Building control inspections
All building consents require specific inspections for building and plumbing work. The Council carries out inspections to ensure work complies with the building consent. These are necessary to obtain your final Code Compliance Certificate.
In cases where design professionals (such as engineers) supervise the work, the Council also requires documentation from those professionals that the work has been completed according to the approved building consent documents. This is often a producer statement supported by site notes.
Agreement for others to supervise and inspect the work is included as part of the building consent approval.
When all work under a consent is completed you can request a final inspection.
- A Guide to the Inspection Process – Form 559[PDF 762 KB]
Builders and installers usually arrange inspections relevant to their work, but property owners are ultimately responsible for ensuring the building is compliant.
When you need an inspection
Inspections cover a range of building and plumbing areas, including:
- foundations, retaining walls and slabs
- plumbing and drainage
- framing, including bracing and airseals
- building wrap, flashings and cladding
- pool fencing
- solid fuel fireplaces
- waterproofing on showers, decks, roofs and retaining walls
- completed works.
The inspections required for your project are listed in the building consent documentation issued by the Council.
You must keep a copy of your approved building consent on the construction site so Building Officers can check them.
If you intend to significantly vary your building work, you must get your building consent amended.
Amendments to Building Consents
If any building or plumbing work does not conform to the building consent or meet building code performance standards, the Council may issue a Notice to Fix detailing items of non-compliance.
Arranging an inspection
Bookings require at least two working days' notice. Call us to book an inspection.
No specific time slots will be issued, but you will be offered a morning or afternoon option.
- Morning inspections are done between 8am and 12 noon.
- Afternoon inspections are done between 1pm and 4pm.
The following information is required when booking an inspection:
- BC number
- address of property where the building work is being done
- type of inspection required
- name and phone number of site contact person – Local Building Practitioner details
- if there is a dog onsite.
Site safety
On the construction site, the safety of people, including Council officers, is your responsibility. This includes providing safe access to all parts of the site to allow work to be inspected.
Ladder access must be securely founded and tied. Scaffold access is likely to be required for larger buildings.
It is desirable for you or your representative to be on site during the inspection.
Cladding
Before the coating is applied to any plaster-coated cladding systems, you must arrange an inspection with a Building Officer.
It's extremely important to install cladding systems in strict compliance with the technical specifications for the product that have been approved as part of the building consent documentation.
Before Council will be able to issue a Code Compliance Certificate the following information is required:
- confirmation that the cladding installed is the same as detailed in the building consent
- confirmation that the coating has been applied by an applicator approved by the manufacturer of the cladding system
- a copy of the applicator's warranty or construction statement.
If you're 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're unhappy with a technical decision we've made about your building consent, you can refer the matter to MBIE for a Determination.