Applying for a Building Consent step by step

Pre-lodgement meetings

If your building project is for a complex addition, architecturally designed dwelling or commercial we recommend having a pre-lodgement meeting with the Councils officers. At the meeting we can confirm the adequacy of the information being prepared for the application and/or highlight any areas where additional information will be required.

A pre-lodgement meeting can include officers from various Council teams including the building team, resource consents, development engineering or health depending on the nature of the proposed project

To book a pre-lodgement meeting, email BuildingCounterEnquiry@westernbay.govt.nz and include a simple description of the scope of works to be carried out, and a contact phone number.

Applying for a building consent

Apply online

You can submit, manage and track applications for your building consent from anywhere, at any time though our online services page.

Before you begin

• Know where the property is - If your property subdivision is not fully complete, you must lodge your consent under the parent parcel (original Lot) and provide details of the pending Lot and DP numbers
• Know the owner and have proof of ownership - The owner is listed on the Certificate of Title (Certificate is to be no more than 3 months old); or on the rates valuation; or an unconditional sale and purchase agreement.
• Plans - Indicate the scale and the sheet size on each plan
• Specifications must be merged into one document in PDF format
• Supporting documents must be merged into two documents in PDF format
• Ensure documents have OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and bookmarking.
• Council's system does not accept PDF portfolios.

Registering as a new user

Go to the online services page, click on New Users / Register and complete the details. You will receive a confirmation email, click on the link provided, log in and you are good to go!

Submit the application

• An agent or owner can lodge the application
• The application can be shared with other interested parties (see below)
• The applicant is responsible for identifying which clauses of the building code the project complies with
• The applicant will receive an email and reference number confirming the application has been received.

Sharing the application with others

1. Log in and choose the application you wish to share
2. Click on the 'Share' button on the right of the application
3. This will take you to the User Permissions' tab
4. Enter email address and your message
5. Add the permissions you wish to share and click send
6. The person being sent this invite will receive an email from the applicant saying they have been invited to view this information
7. Simply click on the link and register
8. Once registered, the information above will appear on both the applicant's account and the invited person.

Manage required documents

• Upload files to the correct folder (e.g. Certificate of Title [no more than 3 months old] into the Certificate of Title folder)
• Plans and specifications must be PDF and uploaded as one document each
• Supporting documents must be PDF, Doc or DOCX and you may upload two separate documents
• Supporting documents are to include:
• Bracing calculations
• H1 calculations
• Truss design
• Lintel/beam design
• Engineering
• Geotechnical report (if required).
• Ensure these have OCR and bookmarking
• A copy of the building consent and approved plans must be held on site at all times. This is the applicant's responsibility
• Please clearly indicate the scale and the sheet size on each plan.

If your application is refused

If your application is found to be incomplete, you will receive an email informing you of this and the reasons for refusal. If this is the case, you will need to submit a new application. You can either:

• Duplicate the application and update as required. To duplicate click on the button on the right of the application; or complete a new application.