Building Services fees and charges
Here are the fees we charge for Building Services, including building consent, building warrant of fitness and compliance schedules, and engineering checks.
All fees and charges include GST. Effective from 1 July 2024.
Building Services charges are imposed under the Building Act 2004 to recover the cost to Council for processing applications, carrying out inspections, and related work.
Fixed building consent fees
The fixed fee covers all applicable fees, however a refundable asset bond may be taken. Building and BRANZ levies may also apply (depending on the project value).
| Minor consents (minor building works) |
| Criteria for submitting applications under minor consents are part of the application process. Criteria include: Building works comply with the District Plan and are clear of any easements, all buildings on 1 legal allotment. External building works on land subject to natural hazards, or on land with a high risk of liquefaction are excluded. When the criteria are not met, the minor consent application will revert to a standard building consent application, at Council's discretion. |
| K1 |
Residential: Demolition/ removal of existing residential building or outbuilding. A separate consent is required to replace. |
$881 |
| K2 |
Commercial: Demolition/ removal of existing commercial building or outbuilding. A separate consent is required to replace. |
$993 |
| K3 |
Conservatory (proprietary). Conventional construction placed on existing deck or platform only. No foundations included. |
$836 |
| K4 |
External wall insulation – from removing internal linings. |
$1,349 |
| K5 |
Install additional sanitary fixtures into dwelling with timber subfloor – single storey. |
$1,349 |
| K6 |
Install additional sanitary fixtures into dwelling with concrete floor. |
$1,575 |
| K7 |
Remove non-load bearing wall with bracing element. |
$1,015 |
| K8 |
Remove load bearing internal wall. |
$1,642 |
| K9 |
Level entry shower – timber subfloor. |
$1,466 |
| N1 |
Level entry shower – concrete floor. |
$1,638 |
| N2 |
Stormwater to Council services. |
$1,061 |
| N3 |
Erect unlined proprietary garage (excluding sanitary services and/or firewall). |
$1,503 |
| N4 |
Freestanding wood burner – single storey residential only. |
$734 |
| N5 |
Inbuilt wood burner – residential only, within existing chimney. |
$979 |
| N6 |
Swimming pool and pool fence (barrier). |
$1,412 |
| Fast-track minor consents |
| These are available to approved customers only. An "approved customer" must be pre-approved by Palmerston North City Council Building Services. Approved customers are those who submit applications within agreed construction parameters using a refined method, to Council's satisfaction. |
| F1 |
Freestanding solid fuel heater |
$681 |
| F2 |
Inbuilt solid fuel heater |
$926 |
| F3 |
Proprietary garage |
$1,428 |
| Project information memorandum |
| PIM fixed fee work |
$153 |
Processing fees
| Private building consent authorities |
| BCA filing fee |
$131 |
| Warrants of fitness and compliance schedules |
| Annual building warrant of fitness renewal |
$119 |
| New compliance schedule |
$219 |
| Alteration to existing compliance schedule |
$141 |
| Building WoF site audit and reinspection |
$242 per inspection |
| IQP registration for new IQPs |
$454 |
| IQP annual renewal |
$126 |
| Engineering checking |
| Structural engineering checking |
Actual cost as charged by the consultant engineer |
| Fire engineering checks sent to Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) |
Actual cost as charged by FENZ |
| Advisory service |
|
This applies when staff provide information in response to customer queries.
|
No cost for an individual enquiry of up to 30 minutes, whether this is in person or in writing. If the enquiry is for longer than 30 minutes, this will be charged based on the relevant officer's hourly rate (listed below). |
| Pre-lodgement vetting |
| This applies when staff vet information before an application is lodged. |
Charged based on the relevant officer's hourly rate (listed below) |
Other fees
| Code compliance certificate |
| Residential |
$189 |
| Commercial |
$611 |
| Building inspections |
| Standard building inspection |
$242 per inspection |
| Late cancellation fee (inspections cancelled within 48 hours of scheduled inspection) |
$242 |
| Additional paperwork in relation to a failed or extra building inspection |
Charged at relevant officer's hourly rate, plus any additional relevant fees and charges |
| Third-party report |
$688 |
| Section 72 certificate condition |
$843 |
| Section 75 certificate condition |
$930 |
| Removal of certificate condition |
$767 |
| Application fees |
| Extend timeframe for building consent or code compliance certificate |
$107 |
| Building consent application, amendment to building consent, certificate of public use, exempt building work, waiver and modification applications |
Charged based on the relevant officer's hourly rate, plus any additional relevant fees and charges. Officers' rates are listed below |
| Licensed building practitioner registration |
| This is an additional fee for all restricted building work projects |
$175 |
| Certificate of acceptance |
| Lodgement fee (non-refundable) |
$750 |
| Processing fee |
Charged based on the relevant officer's hourly rate, plus any inspections, planning, checks and other applicable fees and charges. Officers' rates are listed below. |
| BCA accreditation fee |
| Per $1,000 of project value |
$1.89 |
| Scanning fee, digital storage and file management |
| This fee is for all building consent applications other than fixed fee applications. Online building consent applications or lodging additional information online in a format that meets Council requirements does not attract scanning, digital storage and file management charges. |
| A0-A2 |
$3.75 per page |
| A3-A4 |
$2.25 per page |
| Online consenting service and system implementation charge |
| This is a charge to use the online system, to recover the cost the council has incurred in implementing the system. It is charged against all applications we process. |
| Value of work less than $125,000 |
$86 |
| Value of work between $125,000 and $2.5 million |
0.0748% |
| Value of work more than $2.5 million |
$1,868 |
| Earthquake-prone building charges |
| These charges are to recover the cost Council has incurred in implementing the legislative requirements under the Building (Earthquake-prone Buildings) Amendment Act 2016. |
| Extension of time |
$107 |
| Determine earthquake rating (NBS) |
$1,407 |
| Exemption |
$430 |
| Alterations to EPB. This is added to building consent fees and charges |
$620 |
Charges for Council staff
Charged for processing consents that don't have a set fee.
| Council officers |
Hourly rate |
| Team Leader Building |
$251 |
| Senior Plumbing and Drainage Officer and Advanced Building Officer |
$251 |
| Building Officer |
$231 |
| Building Services Advisor |
$209 |
| Senior Planning Officer |
$251 |
| Principal Planner |
$262 |
| Planning Officer or Graduate Planning Officer |
$235 |
| Monitoring and Enforcement Officer |
$209 |
| Environmental Health Officer and Environmental Technical Officer |
$223 |
| Team Leader Business Support |
$219 |
| Senior Business Support Officer |
$198 |
| Building Services Manager |
$272 |
| General Manager or Group Manager |
$294 |
| Technical and professional staff from other parts of Council |
$268 |
| Administration staff |
$144 |
Levies
Additional to Council charges are levies imposed by the Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ) and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) on all building consents that have a building work value of more than $20,000 (BRANZ) or more than $65,000 (MBIE). BRANZ levies contribute to the cost of testing and certifying building materials for use while MBIE levies contribute to the cost of building consent administration at the national level.
| Current levies (subject to change) |
| Building (MBIE) levies per $1,000 of project value, over the threshold of $65,000 (GST inclusive) |
$1.75 |
| BRANZ levies per $1,000 of project value, over the threshold of $20,000 (no GST) |
$1 |