Questions Answered

This depends on the complexity of your project, its total estimated value and the level of detail provided. The fee will need to be paid prior to the consent being released. If you choose to cancel or withdraw the consent, there will still be fees payable for the services incurred.

If the value of your proposed building work is more than $20,000, your fees will include levies. Council is required to collect on behalf of the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment, and the Building Research Association of New Zealand.

• Building Consent Fees - South Waikato District Council

Building consent processing time depends on the complexity of your project and whether you have provided us with sufficient information. All consents are required to be determined within 20 working days. However, if information is deficient the clock is stopped, and you will receive a request to provide further information. The clock restarts once all requested information is received.

(a) Saturday, Sunday, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day, the Sovereign’s Birthday, Labour Day, and Waitangi Day; and

(ab) if Waitangi Day or Anzac Day falls on a Saturday or a Sunday, the following Monday; and

(b) the day observed in the appropriate area as the anniversary of the province of which the area forms a part; and

(c) a day in the period beginning on 20 December in any year and ending with the close of 10 January in the following year.

The invoice is sent via email once the building consent has been vetted. It will be sent to the Agent listed in the application unless requested otherwise (in the notes area of the application when applying).

The BCA assess the plans and specifications in your building consent application to ensure the proposed building work will comply with the Building Act (2004) and Building Code. When we are satisfied that you have met the requirements, we will grant/issue a building consent for the work to proceed. (you will receive an email notification for this with the stamped approved plans attached).

Depending on the nature of your building project, you may need to apply for a resource consent as well as a building consent.

If a Resource consent is required under the Resource Management Act (1991), a certificate issued under section 37 of the Building Act will be attached to your Project Information Memorandum (PIM) or building consent. This certificate stops any work starting until the resource consent is granted.

Resource consents are decided upon using the Resource Management Act (1991), which promotes the sustainable management of natural and physical resources, such as land, air and water.

A producer statement is a professional opinion based on sound judgment and specialist expertise. It is not a product warranty or guarantee of compliance.

The producer statement system is intended to provide Building Consent Authorities (BCAs) with reasonable grounds for the issue of a Building Consent or a Code Compliance Certificate, without having to duplicate design or construction checking undertaken by others.

While producer statements are well-established and widely used, they have no particular status under the Building Act 2004. They are used as one source of information which the council may rely upon to determine whether there are reasonable grounds to conclude that building work complies with the Building Code.

In considering whether to accept a producer statement, a council will normally assess the credentials of the author to ensure that person has the appropriate experience and competence in their particular field of expertise.

Producer statements are typically used for specialist work, such as engineering, or where there is a proprietary product which is installed by appointed contractors. Aspects of this work will be outside the council’s in-house expertise and a producer statement can assist the council when they are determining whether the building work complies with the Building Code. Council will use it’s judgement and internal processes when considering producer statements and how much weight to give them.

There are currently four types of producer statements, in use. They are known as:

• PS 1 – Design
• PS 2 – Design Review
• PS 3 – Construction (often used by the installers of proprietary systems)
• PS 4 – Construction Review.

You will need to ensure the contractor’s engagement includes the need to provide the producer statement at the completion of the work.

The minimum level of information to submit with your application to avoid delays in processing is

• Make it clear whether the install is a replacement of an existing burner in the same location or a new install
• A detailed floor plan that includes the location of the wood burner, windows in the immediate area and smoke alarm locations
• Hearth dimensions and details, existing or details of a proprietary hearth
• Manufacturer specifications for the specific make and model being installed
• Flue specifications, cross section through roof and flue heights nominated
• Details of seismic restraint (if not provided in manufacturer specifications)
• Flue flashing details
• If the install involves a wetback a certifying plumber will need to undertake that part of the install. Also make clear whether it is the reconnection of an existing or a complete new system. In the case of a new install the G12/AS1 detail will need to be included.