Building consent – application requirements
When you apply for a building consent you need to supply detailed information, documentation and a fee based on the value of the project.
The following is essential reading for anyone planning a building project or applying for a consent:
- A guide to obtaining a building consent (Form 558)[PDF 524 KB]
- Building consent forms and checksheets
An application pack is available on request.
Changes to building consent processing
All building consent applications are being moved online, using our online building consent portal, SIMPLI. You’ll need an email address to open one of these online accounts.
This new online system will allow you to submit, manage, and track your application whenever you want, from the first piece of information to the issue of the last certificate.
If you need help with the online process, contact us and we’ll help set up your online account. From 1 November 2023 there’ll be a charge if Council staff need to manually load information for your consent application. If you need help due to accessibility reasons, please contact us for assistance.
You can upload your application online yourself for free at any time.
If you have an agent lodging your application, as the owner you’ll be added to the account and will be able to:
- track your application
- receive copies of further information requests we send to your agent.
Contact us if you have any questions or concerns with this change.
Project Information Memorandum (PIM)
A Project Information Memorandum (PIM) is a detailed report relating to a specific project on a property. It discloses information that may affect approval for a proposed building project, such as:
- need for an evacuation plan approved by Fire and Emergency New Zealand
- potential erosion, slippage or flooding
- the presence of any hazardous contaminants known to the Council
- details on stormwater and sewerage systems
- any development contributions payable
- other relevant authorisation requirements (resource consents and bylaw approvals)
While no longer mandatory, PIMs can reduce delays in obtaining approvals and higlight potential issues in large projects. You can apply before lodging a building consent application or as part of your building consent application.
Amendments to building consents
If you wish to make an alteration to an existing building consent, you can apply for an amendment. Amendments can only be granted prior to the work being undertaken.
For building consents issued from 31 March 2005, the Building Act 2004 requires that the building must comply with the issued building consent. It is therefore important that significant variations from the approved building consent are recorded by the issue of an Amendment to the Building Consent.
Building consent fees
Building consent fees are set by the Kāpiti Coast District Council under the Building Act. They are reviewed annually.
BRANZ levies apply to all work valued at $20,000 or more and are set at $1.00 per $1,000 or part. MBIE levies apply to all work valued at $20,444 or more and are set at $1.75 per $1,000 or part. Where the consent is staged the payable levy is assessed on the total project value.
A fee is charged for processing Amendments to a Building Consent. If the amendment alters the value of a project as a whole, there may also be an adjustment to the BRANZ and MBIE levies.
View the building consents fee schedule.
Additional information and fees
Occasionally, as we work on your application and seek further information, we may find additional areas to investigate (for example, the need for a compliance schedule or an assessment by an environmental health officer).
We may also need additional information not supplied with your initial application and this may result in additional fees. If this is the case, we will send you an invoice for these fees and request you pay this before we issue the building consent.
Additional charges may also apply if we need to send the consent to Fire and Emergency New Zealand for comment.
You can track our regulatory performance.
If you are unhappy with our service
The Building Consent Authority welcomes feedback from customers. We want to hear from you if you feel dissatisfied with any part of our service related to building consent processing or inspection and Code Compliance Certificate decisions (to issue or otherwise).
If you are unhappy with a technical decision made by us about your building consent please refer the matter to MBIE for a Determination.