Every building consent is granted subject to the condition that the building work is inspected. The building consent officer processing your building consent application will determine what inspections will be necessary during your build. A list of inspections and requirements for each inspection will be attached to the building consent.
Please ensure that you read the inspection requirements and are familiar with them before starting building work. If you believe anything on the inspection list is incorrect, please contact the Council as soon as possible.
Your final inspection will be for a "Code Compliance Certificate".
Note - Commercial building projects may require a Certificate for Public Use (CPU), find out more about CPU's.
From 1st July 2024, we added travel fees for Golden Bay Ward and Lakes Murchison Ward, to our fees and charges. This is to ensure that we reasonably recover costs associated with the work we do.
Building Consent applications submitted for the Golden Bay and Lakes/Murchison Wards will incur a fixed travel fee of $100.00 per inspection.
If boat access is required to access the building site, this will be recovered based on the cost incurred, this fee will be charged at the time of inspection.
When your Building Consent is issued, a list of required inspections will be included in your documentation. You (or your builder) will need to book these inspections as each stage of work is completed.
We need at least 2 working days' notice. Inspections will then be allocated on an “as available” basis.
The Tasman District area is divided up to manage inspections. Area contact details and times for booking inspections are:
| Area | Days | Times | Phone |
| Richmond | Monday to Friday | 8.00am - 4.30pm | 0800 543 852 |
| Motueka | Monday to Friday | 8.00am - 4.30pm | 0800 543 852 |
| Golden Bay | Monday, Wednesday and Friday | 10.15am - 4.30pm | 0800 543 852 |
| Murchison Lakes | Tuesday and Thursday | 9.00am - 3.30pm | 0800 543 852 |
When you make your booking, you will need to supply the following information:
We will contact you no later than the morning of the inspection with a timeframe for when they'll be on site.
The building inspector assigned to the inspection will visit the site to inspect your building work. We need to ensure there is safe access to the area that is being inspected.
The inspector will:
We need to ensure the safety of our staff; we request that clear access is provided for the inspector to carry out their inspection.
All building consent documents and any approved amendments must be provided in hard copy on-site at the time of inspection.
Any relevant people/person relating to the building work or specific inspection is to be onsite for the inspection. For example, a drainlayer may want to be onsite for a drainage sewer/stormwater inspection
The work to be remedied will be recorded on the site inspection sheet, which will be emailed to the contact person on site at the end of the day. A re-inspection may be required to sign off any remedial work.
The following may also occur:
You will be charged for re-inspections and this will need to be paid before the code compliance certificate can be issued.
This is a formal notice issued by the building consent authority, advising that certain works have not been carried out in accordance with the building code. If issued, a letter explaining the process will accompany it.
If a notice to fix is issued, you are required to address the issues identified within a prescribed time frame to prevent further action being taken. A notice to fix may require to you stop work or impose conditional continuation of works.
It is important to us to deliver a timely and efficient building inspection service. It's always a bit of a juggle to match building job complexity with technical competency, and to get the right person in the right place at the right time for the job.
We cannot emphasise enough the need to be certain work will be complete on the day - so we are giving you the option to cancel early without incurring any extra costs.
Cancellation after 2.00pm will incur a cancellation fee.
However - if we get to the site and the work isn't ready to inspect, you will fail the inspection and incur the standard failed inspection fee.
Depending on what you're building, you'll need a selection of the following inspections. Each inspection has to occur at a certain stage of the building. Your builder will be familiar with all these stages.
| Preconstruction meeting | To ensure input from Council prior to the final set of construction drawings, to save any amendments which can be costly. |
| Prepour | Prior to pouring foundations – check siting / site / footings / foundation / reinforcing steel |
| Pool Prepour | For a pool only application and prior to pouring concrete |
| Wastepipes | Inspection of wastepipes prior to pouring a floor slab or inspections of services below a timber floor prior to installing the floor. |
| Floor Slab | Prior to pouring the slab |
| Blockwork | This is often covered by your engineer. Inspection of blockwork construction - blockwork foundations for single storey construction can be undertaken under Prepour. |
| External tanking | Inspection of an external water proofing system either below or above ground and includes associated drainage systems. |
| Sub-Floor Framing | The purpose of this inspection is to check the subfloor framing layout (size and location); bracing and connections (nails and nail plates). |
| Framing / Prewrap | Inspection of framing prior to installing wrap or roof |
| Concrete / Tilt Panel / Steel Frame | Inspection of aspects of SED elements |
| Post Wrap | Checking that the wrap is not damaged and that tapes are applied appropriately. They will also ensure that any penetrations for pipes and wires are sealed properly. Windows are usually in at this inspection and will also be checked to make sure all flashings are installed correctly. |
| Deck / Roof membrane | This inspection is prior to the membrane systems being installed, this will check the framing and substrate. |
| Pre-plaster | To ensure that the material and fixings that are being used are the same as the approved plans. This inspection occurs before the plaster is applied. The cladding system should be completed and if possible the person who installed the cladding on site. |
| Solid Plaster - Bond/Scratch Coat | Required for solid plaster systems. |
| Half-High Brick | Includes inspection of shelf angles etc |
| Preline Building | To check and test the installation of the water supply pipes and the waste pipes. The water supply pipes must be under pressure test to check for any leaks in the system. |
| Postline | The purpose of this inspection is to check that the correct linings have been installed and check bracing elements have been correctly fixed. If applicable, fire collars, fire sealants and other fire protection measures may also be checked at this inspection. |
| Internal Membrane |
The inspector will check the wet area membrane (eg. tile shower), is installed as per manufacturer’s specifications. |
| Drainage |
There are several types of drainage:
The purpose of this inspection is to check that there is enough fall on the pipe and that they are the right size. The pipework must be under test to confirm there are no leaks in the system. |
| Chimney Inbuilt | The purpose of this inspection is to make sure that the clearances and fixings are correct for the appliance that is to be installed. |
| Solar Water Heater | This is normally covered by an installers PS3. |
| Retaining Wall | The purpose of this inspection is to check the type of construction and the materials used are in accordance with the approved plans. This work may also be inspected by and engineer and may be done at the same time as a siting inspection. |
| Certificate for public use | To inspect safety precautions to protect public areas on a building site, or to open areas or the whole site to the public before the issue of the code compliance certificate. |
| Final | Final inspections are extremely important; this is the last time that we will attend site therefore all building work must be completed. All building consents require a final inspection. A final inspection does not mean that a CCC will be issued; the applicant must apply for a CCC. This includes:- Smoke alarms, Painting and decorating, Floor coverings in wet areas, Fixtures & fittings (plumbing), Electrical work, Gas installations, Driveways and paving, Landscaping etc. Power must be connected and hot water on. |
| Marquee | An inspection by a Council Building Inspector is required prior to the marquee being used. Please ensure that the building documents are available and that the producer statement has been completed and signed by the person erecting the marquee. |
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