Building

Council issues consents for building in the City and also holds property records and files. 'Building consent' replaces the term 'building permit'.

Changes to the Building Act

Public use provisions under the Building Act

The Building Act 2004 was introduced to strengthen building controls and increase protection for the public. It contains a new measure, known as section 363, that relates directly to the use of buildings by the public.

Section 363 makes it an offence to permit people to use parts of premises intended for public use that are affected by building work, unless the council confirms that it is safe to do so.

All building works undertaken between 1 July 1992 and 31 March 2010 on premises where the public has access must have a Code Compliance Certificate for those works or be issued with a Public Use Certificate by 31 March 2010, otherwise the premises will not be able to be used by the public.

If you own a building accessible to the public, you will need to ensure your building is compliant with the provisions of section 363. After March 2010, your options for making your building compliant will be limited and public access to your building may be affected.

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Public use provisions under the Building Act (Size 775K)

Public use provisions under the Building Act in Mandarin (Size 863K)

Exemptions from building consent requirements

Schedule 1 of the Building Act 2004 outlines the types of building work that do not require building consent.

Changes, effective from 16 October 2008, have been made to Schedule 1 to extend the types of building projects that do not require building consent, by removing minor or low-risk building work from the consenting process.

However, work must still comply with the Building Code and other legislation. Before starting work on building projects, property owners and builders should read Schedule 1 in full to assess whether or not consent is required.

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Guide to Exemptions from Building Consent Requirements (Size 52K)

Schedule 1 of the Building Act 2004 - Exempt Building Work (Size 21K)

DBH guide to Schedule 1 of the Building Act 2004 (Size 1030K)
(pdf courtesy of dbh.govt.nz)

New exemptions

The following are examples of projects that, as of 16 October 2008, will no longer require building consent:

• Removing or altering a wall that is not structural or bracing
• Awnings, pergolas or a verandah over a deck
• Installing or replacing windows, exterior doors or roof windows (as long as structural elements remain unchanged)
• Altering homes to improve disability access (excluding wet area accessible showers)
• Internal shop or office fit-out where changes do not affect specified systems or means of escape from fire
• Altering existing plumbing (including minor drainage alterations but excluding new connections) but where changes do not affect specified systems or means of escape from fire
• Erecting tents and marquees (size and use restrictions apply)

Compliance

While Schedule 1 of the Building Act provides for some exemptions from building consent, all work must still comply with other legislation, including:

• New Zealand Building Code
• Resource Management Act 1991
• Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Act 1976
• Electricity Act 1992
• Health Act 1956
• Council bylaws

When you apply for a building consent, you must decide whether or not the work that is exempt is to be included as part of the consent application. If it is not included, that work will not be inspected or receive a Code Compliance Certificate.

Related links

• Building Consent - Forms and Checksheets
• Building Law and Compliance - Department of Building and Health website
• Consumer Build website
• LIM & Property Reports
• Building Consent Authority
  

Saturday Building Inspections

From 1 July 2008 Waitakere City Council will be trialling a service offering restricted building inspections on Saturdays.

The restrictions will be the types of inspection offered, along with the number of inspections offered per day. At this stage the trial will be confined to Building Inspections only with the exclusion of Final Inspections; Commercial Inspections; and multiple unit inspections.

Plumbing and Drainage Inspections are not currently offered but we will continue to monitor the demand for this service and respond accordingly.

Points to note:

1. A premium of $52 will be charged to each inspection requested to be booked for Saturday.
2. Close-off for bookings, where space exists, is 3pm on a Friday afternoon; and as with current weekday bookings due to demand there is no guarantee that an inspection slot will be free for that day.
3. Inspections will be conducted on a rostered basis so it is not feasible to request a specific inspector. The Inspector will contact the client on the morning of the inspection to confirm approximate arrival time. Our Call Centre can connect you with the inspector if necessary. Please leave a message if you do not make direct contact so that he can return your call.
4. Inspection bookings will be made as usual through Council's Call Centre - 839 0400
5. Any escalation issues - concerns, queries, complaints or compliments - will be dealt with on Monday morning by the appropriate manager.

Producer Statements

As a requirement of our Building Consent Authority (BCA) Accreditation, Waitakere City Council has formalised its policies and processes for the acceptance of Producer Statements.

While the Building Act 2004 makes no specific provision for Producer Statement acceptance or processing, a BCA may elect to accept and process building consents based on the receipt of PS 1,2,3 & 4.

In mid-2007 WCC advised all previous suppliers of Producer Statements that, effective 1 February 2008, WCC's Producer Statement Policy would be implemented, and invited them to apply for inclusion on the Producer Statement Register.

From 1 February 2008 Producer Statements will only be accepted from engineers and professionals who have successfully registered with us.

In January 2008 notification was extended to advise all Engineers holding CPEng registration with IPENZ, located in the Northern region, of the imminent implementation of this policy.

Key Points:

1. From 1 February 2008 Producer Statements will only be accepted from engineers and professionals who have successfully registered on Council's Producer Statement Register. For a current listing of Registered Engineers click here.
2. Information for potential registrants is available in the document Information on the Use of Producer Statements
   
3. WCC requires confirmation of Professional Indemnity Insurance as detailed in the Information on the Use of Producer Statements document.
4. Those assessed and registered with IPENZ as Chartered Professional Engineers (CPEng) will have their registration copied to the WCC registered on advice that:
   • They wish to have this registration transferred by completing Part 7 Form 1 as applicable of the document Information on the Use of Producer Statements
   • Provide confirmation of the type of work to be covered by PS (as required on Form 1)
   • Provide a copy of current annual CPeng Practise Certificate.
   • Provide a copy of Professional Indemnity Insurance Certificate showing level of insurance held.

Information packs, along with any clarifications required, can be obtained by email to diana.rimkus@waitakere.govt.nz

Information on the use of Producer Statements

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Information on the Use of Producer Statements (Size 47K)

Producer statement forms (PS 1, PS 2, PS 3, PS 4) (Size 37K)

Listing of Registered Engineers

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Listing of Registered Engineers (Size 60K)

Independent Qualified Person's

Independent Qualified Person's (IQP's) are tradespeople who check and maintain certain features, such as fire alarms, sprinkler systems, emergency lighting etc in commercial/industrial type buildings. To operate in an area an IQP must be approved by the council to do work in that area. To save IQP's having to make application to 7 different councils in Auckland, representatives from all 7 councils meet once a month to jointly consider applications for acceptance as an IQP (or renewal of an existing acceptance).

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IQP Registration Form (Size 29K)

IQP Renewal Registration Form (Size 38K)

Green Card Applicants (June 2007)

The following companies have been awarded their Building Consent Application "Green Card" based on their history of providing WCC's Building Consent Authority with quality of documentation and application.
As a result of achieving this status their applications are processed through our system with priority.
This status applies to the Building Consent process only.

• Fuller Design Ltd
• Lifestyle Architectural Services
• Cato Bolam Consultants Ltd
• Farside Design Group
• Harmony Homes Ltd
• Keith Hay Homes Ltd
• Signature Homes Ltd
• Sovereign Homes Ltd
• Dowling Design Ltd

For more information on this qualification, please contact the Manager, Building Consents on (09) 836 8000 ext 8646 or email to: buildingconsents@waitakere.govt.nz

Notes:
Green Card membership is reviewed quarterly.
On-going status is subject to the maintenance of quality documentation and application.

Erosion & Sediment Control

Download the following information on how to reduce sediment and erosion discharge from your building site.

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English Version

Erosion and Sediment control on Construction Sites (Size 1599K)

Mandarin Version

Erosion and Sediment control on Construction Sites (Size 1213K)

Useful Links

The Department of Internal Affairs has established a website for people with enquiries about leaky buildings.

The Department of Building and Housing provides information about the Building Act and its regulations, including the Building Code.

ConsumerBuild has extensive information for people who are building, renovating or maintaining a home.