Building
The Building Division is responsible for the regulatory control of all building work (including plumbing) in the Invercargill/Bluff area as under the Building Act.
This is to ensure that substandard or inappropriate building materials or practices do not become a problem for building users, now or in the future. Among the division's duties and responsibilities are processing and issuing building consents, building inspections and issuing code compliance certificates.
Changes to New Zealand Standard NZS 3604-1999
and Acceptable Solution B2 AS/1 (Durability)
Be aware that the transition period for NZS 3604-1999 and B2 AS/1 will be ending soon. The compliance document B2 AS1 has been amended and will be in effect as of July 1, 2011. NZS 3604-2011 is currently in a transition period and will be enforced after the pending amendment to B1 AS/1 has been published, expected mid-2011. All consents issued after these dates will have to be constructed in conformance with the latest edition of these documents. There is a tentative extension to this period which will be communicated as soon as confirmation has been publicly released.
Notes:
NZS 3604 Timber-framed buildings is the foremost building Standard in New Zealand for the building and construction industry. The majority of new and existing residential buildings in New Zealand are timber construction, and 93% have components of NZS 3604 in their design and construction. The Standard is a prescriptive step-by-step guide to design and build a residential stand-alone house and can be used by anyone. The Standard describes the most common design and construction techniques using generic readily-available materials. It provides an efficient, timely, and cost-effective way to design and build residential homes.
B2 AS/1 applies to materials and components required to satisfy the performance in other New Zealand Building Code clauses
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If you would like us to email you or your work place on a regular basis with details about the latest building news and industry related seminars then please email the Council at building@icc.govt.nz.
The consent process
Most building, plumbing and structural projects require a building consent or permit (written permission from the Council). This includes, for example, new buildings, alterations and extensions to existing buildings, building relocation, merry-go-rounds, marques, scaffolding, swimming pools and spas. Building consents are concerned primarily with safety and are subject to national rules and regulations. However, buildings must also comply with the Resource Management Act and the District Plan and there may be circumstances when you will require a resource consent before you can be issued with a building consent. For more information:
The following link is to a Government site with details about work
where a consent is NOT needed:
The application process
The Building Act allows the Invercargill City Council's Building Consents Authority up to 20 working days to either refuse or grant a building consent. When an application is received by the Council it is vetted for completeness and signed-off as "fit for the purpose of processing".
The application is then entered into the Council's system and the 20 working day statutory clock commences. If the Council requires more information during processing, the application is suspended (statutory time clock stops) until the requested information is provided.
Once the information is provided the time clock is restarted and processing continues. It is important for applicants to provide full details (as per the Council's checklists) with their applications.
Council policies related to buildings
Departmental guide on building safety and warrants of fitness
More information