Unauthorised building work

Unauthorised building work is work carried out with no evidence it was approved by Council. The information in the guide below will help you determine what to do.

For building work carried out without a building consent before the introduction of the Building Act 1991, a third party report may be placed on the property file as a public record. Council does not accept any responsibility for checking or validating these reports, nor does it accept liability for the content, as current legislation does not allow for the lawful establishment of such work.

For building work carried out from 1 July 1992, you can apply for a certificate of acceptance.

Unauthorised building work(PDF, 148KB)

Third-party property information lodgment form(PDF, 184KB)

Certificate of acceptance application form(PDF, 349KB) 

Government guidance

All building work in New Zealand must comply with the building code, even if it doesn’t require a building consent. This ensures buildings are safe, healthy and durable for everyone who may use them. For everything you need to know about building code compliance or anything else to do with building in New Zealand, see the government guidance available on the Building Performance website.

Related Information

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