A code compliance certificate gives you and future owners an assurance that the building work was done to the appropriate standards, making it safe, healthy and durable.
Lack of a code compliance certificate might prevent a bank from releasing a final builder payment or increase the cost of insurance cover.
The receipt of a code compliance certificate means the building is deemed to have been completed in accordance with the plans and specifications provided and complies with the Building Code.
Find out what you need to do: Get the build signed off.
Information for Final Inspections guide - Form 210
Phone our Inspection Hotline on (04) 237 3844 to book your final site inspection.
Make sure you have all stamped and consented documents, including any amendments, at the final inspection.
Your application takes up to 20 working days to process from the time we receive a complete application.
We'll contact you if we need more information to process your application, and pause the 20 day clock. The clock will restart when we receive a complete response to our request.
We may charge an additional fee to review or assess the extra information. All fees need to be paid in full before we can issue your certificate of compliance.
Yes, all building consents require a final inspection. The purpose of the final inspection is to ensure that all work is completed as required by the building consent.
Although there is no imposed timeframe on an owner to complete work, on the 2 year anniversary of the granting of your consent, we are required to decide if a Code Compliance Certificate can be issued. If you cannot complete the work within this timeframe, it is essential that you contact us to discuss the matter.
Once the application has been made, we have 20 working days to decide whether to issue a Code Compliance Certificate. We will complete an inspection, if a final inspection has not already occurred, and ensure all documentation has been received. The required documentation will be listed on the building consent. If all building work complies and documentation supplied, a Code Compliance Certificate may be issued.
If a Code Compliance Certificate cannot be issued, we will write to you detailing the additional information you need to supply. The 20 working day clock is stopped while this happens.
The Code Compliance Certificate can only be issued where we are satisfied on reasonable grounds that the work complies with the consent.
Where a compliance schedule is required to be issued, we must be satisfied that the specified systems will perform to the standard as set out in the consent.
Building consents that are older than 5 years are considered historic and the evidence required to obtain a code compliance certificate (CCC) for this work may be different to a more recent building project.
Historic building consents does not cover building work that was constructed as part of a building permit which were issued prior to the implementation of the Building Act 1991. Building permits were issued by Council under the Bylaw legislative framework where a code compliance certificate was not issued. There is no mechanism to legitimise unpermitted work carried out prior to 1991.
A code compliance certificate (CCC) is a formal statement issued by Council certifying that:
In both cases, before Council can issue a CCC, it must be "satisfied on reasonable grounds" that the building work complies with the applicable Building Code (Building Act 1991) or the approved consent (Building Act 2004) at the time when the CCC is issued; not at the time when Council last inspected the building.
If Council cannot be satisfied, we will refuse the CCC and set out the reason as required under Section 95 of the Act. In some instances, if the non-compliance is major, Council may also issue a Notice to Fix.
When assessing historic building consents for CCC, the Building Code requirements of Clause B2 and Clause E2 are particularly relevant and critical.
Clause B2.3.1 of the Building Code requires that the building element (as installed) complies not only on the day of issuing the CCC but also will continue to comply for at least 5, 15 or 50 years after depending on the element. In most cases, the expected durability of the building element starts from the day they are installed. If the work is already more than 5 years old, Council is no longer able to be satisfied the building element will comply with Clause B2.3.1. The building element may have already exceeded or partially exceeded its expected durability and the manufacturer's warranty for the product.
This issue has been considered in many Determinations (refer section177 BA2004) by the Ministry of Business Innovation & Employment (MBIE). The accepted procedure is for the owner to seek an amendment of the building consent to modify the durability requirement of Clause B2.3.1; so that the durability periods commence at the time when the work was substantially completed (not at the time of issuing the CCC).
This means that for an owner who wishes to apply for a CCC for a historic building consent, they may be required to apply for an amendment to the building consent with:
Clause E2 requires the building and its overall weathertightness performance to comply with the Building Code. Where the work has been completed for some time, Council will have to carry out a full review and re-inspection to enable Council to be satisfied on reasonable grounds that the work still complies at the time of re-inspection. An extensive investigation and weathertightness report may be required from the owner. Simply relying on prior inspections, possibly years earlier may not be sufficient to establish reasonable grounds.
A request to assess a code compliance certificate application for a historic building consent can be initiated by the owner by applying using the My Porirua online portal:
If an application was submitted at the time the building work was finished, then please request an assessment and inspection for a historic building consent using the email below:
The CCC application or request will be allocated to an officer and due to the complexity of historic building consents, a minimum of 4 hours will be required for the initial review and assessment of records. All officer time is chargeable regardless of the outcome of the application.
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An assessment of the approved building consent and relevant documentation will be completed and may include the following factors:
The owner will be contacted to book an inspection. A copy of the original building consent documentation must be available on site for the time of the inspection.
The inspector will assess if they can be satisfied on reasonable grounds that the building work complies with the building code and/or the building consent. This may be dependent on the scope and complexity of the building work and what can be seen by the inspector.
In some cases, the inspector may identify that the application for CCC needs to be supported by a report from a suitably qualified person such as a Registered Building Surveyor, Registered Architect and/or Chartered Professional Engineer with experience in a specialised practise area.
Before engaging this person, please seek approval from Council first to ensure they have the demonstrative competence to support your application.
Once a decision has been made, you will be informed and issued an outcome with an invoice. In some cases, after the review of the file and carrying out the inspection, the outcome is such that Council is unable to confirm or certify the level of compliance; and will refuse the CCC and provide the reason for the refusal to the owner. If a breach of the Building Act or regulations under that Act has been identified a Notice to Fix may also be issued.
If you disagree with a Council decision, you may wish to apply for a determination to be made by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).
For more information on determinations see https://www.building.govt.nz/resolving-problems/resolution-options/determinations/
