cases involving jobs that are clearly different to the normal range of work in a particular category, or are not a good fit in any of the fee categories. Where a Building Officer agrees this is clearly the case, the inspection base fee will be adjusted to suit. Return to top