Your Building Consent Checklist

Each council may have different requirements for submissions for a building consent and, to complicate matters, requirements are constantly being updated so you must check with your council before taking in the completed application to make sure you have everything you need. 

Generally you are required to provide the completed building consent application form including an estimate value of the building work, with the following information attached:

• Proof of Ownership
   
• Locality plan, including building in relationship to neighbouring streets, north point, name of building and lot and DP number
   
• Inspections and Monitoring - details of the inspection regime, including those by council offices, other professionals such as architect, engineers, etc and by you, the owner
   
• Site plan showing dimensions of all boundaries, finished floor levels, ground contours and/or levels, lot and DP number, street name and number, site area, outline of building and distances to boundaries, designated wind zone
   
• Foundation plan showing dimensions which provides details of footings, reinforcing sizes and layout, foundation elements, sub-floor ventilation and engineering information, reinforcing and contractions joints in concrete slabs, upgrading of existing foundations if an upper story is to be added, Sub-floor bracing and Foundation details
   
• Drainage plan showing fixtures and fittings, hotwater system(s), upper floor sanitary fittings with isometric layout showing wastes, pipes and falls, drainage layout with inspection bends and junctions for both stormwater and sewage, other drainage onsite, ventilation of sanitary rooms, calculations for sizing of downpipes
   
• Floor plans - existing (for additions and alterations) and proposed providing details of floor dimensions, walls, windows, doors, stairs, barriers, handrails, floor joists, beams, fixtures and fittings, stove, plumbing, and smoke detector layout
   
• Wall bracing plans showing detail of wall layout with windows, doors, roof layout, bracing type, the location and fixing details of bracing panels and calculations for all floors, subfloor bracing for decks projecting more than 2m from the house
   
• Elevations showing accurate ground lines, levels, height recession planes, location of doors, windows (with opening windows clearly shown), floor levels in relation to finished ground levels, exterior claddings, roof covering, down-pipes, spouting, subfloor ventilation and flues
   
• Sections and details showing details of the foundations, reinforcing, damp-proof membrane, stud heights, floor levels, wall structure (including proprietary wallbracing element details), roof structure, roof covering, wall cladding, flashings, insulation, fire-rated systems, lintels and beams, stairs, handrails, decks and decking, barriers, truss layout
   
• Cladding details providing details around all penetrations, joinery and other junctions at a level appropriate to the level of risk, e.g. roof/wall,balcony/wall, junction of different types of cladding, backflashing details for cavity systems
   
• Specifications providing a clear description of the materials and building elements that cannot be shown on the drawings.  For example, durability issues would be shown here
• Engineer's reports and calculations
• Producer statements - where the application is relying on a statement to certify compliance of the plans, specifications or completed works with the Building Code, a copy of that producer statement and the calculations it is based on must accompany the application
• Solid fuel heaters - these may need separate building consent application and must include the manufacturer's specifications and installation instructions and a floor plan of the building that clearly shows the proposed location of the heater unit and adjacent rooms, doors and windows
   
• Water supply details - where the property will not be connected to the council reticulated water supply.  The location and size of tanks, the location of bores, test results, etc must be included
   
• Alternative Solutions - of the proposal uses products of systems that are not covered in the Acceptable Solutions of clause E2 of the building code, provide supporting current information including independent test results (full signed reports), case studies, expert opinion (and proof of expertise) to demonstrate compliance
   
• List of specified systems

You may commence work immediately upon receiving your consent, as long as all other authorisations that are required have been obtained. 





Courtesy of: NZ Homeowner's Building Guide Northland 2008/09