Extension of time to commence building work

Under Section 52 of the Building Act 2004, a Building Consent lapses after 12 months if work is not started. You can apply for one extension of time for 12 months if circumstances have prevented you from starting work. 

Extension of time to complete building work

If no application for Code Compliance has been received at 24 months, the BCA has 20 days to make a decision on whether to issue or refuse a Code Compliance Certificate (CCC). You can apply for an extension of time to complete the work to avoid CCC refusal. However, if CCC is refused, you can still carry on working and having work inspected as before, and apply for CCC at some point in the future. The BCA then has 20 working days to make the decision to issue or refuse CCC. 

You can apply for either Extension of Time using the following forms:

• Application for Extension - Online Form (PDF 107.95KB)
• Application for Extension (PDF 107.95KB)

You will need the following documents (in pdf form) before you can submit your application:

• A Record of Title (less than 3 months old).
• Project plans, including site plans, floor plans, drainage and services, elevations, electrical plans.
• Specifications relevant to the project.
• Supporting documents. This includes a Ground Report for any foundations or drainage, brace calculations, truss certificates, on-site wastewater details, engineers documents and calculations, cladding specifications (specific to the job and not the entire document), memorandum of design work etc.

This guide from MBIE (the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment) will also be able to assist you with what you need to provide when applying for a building consent. 

• Building Consent Guidance (PDF 2.01MB)

MBIE also have a range of guides to building consent application which will give you a great overview of the process and what documentation is required:

• MBIE Step By Step Guide Building Consent Process (PDF 786.98KB)  
• MBIE Standard Order Of Documents Checklist (PDF 265.61KB)  

Our customer guide to PIMs and Building Consents (PDF 357.58KB) is available to view or download here. 

There are also a number of helpful websites that you can access to find more information and guidance about building and construction. Check them out here:

The New Zealand Home Building Guide gives a good overview of the designing and building process.

Building Performance - Projects & consents has guidance on every aspect of building.

BRANZ has fantastic information on designing and building to our country's climate, earthquake and energy needs, amongst other things. BRANZ Map will take you to an interactive map of climate and earthquake regions. 

Level is the NZ Authority on Sustainable Building, it has everything you need to know about building houses and living in a sustainable way, on or off the grid.

Lodging a building consent application is subject to fees and charges, which are applied as soon as the consent is lodged. Please ensure your application is complete before lodging, as time spent on Requests for Further Information, or RFIs, is charged hourly.

You will be invoiced when processing is complete, and the building consent is issued when the invoice is paid. 

If a consent is withdrawn before issue, some charges such as processing time still apply. 

Typically, a building consent incurs a range of charges. For a new dwelling for example, you will be invoiced for consent fee, inspections, code compliance certificate, processing fee (time), MBIE and BRANZ levies, BCA Accreditation levy, compliance check, online system charge and insurance. 

See Fees and Charges for the complete list of Fees.

More questions about the Fees and Charges please see Guidance for Building Fees and Charges

A Building Consent is required for the installation of all on-site wastewater disposal systems. All applications require the form 'Evaluation and Information for Onsite Wastewater Disposal'  to be completed by a plumber/drain layer/engineer for inclusion with the building consent application. The form can be found on the West Coast Regional Council website at this link :

• West Coast Regional Council - Application forms

Residential and small to medium sized apartment buildings are classed as Restricted Building Work and must be designed and constructed by Licensed Building Practitioners. LBP’s include Designers/Carpenters/Roofers/External Plasterers/Brick and Blocklayers/Foundation Specialists/Professional Engineers/Architects/Plumbers and Gasfitters.

The following forms are required to be completed by the Licensed Building Practitioners:

• Memorandum – Certificate of Design Work
• Memorandum – Record of Building Work

Residential and small to medium sized apartment buildings are classed as Restricted Building Work and must be designed and constructed by Licensed Building Practitioners.

LBP’s include Designers/Carpenters/Roofers/External Plasterers/Brick and Blocklayers/Foundation Specialists/Professional Engineers/Architects/Plumbers and Gasfitters.

• View the LBP Public Register
• View the Architects Board Register
• View the IPENZ Register

The Licensed Building Practitioner provisions of the Building Act 2004 impose restrictions on what building work an unlicensed builder may undertake.

Unlicensed builders may carry out building work which is:

• NOT classed as Restricted Building Work.
• Owner/build work in accordance with Section 90D Building Act 2004.
• Exempt from building consent under Schedule 1 of the Building Act 2004.
• Building Consent approved and classed as “Low Risk” building work.

Restricted Building Work may be carried out only if the work is being carried out under the supervision of a Licensed Building Practitioner.

Sanitary plumbing, drainage and electrical work will continue to be undertaken in terms of the respective registration mandates as the registration members are considered to be Licensed Building Practitioners for the purposes of the Building Act 2004.

To install a new or replacement log burner, diesel heater etc., you or your plumber need to apply for Building Consent via the Objective Build online consenting system. 

Click here to lodge a consent or create an account.

This Spaceheater Specification form should be filled in and attached to your application as a pdf. 

WBCA 002 Spaceheater Specification V1.0.13

If your heater has a wetback for hot water, it must be fitted by a Licensed Plumber. 

Once the spaceheater is fitted, the installer should use this declaration to record their work:

Installers Declaration for Solid or liquid fuel heater and wetback

Upload this document to the online consenting system 'Required Documents' tab.

As of November 1st, 2024,where more than one smoke alarm is required in a household unit, interconnected smoke alarms will be needed. Currently, two types of interconnected smoke alarm systems are permissible under the standard: wireless or mains powered. 

All alarms must include a hush button, either on the alarm itself or in another readily accessible location for temporary silence during false alarms.

A minor variation is a minor modification, addition, or variation to a building consent that does not deviate significantly from the plans and specifications to which the building consent relates.

Application for a minor variation to building consent

When you have an existing Building Consent and wish to make changes to materials or design, please read the following guide to Amendments and Minor Variations.

MBIE Minor Variations Guidance 

• View the Temporary Building/Marquee Checklist

Everyone involved in the building process has responsibilities and obligations. You may well not be aware of your responsibilities if you are not involved in building projects regularly.

Outlined below we have provided an overview of responsibilities and obligations for the various people who may be involved in your build project.

Owners

As the owner you have certain legal responsibilities when applying for building approvals. You’re responsible for:

• obtaining any necessary consents, approvals or certificates, including the code compliance certificate and compliance schedule (if required)
• advising who will carry out any restricted building work
• making sure that any building work carried out by you complies with the building consent or, if there’s no building consent, with the building code
• advising the building consent authority if during your build any materials are changed as the change may need an amendment to your building consent
• ensuring compliance with any Notice to Fix.

You can use an agent to do the above tasks for you, except for notices to fix – you can’t transfer responsibility of these to anyone else.

Appointing an agent to manage the above does not free you of your ultimate responsibility.

You’ll receive a copy of all communications about your project to help you meet your responsibilities and to keep you informed.

When making any changes to your contract make sure you agree to these in writing with the main contractor to avoid any misunderstandings.

On an ongoing basis you’re responsible for:

• notifying council of any
• proposed change of use for the building, even when it doesn’t require a building consent
• extension of life for a building with a specified life
• subdivision of a property with an existing building
• alterations, even if they don’t require a building consent (alterations can trigger upgrade requirements, such as smoke detectors or insulation)
• keeping your building safe and sanitary
• ensuring inspection, maintenance and reporting procedures are carried out and where you have a compliance schedule for specified systems
• getting professional engineering advice and acting on it if there are concerns about building safety in earthquakes.

Owner builders

You’re an owner builder if you:

• own (yourself or jointly with another person), or
• have a beneficial legal interest in the land and/or house the building work is being done on (a legal interest includes being a beneficiary of a trust, shareholder of a company, co-owner of Māori land, or having possession of a long-term lease), and
• genuinely intend to occupy (or already occupy) the house and not be building (or altering) it only to sell it or rent it to someone else.

As an owner builder you’ re responsible for making sure that restricted building word carried out under the owner builder exemption

• complies with the building consent plans and specifications,
• is carried out by you or with the help of your unpaid family and friends, and
• you haven’t carried out restricted building work to any other home within the three previous years.

Designers

“Designer” has a very broad meaning here. It isn’t just a licensed designer or architect, but anyone who has input into the plans and specifications or advises on compliance of building work with the building code.

They’re responsible for making sure that the plans, specifications and any advice they provide will result in the building work complying with the building code, if the building is built to those plans, specifications, and advice.

When we receive your building consent application our building control staff will review the plans and specifications for your proposed building work to satisfy ourselves that the designer has met this requirement.

You must complete and include with the consent application a certificate design of work if you are an architectural designer, architect or engineer carrying out or supervising design of restricted building work.

As an LBP you are responsible for ensuring there is enough relevant information available and all restricted building work is clearly identified in your certificate of design work or record of work.

Where more than one designer has been involved in the design of the project, the primary designer is responsible for making sure all information aligns and it is clear what work has been carried out or what aspects of the design work has been supervised.

Refer to a worked example of a certificate of design work for guidance on how this should be completed. If you need additional support or information you can also seek guidance from the LBP Board.

Builders

A builder is the person who carries out building work, whether in trade or not.

They’re responsible for building the project to the consented plans and specifications. The builder is also responsible for making sure that any building work not covered by a building consent complies with the building code.

All residential building work to the value of $30,000 including GST or more must have a contract in place.

Before signing the contract, building contractors must provide

• details of their qualifications
• licencing status
• insurance policies
• guarantees.

So long as the contractor meets the requirements of the Building Act they only have to say if they provide any additional guarantee or not - it doesn’t mean that they need to provide one.

The builder must however supply information to the building owner about

• ongoing maintenance
• insurance policies (i.e. third-party insurance)
• warranties of products and services relating to the building.

Licensed building practitioners

During a build any restricted building work must be carried out or supervised by a licensed building practitioner (LBP).  These are designers, builders, roofers, bricklayers, carpenters, external plasterers and foundations specialists who have been assessed as skilled to carry out this very important work.

You can verify whether the people you’re thinking about using are licensed by checking the Licensed Building Practitioners register maintained by the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE).

A licensed building practitioner is responsible for making sure that

• all restricted building work on the project is carried out or supervised by them
• they are licensed in a class for carrying out or supervising that restricted building work.

LBPs have a code of ethics which sets behavioural standards for LBPs to give both the industry and consumers clarity on what's expected from LBPs, and to hold them to account.

Product manufacturers/suppliers

A product manufacturer or supplier is a person or company who manufactures or supplies a building product.

They are responsible for

• making sure their products meet the building code requirements
• providing the supporting technical data, plans, specifications and advice to the building industry for their products and materials
• confirming that that the product will, if installed correctly, meet the performance standards of the building code.

Building Consent Authority

A building consent authority (BCA) is responsible for all building control functions as follows

• building consenting
• building inspections
• notices to fix
• code compliance certificates
• compliance schedules.

Under the Building Act 2004 their responsibility is to

• make sure that an application for a building consent complies with the building code
• check that the building work is carried out matches with the building consent for that work
• issue consents and certificates under the rules of the Building Act 2004.

Not all building consent authorities are councils. Westland District Council is a registered and accredited building consent authority.

We also carry out building related activity as the Territorial Authority, including

• project information memorandums
• waivers and modifications
• discretionary exemptions
• certificates of acceptance
• certificates of public use
• notices under the Building Act 2004
• compliance inspections of residential pools
• enforcing annual building warrant of fitness
• compliance schedule amendments
• record keeping.

Most building work will require a Building Consent. The Building Act 2004 requires that building consents be granted for any temporary or permanent moveable or immovable structure (including a structure intended for occupation by people, animals, machinery or chattels) and includes mechanical, electrical and other systems, certain fences, vehicles that are immovable and occupied by people on a permanent or long term basis, mast poles and telecommunication aerials that exceed certain height and width criteria and the demolition of existing buildings.

Building Consents are also required for some maintenance work particularly where maintenance involves building components that have not been able to meet the durability requirements of the New Zealand Building Code. Certain work is exempt from the need to be subject to a building consent; more information concerning these exemptions can be found in the First Schedule to the Building Act.

All the information you need to make your decision is available at https://www.building.govt.nz/buildit

A small change can be made by asking a building inspector to grant a Minor Variation on site, if the change does not effect the structure or weathertightness of the building. Structural changes or additions to the plans may need an Amendment, which should be applied for in Objective Build. Please see our Guide, Public Information on Amendments and Minor Variations. (PDF 179.26KB)

A Building Consent will lapse and be of no effect if the building work to which it relates has not commenced within 12 months after the date of issue. Should circumstances arise where a delay to building work is required the Building Consent Authority may extend the lapsing period at its discretion.

The Building Act requires that within two years of the grant of the building consent a building owner must apply for a code compliance certificate. Such a certificate is confirmation that the building complies with the New Zealand Building Code and the Building Act. If the building is not completed within the two year period the building owner may request the Building Consent Authority to extend the period for which a code compliance certificate can be obtained. Such an extension would be at the discretion of the Building Consent Authority. If a building owner does not make application within the 2 year period then the Building Consent Authority (Council) will decide whether to issue the certificate or not.

The life of the building consent is essentially a 24 month period. A code compliance certificate is required to be applied for within 2 years of a building consent being granted. The building work is required to be commenced within a 12 month period but if circumstances are such that an extension is required an application for an extension can be made. Likewise, an extension to the time for an application for a code compliance certificate can also be made.

A small change can be made by asking a building inspector to grant a Minor Variation on site, if the change does not effect the structure or weathertightness of the building. Structural changes or additions to the plans may need an Amendment, which should be applied for in Objective Build. Please see our Guide, Public Information on Amendments and Minor Variations.

There are a range of septic tanks available. Generally speaking any septic tank can be utilised for a dwelling so long as it is big enough in relation to the number of people the building is designed to accommodate. The real issue with septic tank drainage is the soakage system that supports the working of the tank. Where ground-receiving conditions are marginal for the soakage of waste water it may be necessary to use a specialist soakage system and possibly, utilise the services of an appropriately qualified engineer to design a specific installation to deal with the marginal conditions. Marginal conditions could involve the porosity of the receiving ground, water-table heights and proximity to water bodies. The septic tank effluent is required to be disposed of in accordance with West Coast Regional Council discharge to land plans and specific standards AS/NZS1546.1:1998 “On site domestic waste water treatment units” and AS/NZS1547:2000 “On site domestic waste water management”.

Reputable sanitary plumbing and drainage firms will be able to give building owner’s good advice. The Council staff will also give advice.

A Building Consent Authority is required to deal with any application for a building consent within 20 working days. This rule can vary depending on the additional information required.

A "working day" means any day except;

Saturday, Sunday, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day, Queens Birthday, Labour Day and Waitangi Day;

The day observed in Westland as the anniversary of the province;

A day in the period beginning 20th December in any year and ending with the close of 10th January in the following year.

For more information contact the Council.

The Building Act 2004  Schedule 1 Exempt Work, provides that for tents ,marquees, and similar lightweight structures  Exemption 5 may be utilised, this allows you to construct, alter or remove a tent or marquee that is being used either for public assembly (e.g. at a school gala) or private use (e.g. for a wedding reception).

However, this is only if the tent or marquee does not exceed 100 square metres and is to be, or has been, used for a period of not more than 1 month.

The purpose of the building consent is to principally ensure that the safety of occupants and users is paramount. The conditions for the use of a tent or marquee are likely to include the necessity to keep entrances and exits clear, have fire extinguishers on site so that there is a safe evacuation of users should circumstances require.

There is no easy straight forward answer to this question. Essentially any timber may be used in any building. However the location of the timber will determine the standard of treatment of the timber and the use of the area in which the timber is to be utilized are all determining factors in setting a standard. The Department of Building and Housing website has a publication on timber treatment which could be of assistance.

The time that it takes to administer your building consent application will depend entirely on how well your application is put together. The Building Consent Authority has a total of 20 working days to check your consent application for compliance with the various building regulations and the New Zealand Building Code and to grant the building consent.

However, if an application is deficient in terms of details and further information is required to demonstrate compliance with the New Zealand Building Code; then an application would be put on hold, the applicant is advised of the requirement for additional information and processing will not recommence until such time as the additional information is furnished.

The New Zealand Building Code is a comprehensive document that provides for detailed ways of compliance. Such details that appear in the New Zealand Building Code are referred to as “acceptable solutions”. Where a building owner wishes to depart from “acceptable solutions” within the building code such a departure is known as an “alternative solution”. In almost every case where an “alternative solution” is utilised in a building an engineer (or other appropriately qualified person) will be required. Engineers are always required for matters relating to structural works and foundation design that are outside the scope of The New Zealand Building Code and New Zealand Standards.

Buildings can be quite complex structures and there is an important place for Engineers in the design and certification process. Although the Council is responsible for checking the building consent application, granting the consent and issuing a code compliance certificate, there are many complex aspects associated with the building that are required to be subject to specific documentation referred to as “producer statements”. The Institution of Professional Engineers has produced very good material explaining the role of an engineer on a building project and copies of the Institution’s pamphlet are available at the Building Consent Authority office.

The building pad (the area of land occupied by a building) is essential for the ongoing performance of the structure of the building. The ground bearing capacity of the building pad must equal or exceed 300kpa. There are various ways of determining the ground bearing ability of the building pad. Where a building pad is on undisturbed ground the capacity of the ground can be determined by the use of a penetrometer or by observation through a ground profile. Where the land has been disturbed it is almost always necessary to obtain an engineers report as to the ground bearing capacity.

Where a building pad involves the digging out of soil and replacement with gravel and other material an engineer’s design will be necessary. It is very good practice to ensure that the engineer tests the building pad prior to any building commencing on the pad. In effect this means that the engineer would issue a “Producer Statement” to the Council prior to the building structure commencing.

From time to time owners discover that a building permit or consent has not been granted for the buildings that they own. Generally speaking such a discovery is only relevant where the buildings are more than 30 years old. It is most unusual to find a building for which no building consent has been granted and it is more common that a landowner will discover that a building permit has not been issued (building consents have been granted since January 1993 and building permits were granted prior to 1993).

With regard to buildings for which no record of a permit can be found it is possible that a permit was issued but has, for various reasons, been lost. This is a particular issue where land has been subdivided and re subdivided and property files have had their origins merged by time.

The important issue for a building owner is one of the structural and durable integrity of the building. Generally these issues are able to be determined by inspection by an appropriately qualified person. Where building owners discover that no permit has been previously granted it is usual for an “expert opinion” to be provided to the Council by an appropriately qualified person to make the property file records complete.

From time to time buildings do appear without building consents. In such circumstances the Council will prosecute the builder or owner or other agent. As to whether the building is able to stay will depend entirely on the quality of the building and the evidence provided to the Council by the building owner in terms of structural and durability criteria. A building that is built without a building consent has no guarantee of being permitted to remain. There is however a mechanism under the Building Act for a Certificate of Acceptance to be issued and the Council may exercise its discretion to grant such a certificate. It is however, most likely that a prosecution will proceed and that the building owner will be required to uplift a building consent for the demolition of the building.

Yes.

Generally speaking a building consent is not required where a building component is replaced with a similar building component. However there is an exception to this where a building component fails to meet the durability requirements of the New Zealand Building Code. In such a case a building consent would be required. Any change in the cladding to a dissimilar material would need to be the subject of a building consent.

Irrespective of whether a building consent is needed or not any building work must comply with the New Zealand Building Code.

Not where an internal wall is acting as an integral part of the building as a structural unit or as a bracing unit. A building owner should take professional advice as to whether such a wall is structural or not.

A sleepout is an Accessory Building to a main dwelling and cannot be built on its own. It cannot contain drinking water supply or kitchen facilities - if it does, it is considered a dwelling. 

If you obtain building consent, a sleepout can contain a solid fuel heater and bathroom, as can a shed or garage. 

You will need to consider Building Code requirements regarding durability, storm water disposal and smoke alarms - you must install smoke alarms if the detached building is going to be used for sleeping. 

If the existing dwelling uses an onsite wastewater disposal system (septic tank) you will need to check whether the system has the capacity for the extra person/people. 

You should also check the planning regulations with WDC Planning Department. 

Some sleepouts can be built under the Schedule 2 Exemptions, and may not need building consent. The above considerations would still apply, and it must still meet Building Code requirements.

To be exempt from a building consent, a sleepout should be less than 30m² and under 3m in height should have no plumbing or bathroom facilities. 

See MBIE's guide: Constructing a sleepout that does not require building consent

As the building project progresses, different inspections will be required. Before contacting the Building Consent Authority staff for an inspection, it is absolutely essential that all the work associated with the building to the inspection stage has been completed. If a building owner (or builder) is satisfied that the building project has advanced to a stage where an inspection is readily able to be undertaken, then the inspection can be booked by ringing the Council office (03 756 9040) asking for the Building Consent Authority Administrative staff and arranging a date and time with them. You do not need to speak to a Building Control Officer as internal arrangements will be made to have an appropriate officer respond to the inspection request.

All inspections will be completed within 3 working days of the requested date. Inspections South of Ross are undertaken on a Wednesday.

Whenever a building owner makes arrangements for an inspection it is very important that the person making the arrangements quotes the building consent number to the Building Consent Authority staff so that accurate arrangements can be made.

When a building consent is granted the Building Consent Authority will always outline in an accompanying letter the various inspections that will be required to be undertaken. The list of inspections will be particular to the project for which the building consent has been granted.

Different building projects will require different inspections. The Building Consent Authority will always undertake an inspection of foundation works before concrete is poured, sub-floor works and flooring. An inspection will be undertaken at each stage of the project where building components are either wrapped or clad, all drainage and sanitary plumbing is inspected and all heating appliances must be inspected prior to them being utilised for the first time.

One of the most important inspections required to be undertaken is the final inspection (the code compliance certificate inspection) when the Building Consent Authority will determine if a code compliance certificate should be granted. An application for a Code Compliance Certificate is required from the Building owner prior to the final inspection being carried out.

All inspections will be completed within 3 working days of the requested date. Inspections South of Ross are undertaken on a Wednesday.

The issue of a code compliance certificate is the final step in the building consent process. When the Building Consent Authority issues a code compliance certificate it is a statement that the building has been erected in accordance with the plans and specifications submitted with the application and that the building complies with the New Zealand Building Code in so far as can be determined.

Sometimes a building may take some years to complete and there are durability aspects for the Building Consent Authority to consider prior to the grant of a code compliance certificate. Where buildings take an enormous amount of time to complete it is likely that a code compliance certificate would not be able to be issued or would be issued with an endorsement that the code compliance certificate does not cover durability issues. Under such circumstances any future owner is unable to have any comfort that the building will perform in the manner that it should. In circumstances where a building owner or builder refuses to comply with the plans and specifications and/or the New Zealand Building Code the options open to the Building Consent Authority are to refuse the grant of a code compliance certificate, issue a notice to fix and, probably, commence enforcement proceedings depending on any health, safety or structural issues of note.

An application for Code Compliance Certificate (CCC) must be made as soon as practicable after ALL consented building work is completed, including:

• Building consent conditions have been met.
• All building work has been undertaken in accordance with the building consent.
• All completed documentation has been received such as gas and electrical certificates, drainage plan, surveyor’s certificate, producer statements, LBP records of work.
• All specified systems (if applicable) have been installed correctly and are operational.
• All inspections have been undertaken, passed and approved.
• All records are complete.
• Any outstanding fees, charges and development contributions have been paid in full.

You can apply for CCC via the Objective Build portal https://build.objective.com/ or submit a hard copy CCC Application Form (Please note a document handling fee might apply when submitting a hard copy)

There is a statutory requirement for the BCA to issue the CCC within 20 working days. Should the Council require further information before the CCC can be issued, the application will be suspended until that information is provided. A "stop the clock" system is used during the suspension to keep track of the 20-working daytime period for the processing of the application.

Should no application for CCC be submitted to council within two years of when the consent was granted, or any further period that may have been agreed to between the owner and Council, the Council must decide whether or not to issue the CCC.  It may be necessary to request an Extension of Time (EOT) by completing and application online.

a report issued (under the Building Act 2004 in NZ) that provides key information about a property, such as utility locations, special land features (erosion, flooding), and potential resource consent requirements, to determine if a building project is viable. It acts as a guide for designers and builders before detailed planning.

While it is not mandatory to obtain a PIM except if you are building with a private Building Consent Authority. There is a benefit for the designer to obtain one at the design stage.

The purpose of a PIM is to summarise the property information known to the territorial authority relevant to a building project and advise what other authorisations are required for the project other than the building consent. 

Although you can apply for a PIM separately or at the same time as a building consent, it's better to do so beforehand, so you know all the matters that may affect your project before you submit a building consent application.

A PIM does not give any form of approval under the District Plan or Building Act

An application for a PIM must be made on Form 2 Application for PIM / Building Consent using our online electronic 
system. A deposit will be requested at application stage. An invoice will be sent to you and must be paid before the PIM 
is processed.

Documentation required
All applications must be accompanied by:
• site plan, 
• floor plan,
• building elevations
• Certificate of Title – less than 3 months old - or Sale and Purchase Agreement
• Proof of ownership

Council is required to issue the PIM within twenty (20) working days of a complete application being received.
Sometimes it may be necessary for Council to obtain further information from you to enable your PIM processing to be 
completed. In such cases the Council will contact you within 10 working days of receiving the PIM application with a 
formal request for further information.

The Council has 10 working days from when this information is received to issue the PIM.