Building Infringement Scheme Guidelines
The Department recently finalised guidelines to assist territorial and regional authorities with the implementation of the Building (Infringement Offences, Fees, and Forms) Regulations 2007, which came into force on 1 July 2008.
The infringement or instant fine system will be similar to infringement notices that local authorities can already issue for parking, dog control, litter and Resource Management Act offences. As with other infringement systems, individual councils will decide if and when to implement it.
Specific areas the guidelines cover include:
- the legislative intent of the regulations
- objectives in using infringement notices (ie, encouraging compliance), details of the offences
- fees covered by the regulations
- factors to take into account when considering issuing an infringement notice, including who should issue the notice, payment options, and how to deal with repeat and multiple offences.
The guidelines include a number of scenarios, a decision-tree, and details of what needs to be in the notice (including a summary of rights), and an example template of how a notice could look.
The regulations and guidance are also available online at www.dbh.govt.nz/bofficials-bca