City Council fees for building regulations for 2026/2027.
- Fees and charges set under section 150 of the Local Government Act 2002 or other relevant legislation (e.g. Dog Control Act 1990, Building Act 2004, Food Act 2014, etc.) and in accordance with section 83 of the Local Government Act 2002.
- Set under the Special Consultative Procedure.
- Fees are set under the Long Term Plan 2026/2027.
- GST inclusive (15%).
Any functions or services that are provided but are not specifically detailed in this schedule will be charged at the relevant officer charge out rate.
All deposits and fees will be invoiced at the time of lodgement with the Council and must be paid as soon as practicable. Our normal payment terms are 30 days from the date of the invoice however, all deposits are payable within 15 working days from the date of invoice.
Applications that are not accepted at the time they are submitted will incur costs and are also payable with 15 working days from the date of invoice.
Where this document refers to Residential, Commercial 1, 2 or 3 or Industrial this is the complexity of work according to the National BCA Competency Assessment System Levels.
- Solid or liquid fuel heaters (per single household unit).
- The fee includes processing, one inspection and a code compliance certificate.
- Additional fees may apply if requests for further information or additional inspections are required.
| Consent type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Solid or liquid fuel heaters per single household unit | $500 |
| Solid liquid fuel heater that changes location and/or make and/or model (Amendments) | $290 |
| Streamline fireplace | $400 |
- The fee includes processing, compliance schedule and a code compliance certificate.
- Additional fees may apply if requests for further information or additional inspections are required.
| Consent type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Back flow preventor per single site | $615 |
This deposit is payable for all residential and commercial consent applications.
Actual costs will be calculated at the time of the processing decision.
Residential applications, excluding multi-storey apartment buildings
New buildings, additions and alterations.
| Value of work | Fee |
|---|---|
| $0 to $19,999 | $2,000 |
| $20,000 to $100,000 | $2,400 |
| Over $100,000 to $300,000 | $3,400 |
| Over $300,000 to $500,000 | $4,700 |
| Over $500,000 | $6,500 |
Commercial applications, including multi-storey apartment buildings
New buildings, additions and alterations.
| Value of work | Fee |
|---|---|
| $0 to $19,999 | $2,550 |
| $20,000 to $100,000 | $4,500 |
| Over $100,000 to $500,000 | $6,800 |
| Over $500,000 to $1m | $9,500 |
| Over $1m | $13,500 |
Amendment of a building consent
| Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Minor Variation | $240 |
| Residential (deposit) | $495 |
| Commercial/industrial (deposit) | $740 |
| Amendment to modify building code clause B2 – Durability (deposit) | $162.50 |
Miscellaneous fees associated with the granting of building consent and other requests
| Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Registration of section 73 certificates under the Building Act 2004. (Hazard notice) | $420 |
| Registration of section 75 certificates under the Building Act 2004. (Building across allotment boundaries) | $475 |
| Building Consent Authority Covenant due to a condition for granting a waiver under section 67 of the Building Act 2004 | Actual cost |
| Discharge of: Land Covenant in Gross, Memorandum of Encumbrance, Section 73, and Section 77 | Actual cost |
| Fire Engineering Brief (FEB) | Actual cost is based on the relevant officer charge-out rate |
| Temporary Venue Approval | Actual cost is based on the relevant officer charge-out rate |
| Building Control Technical Advice | Actual cost is based on the relevant officer charge-out rate |
- This is a processing fee for applications from participants in the streamline consenting process.
- The fee covers only the processing costs for the consent and does not include inspections or any other Council or government fees or levies.
- Additional categories of work may be added to the streamline building consent process with appropriate fees set at the discretion of the General Manager of the Strategy, Planning and Regulatory Services Group.
| Value of work | Fees |
|---|---|
| Up to $500,000 | $1,800 |
| Over $500,000 | $2,400 |
- The processing fee for participants in the streamline consenting process includes the costs for building consent processing.
- Excludes any other services and Council/Government levies, up to 10 building inspections, and code compliance certificate processing.
- Additional categories of work may be added to the streamline appropriate fees set at the discretion of the General Manager of the Strategy, Planning and Regulatory Services Group.
| Value of work | Fees |
|---|---|
| OneCost Consent | $5,000 |
Building consent inspection fees
Building inspection fees, per inspection, not exceeding one hour (includes remote/desktop).
Where the actual time of an inspection exceeds one hour then additional fees will be charged. These additional inspection fees will be based on the fee per inspection and charged in 15-minute increments.
Please note that the time taken for a building inspection is not necessarily all on-site. This also applies to remote inspections. Officer time associated with the inspection of a building will be charged, and this may include assessment, communications and decisions made off-site e.g. remote/desktop inspections. A single travel fee applies to on-site inspections per site visit.
Inspections cancelled within 24 hours will be charged in full.
Remote inspections
| Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Evidence based (eg Artisan): | |
| Residential | $185 |
| Commercial | $220 |
| Live stream (eg Zyte): | |
| Residential | $210 |
| Commercial | $265 |
On-site inspections
| Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Residential | $210 |
| Commercial | $265 |
| Travel fee | $30 |
Notice to fix
Where the cost to process a notice to fix exceeds the scheduled fee, the additional time will be charged at the relevant officer charge-out rate.
| Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Notice to fix | $380 |
Extension of time to start work
| Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Extension of time to start work on an issued building consent | $155 |
The fee includes deposit, assessment and inspection. Where the cost to process a certificate for public use exceeds the scheduled fee then additional time will be charged at the relevant officer charge out rate.
| Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Commercial 1 and 2 | $430 |
| Commercial 3 | $850 |
Where the cost to make a code compliance certificate decision exceeds the fee paid then additional time will be charged at the relevant officer charge out rate.
| Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Residential minor building work | $126 |
| Residential accessory buildings and residential alterations | $220 |
| Residential new dwelling (excluding multi-storey apartment buildings) | $360 |
| Commercial 1 & 2, Residential multi-storey apartment buildings | $550 |
| Alterations to a commercial 3 building less than or equal to $500,000 | $550 |
| Commercial 3 over $500,000 | $1,200 |
The initial BWOF audit is included in the annual fee for up to two hours.
Any additional time or re-audit required within the same cycle (annual, three-year, or five-year) will be billed at the BWOF audit hourly rate in 15-minute increments.
WOF audits may include off-site work, such as assessment, communication, and decision-making, as part of the process.
| Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Annual BWoF Fee - 1-2 x Specified Systems (includes annual renewal, compliance schedule maintenance, changes/amendments, change of owner, on-site audits) (fixed fee) | $180 |
| Annual BWoF Fee - 3-9 x Specified Systems (includes annual renewal, compliance schedule maintenance, changes/amendments, change of owner, on-site audits) (fixed fee) | $430 |
| Annual BWoF Fee - 10+ x Specified Systems (includes annual renewal, compliance schedule maintenance, changes/amendments, change of owner, on-site audits) (fixed fee) | $720 |
| Issue compliance schedule or amended compliance schedule with code compliance certificate (deposit) | $200 |
| Pre-compliance schedule inspection (Inspection carried out designed to improve quality and accuracy of the compliance schedule prior to issuing) (deposit) | $255 |
| Building warrant of fitness (BWOF) audit fee (deposit) | $255 |
Note: Multiple features, i.e. a Type 2 and a Type 4 fire alarm system within one compliance schedule, are under the same specified system and recognised as one charge.
Schedule 1 Exemption applications
Please note that this fee applies whether the decision is to approve or decline the application. Where the cost to process an exemption exceeds the fee then the additional cost will be charged at the relevant officer charge-out rate.
Sometimes, building work to be done under an exemption application would trigger the requirement for a development contribution to be paid, if the work had been part of a building consent application. Instead of exercising its discretion to decline the exemption application, the Council may seek agreement to the payment of a Development Impact fee as a condition of granting the exemption (also see clause 2.9.3 of the Development Contributions Policy).
| Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Residential Exemptions | $660 |
| Commercial Exemptions | $890 |
| Marquees Exemptions | $500 |
Certificate of acceptance – deposit
Where the cost to process a certificate of acceptance exceeds the deposit then the additional cost will be charged at the relevant officer charge-out rate.
S97(e) fees are separate and additional to processing costs and apply to all applications under S96(1)a.
| Residential certificate of acceptance applications (excluding multi-storey apartment buildings) – the value of work: | Fee |
|---|---|
| $0 to $19,999 | $2,000 |
| $20,000 to $100,000 | $2,400 |
| Over $100,000 to $300,000 | $3,400 |
| Over $300,000 to $500,000 | $4,700 |
| Over $500,000 | $6,500 |
| Commercial certificate of acceptance applications (including multi-storey apartment buildings and industrial) – the value of work: | Fee |
|---|---|
| $0 to $19,999 | $2,550 |
| $20,000 to $100,000 | $4,500 |
| Over $100,000 to $500,000 | $6,800 |
| Over $500,000 to $1m | $9,500 |
| Over $1m | $13,500 |
In the case of an application for a certificate of acceptance under Section 96(1)(a) of the Building Act 2004, the application must be accompanied by any fees, charges or levies that would have been payable had the owner, or the owner’s predecessor in title, applied for a building consent before carrying out the building work.
This is calculated on a case-by-case basis for each application and must be paid before processing starts.
Project Information Memoranda (PIM) – deposit
Where the cost to process a PIM exceeds the deposit, then additional time will be charged at the relevant officer charge-out rate.
| Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Residential | $370 |
| Commercial/Industrial | $495 |
Where the cost to process a change of use exceeds the deposit then the additional cost will be charged at the relevant officer charge-out rate. The fee is based on a two-hour technical review and administration.
| Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Primary purpose where use of building changes | $540 |
| Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Administration and management fee (applicable to all building consents and to certificates of acceptance) | $180 |
| Building Research Levy as per The Building Research Levy Act 1969 for work valued at $20,000 or more. | $1.15 per $1,000 value |
| Building Levy as per The Building Act 2004 for work valued at $65,000 or more. | $1.75 per $1,000 value |
| Residential Accreditation Levy payable on all building consents to recover appropriate Council costs. | $0.55 per $1,000 value |
| Commercial Accreditation Levy payable on all building consents to recover appropriate Council costs. | $0.75 per $1,000 value |
| Application for Exemption for an Earthquake Prone Building (deposit) | $610 |
| Application for an Extension of time for a Heritage Earthquake Prone Building (deposit) | $610 |
| Assessment of information related to a Building’s EQP status (deposit) | $610 |
| Notification of works to be placed on property file (Updates to property file includes up to 30 minutes. Additional time, if any, will be charged at relevant staff hourly rate.) |
$67 |
| Document handling and processing fee for consents issued by an External Building Consent Authority (deposit) | Actual cost |
| Electronic file management charge | $55 |
Note that additional roles may be added during the period that this schedule applies, and the rate charged will be the existing role that is closest to the new role.
| Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Rate 1: Building Support Officer, Inspections Support Officer | $130 |
| Rate 2: Code Compliance Assessors, Vetting Officers | $190 |
| Rate 3: Building Consent/Control Officer (L1 & L2), Building Inspector, External Contractor (Inspections and Processing), Specialist input from another council department | $225 |
| Rate 3.5: Building Consent/Control Officer (L3) (inspections and processing), BWoF Officer | $240 |
| Rate 4: Specialist, Senior Building Consent/Control Officer, Senior Building Inspector, Specialist input from another council department | $260 |
| Rate 5: Specialist Engineer, Principal Building Official, External Specialist, Specialist input from another council department | $290 |
| Rate 6: Senior Engineer, Team Manager, Senior External Specialist, Specialist input from another council department | $310 |
The partnership approvals service is available for projects where a case management approach will assist with the rebuild of the city.
Examples are projects that are high profile, either in terms of the site or the proposed development, high dollar value, highly complex, or customers with multiple projects.
| Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Case manager hourly charge out rate | $210 |
| Individual agreements for service may be available to customers | By negotiation |
| Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Compliance inspection fee (subsequent inspections after initial inspection) | $95 |
| Compliance inspection administration fee | $48 |
| Periodic inspection fee (s.222A, Building Act 2024) | $95 |
Staff time will be charged at the applicable hourly rate, including time spent on administration, research and assessment, meeting attendance (as applicable) and advice.
| Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Pre-application meetings | Actual costs recovered based on the charge-out rate of officers in attendance. |
Estimates set under section 12 of Local Government Act
Requests for estimates of development contributions where no building consent, resource consent, subdivision consent or service connection has been applied for.
| Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Estimate of development contributions (Fixed fee) | $100 |
| Assessment of development contributions (fixed fee) | $100 |
You can get an estimate of your development contributions (fixed fee applies) or use our development contributions look-up.
Objections
- Objections under section 199C of the Local Government Act 2002 to development contribution assessments.
- The time taken to process an objection will be charged at the relevant scheduled hourly rate, plus the actual cost of the commissioner(s) and disbursements.
- Time will be charged at the hourly rate applicable at the time the work was carried out.
- If the cost of processing exceeds the Deposit an invoice will be sent for the additional processing fees. Alternatively, the balance of the deposit will be refunded if it is not required for processing.
| Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Deposit required before processing of the objection will commence | $1,000 |
| Development contributions commissioners | Actual cost |
| Secretarial costs (hourly rate) | $105 |
| Administrative costs – Development Contributions Assessors (hourly rate) | $150 |
| Administrative costs – Team Leader/Manager level (hourly rate) | $200 |
| Disbursements | Actual cost |
Paying your fees
Internet banking
Payments are credited to our account on the next business day.
- Bank: Bank of New Zealand
- Account Name: Christchurch City Council
- Account Number: 02 0800 0044765 03
- Particulars/Code/Reference: (please refer to your invoice for these details)
Credit Card (via phone 24 hours a day)
- Call the Customer Call Centre on 0800 800 169