Can a building consent be issued prior to a resource consent?
A building consent may be issued prior to the approval of a resource consent, however this will be usually subject to a certificate attached, restricting the commencement of all or some of the work until the resource consent has been granted.
At what size does a proposed building require a building consent?
A 'building' is defined in Section 7, 8 and 9 of the Building Act 2004. In particular note the definition of Building and Building Work, and Schedule 1 of the Building Act (which specifies what work is exempt from a building consent).
It is not just the size of the building that determines the requirement for building consent. A Building Consent Officer can help explain this to you.
You can build a small accessory building (shed, pergola, gazebo, glasshouse, sleepout) without a building consent if the building:
- is under 10m2 in area; and
- contains no sanitary facilities; and
- is single storied; and
- is at least its own height away from the property boundary and from any residential building on the property or any neighbouring property; and
- is not a spa or swimming pool enclosure or fence.
Even if a building consent is not required, the construction still needs to comply with the NZ Building Code. This includes spouting and storm water control.
You will need a building consent if it does not meet the above requirements.
The definition of building under the Building Act is different to the definition of building in the Christchurch City Plan. The Banks Peninsula District Plan defines a building in the same way as the Building Act. While a building may not need a building consent it may still need a resource consent under the Christchurch City Plan. Please contact the Duty Planner on (03) 941 8999 for further information.
Do I need a building consent to do electrical work in my house?
No you do not require a building consent. Council has no jurisdiction over electrical work.
Do I need a building consent to re-pile my house?
In accordance with the Building Act 2004, a building consent is not required for re-piling unless there are changes to the structure or structural integrity, i.e. under pinning, foundation design change, or change of pile layout. In such circumstances a building consent is required.
Owners are recommended to obtain a building consent in all cases for the purpose of recording the work.
Do I need a building consent if I want to plaster over the brick veneer of my house?
Plaster rendering over brick veneer work does not require a building consent. The plaster must not cover the weep holes inset in the bottom brick row.
Do I require a building consent if I am carrying out re-cladding on my house or building?
If you are repairing the cladding and replacing with the same materials then no building consent is required, unless the existing cladding has not met the durability requirements of the Building Code which is 15 years.
If you are changing the cladding material e.g. from weatherboards to stucco or some other material, then you will require a building consent.
Do I need a building consent to build a deck on my property?
A building consent is required for a deck where it is more than 1m above the ground. The deck must be constructed in accordance with the Building Code and details such as the structure, balustrade and planning requirements will be checked.
Decks must also comply with the appropriate City Plan or Banks Peninsula District Plan in regards to setbacks from boundaries and open space intrusions.
If you are planning to use of shade cloth as a balustrade, you will need to talk to a Building Consent Officer as this is an alternative solution to the Building Code and there are various requirements which must be checked.
Brochures are available from many hardware/timber stores on standard ways of constructing decks.
What are the building requirements for double glazing?
The energy efficiency building requirements of the 3rd Edition of Clause H1 of the New Zealand Building Code were introduced on 31 October 2007, making double glazing necessary in most new houses to meet the new glazing R-valve of 0.26.
It still may be possible to use single glazing by using a heat loss calculation (Calculation Method - NZS4218:2004) that allows the insulation in one part of a house to be traded against the insulation in another part of the house. You should discuss this with your designer as they will be required to provide calculations demonstrating compliance with NZS4218:2004 with any building consent application.
Note, the new requirements of the 3rd Edition of Clause H1 only apply to building consent applications, applied for on or after 31 October 2007.
How can I get a list of all the building consents issued in the last month and how much does it cost?
The Building Consent (permit) List is published monthly and costs $16 per month. If you would like to purchase previous months issues the cost of these are $25 each. The list contains the name and address of the applicant (builder, owner) along with a brief description of the project and its value (for all building consents applied for in the previous month).
If you wish to receive a copy of this list we require you to subscribe to a mailing list. Please complete the Subscription order form [PDF 34.9KB] and send it in with your payment and number of issues to receive. Lists are posted to subscribers within the first five working days of the following month.
Current copies of the Building Consent List can also be purchased from Council service centres.
My building consent says I have to install smoke detectors. What specifically do I require and where can I get them?
Under Sections 112 and 115 of the Building Act 2004, smoke detectors with a 'Hush' facility are required in all dwellings or residential units that require a building consent to be issued. This includes new buildings, altered buildings, or buildings changed to a residential use. Free standing non habitable buildings (i.e. garages or sheds) and site drainage do not invoke the requirement.
Most single level houses will require a minimum of one smoke detector, however it is important to think of the whole escape route. If the hallway adjoining the bedrooms lead (via a door) through another space to the exit door, that space will require a detector as well. Two storey houses will require detectors at both levels, regardless of which level the sleeping activity is on.
All applications for consents will require complete floor layouts with room names, doorways and the smoke detectors clearly marked.
Standard smoke detectors which are already installed can remain but 'Hush' models must also be installed. A ‘Hush’ or ‘double button’ smoke alarm differs from older models in that they have an additional button which allows the alarm to be quietened for a period of time while the cause of an accidental triggering of the alarm is fixed (e.g. burnt toast). These detectors are available at most hardware stores.
Can the Council provide me with information on Benchmarks?
The Council has a network of approximately 1000 Level Benchmarks across the City and these are available free of charge. These levels are in terms of the Christchurch City Council datum.
They are precisely levelled survey points fixed into permanent structures such as concrete steps, headwalls, kerbs etc. The levels of the Benchmarks are expressed in terms of a common datum. In the case of Christchurch City Council the Datum is known as Christchurch City Datum, the zero point being 9.04m below Mean Sea Level. The No 1 Benchmark is in the foyer of the Christchurch Cathedral.
It is vitally important in terms of flood levels and drainage systems to be able to establish the relative difference in level between any particular points. The system of Benchmarks that has been established over the City enables Surveyors, Engineers and Builders to establish design ground levels for subdivisions, invert levels for pipe work and floor levels for new buildings at any point in the City confident that they are working in terms of one datum without the need to go back the Cathedral starting point every time.
The history of Christchurch City Datum dates back to the 19th century and the early days of the Christchurch Drainage Board. The need for a common level datum was evident very early in the quest to control Christchurch's drainage issues. An arbitrary figure of 50 feet (15.24m) was chosen for the No 1 Benchmark in the foyer of the Christchurch Cathedral. Its relationship to Mean Sea Level was determined later and showed that the floor of the Cathedral is only 20.33 feet or 6.20m, above sea level).
Requests for Benchmarks can be emailed to searches@ccc.govt.nz with the words "Benchmarks" in the subject, the address of your site in the body of the email. You willl be provided with nearby bench marks. Please note that there may be a 24 hour wait for this information.
