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A building consent is a formal approval from a Building Consent Authority (BCA) to carry out building work in accordance with approved plans and specifications. A BCA must grant a building consent if it is satisfied on reasonable grounds that the provisions of the building code would be met if the building work were properly completed in accordance with the approved plans and specifications that accompanied the application. Building Act 2004, (section 7, section 49).
NOTE: A building consent can only be obtained from an accredited and registered Building Consent Authority (BCA). The WBCG Councils are accredited by International Accreditation New Zealand (IANZ) and registered by the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE). Therefore these Councils are authorized to process your application for a building consent, inspect the building project during various stages and certify the work at the completion of the project.
When a building consent is required, NO physical building work can be started until the Council has issued a building consent, (and rsource consent if applicable). If a resource consent is also needed but not yet obtained, the Council must issue a Section 37 certificate, that states that until the resource consent has been obtained –
If you start any site or building work before this, it is illegal building work and you are liable for a fine. Illegal building work will not be signed off at CCC, instead, the owner will have to apply for a separate Certificate of Acceptance for this work, and pay additional fees on top of any fines. The legislation requires that Licensed Building Practitioners (LBPs) engaged in illegal building work are reported to their governing board.
If you are unsure if a Building Consent is required for the work you plan on doing, click this link here to check MBIEs BUILDIT guidance