Consents and inspections
Changes to building consents and inspection processes mainly took effect on 31 March 2005.
Building consent authorities (BCAs)
Building consent authorities issue building consents and carry out inspections. Most territorial authorities offer BCA services.
Builders may notice changes to the system of issuing building consents and undertaking inspections, as territorial authorities adapt their systems and processes to meet the requirements of building consent authority registration and accreditation, which becomes compulsory for them from November 2007.
Building consents
There is a new application form for building consents. On this, you explain how your building project complies with the Building Code clauses, and supply more detailed plans than previously.
Building consents are still compulsory, and it is illegal to do work requiring a building consent without one.
Some work is exempt, such as decks lower than 1 metre in height, and sheds 10 square metres or less in floor area and one storey or less in height.
Building consent authorities have up to 20 working days to process a building consent application or amendment. You will need to bear this in mind when you plan the job and arrange subcontractors. Keeping variations to a minimum will minimise delays caused by amendment.
Urgent work
In rare circumstances where health and safety are at risk, such as after a flood or fire, you may need to start building work immediately without waiting for a building consent. If this happens you should apply to the territorial authority for a certificate of acceptance as soon as possible.
Certificates of acceptance are new. They state that, to the extent the work was able to be inspected, it complies with the Building Code.
It is still an offence to do building work without a building consent and certificates of acceptance are only granted at a territorial authority's discretion. There are other, limited, circumstances in which certificates of acceptance can be granted.
What about interim code compliance certificates (CCCs)?
Interim CCCs can no longer be issued. If you anticipate that you might need sign-off on part of a job, you should consider applying for separate building consents for different parts or stages of the project. That way a CCC can be issued when the work specified in a particular building consent is finished.
What if I started my job before 31 March?
If you’re building after 31 March 2005 on a project that was consented before that date, you should not notice any significant changes because your situation is covered by the Act’s transitional provisions.
Your CCC application will be assessed against the Building Code in place at the time the consent was granted, not the Code in place at the time of the inspection as under the old law. You will still need to ensure you build to a high standard.
New public safety measures
Premises intended for public use that are affected by building work that was consented after 31 March 2005 must be issued with a CCC or a certificate for public use before the premises can be used or occupied. This is likely to include shops, restaurants, libraries and foyers in some apartment projects.
If you think your project might be affected, see measures for building work and premises intended for public use.