Quick Summary
The Building Act 2004 defines a building consent as a formal approval that allows building work to begin and to be completed. Once all requirements for the application requirements are submitted and deemed complete, the Dunedin City Council (DCC) has 20 working days to decide whether to grant it. That 20-working-day period does not run continuously, because if ever an application is considered incomplete and an additional request for information is necessary, the waiting time is reset to another 20 days. Most of the waiting time Dunedin homeowners experience is due to these suspensions, not to any perceived delays in the council’s processing time.
Do You Actually Need a Building Consent?
Most building work requires a building consent, but there are sets of low-risk work that do not require a building consent.
Consent is generally required where building work is structural. Or if the work is intended to affect or improve a structure’s weathertightness or fire resistance.
There are certain building consent exemptions outlined in Schedule 1 of the Building Act 2004 that NZ homeowners should be familiar with. MBIE’s guidance on work that does not require a building consent mentions these exemptions; the most common are:
- Under exemption 35, altering existing sanitary plumbing, including relocating a sink, basin or toilet.
- Repairing or repositioning a water heater, as mentioned in exemptions 36 to 38.
- Removing an internal wall, unless it is load-bearing, a bracing element, a firewall, part of a specified system, or masonry laid in mortar
- Work on a window or exterior doorway in an existing dwelling of no more than two storeys
Bear in mind that though moving an existing plumbing fixture does not require building consent, adding a new one triggers this requirement.
Adding or improving insulation comes with a few caveats. Adding ceiling and underfloor insulation is usually exempt, but installing an external wall insulation needs consent eventually.
Dunedin residents may also be glad to know that the Council’s guidance on retrofitting thermal insulation confirms there are no consent or inspection fees needed if the application only covers exterior wall insulation. An exemption can also be granted if the material you’ll use is a CodeMark injected product or NZS 4246:2016 nominated.
Be aware also that, as well as securing a building consent, some projects may also require resource consent as outlined in the Resource Management Act 1991.
Granny flats are the one people ask about most. Though they’re not covered by Schedule 1 altogether, the newer Schedule 1A allows a standalone dwelling of up to 70 square metres without a building consent.
But there is a catch. You must apply for a project information memorandum or PIM instead where every condition must be complied with. Miss one on floor area, height or distance to a boundary, and the council cannot grant an exemption.
How the Dunedin Consent Process Actually Runs
The DCC acts as your building consent authority, where all applications go through their two stages.
First comes a completeness check on the form and its supporting documentation. Nothing about your design is reviewed yet. This stage is basically concerned with whether or not you submitted everything that is required. Missing one may mean that your application will be rejected outright.
Second is technical processing. Once your application clears the completeness check, your design gets assessed. That clock starts the next working day after a complete application is received.
What the DCC Checks for Building Consent
Several council teams may work on a single building project. Each team carefully checks whether the documentation shows that the work complies with the New Zealand Building Code. One house gets reviewed across all of these:
- Structure and bracing, plus foundations where the site slopes
- Weathertightness and cladding detailing
- Fire performance and installation of smoke alarms
- Height to boundary and setbacks under the district plan
- Stormwater and foul drainage connections
- Vehicle crossings and access
- Any specific engineering design that is backed by producer statements. These are written confirmation from a qualified specialist that an element complies with the Building Code
Anything unresolved at this point comes back as a request for information, or RFI.
Oftentimes it helps to have a project information memorandum, or PIM, ready before you apply for a building consent. This allows the council to be familiar with the land where your project will be built.
How Long Does Building Consent Take in Dunedin?
20 working days is the statutory maximum, but take note that it is not necessarily a sort of countdown that you wait out. That is about four weeks on the calendar, and only if the council comes back with nothing.
To be more precise, under the Building Act 2004, 20 December to 10 January counts as non-working days, which means a December lodgement pauses over the holidays. Applications using a National Multiple-Use Approval, or MultiProof, take 10 working days rather than 20.
Why the Twenty Days is Suspended
If a homeowner receives an RFI, expect that the statutory 20-day-waiting period is suspended. According to the council’s building consent process guidance, the clock does not restart when you simply send your reply. It restarts once the requested information has been received AND checked against what was asked for.
There is also a hard limit that most people are unaware of. RFIs must be answered within three months of the request, or the application may be refused entirely. Here is how the stages sit against the clock:
| Stage | Timeframe | Is the clock running? |
|---|---|---|
| Completeness check | Before acceptance | Not started yet |
| Technical assessment | Up to 20 working days | Yes |
| Request for further information | Up to three months | Suspended |
| Council review of your reply | Until accepted as adequate | Suspended |
If you look at the math closely, a complete application uses its 20 working days and comes out the other side. An incomplete one uses eight, stops for three weeks while an engineer produces a bracing calculation, restarts, then stops again. Council processing time barely moves, but your building calendar adjusts a great deal.
By now, it is clear why the drawing set matters more than anything else. Preparing a council-ready set of plans means anticipating those questions and RFIs before they are asked. On our Glynllifon project, for example, coordinating consultant input into one document ensures that the submission is comprehensive, with little to no room for ambiguity.
That happens during Detailed Design and Documentation, the last of the four stages in our architectural design process. With our LBP Design 2 accreditation and Licensed Building Practitioner licence, you can be sure that your designs are fully compliant.
What Happens After Your Consent Is Granted
Once your consent is granted, you have one year to start the work and two years to finish it from the date consent was granted. Required inspections are listed on the consent itself.
Building work is considered finished once a code compliance certificate, or CCC, is issued. Similarly applied for, a CCC confirms that the work matches the consent and meets the Building Code. Where the consent covers restricted building work (such as changes to a home’s primary structure or improving weathertightness), the Licensed Building Practitioner responsible must supply records of work with it.
The council issues the CCC within 20 working days. That certificate is now part of your property file, and also matters at the point of sale if ever the time comes.
Non-compliance, or worse, unconsented work, may carry fines as much as $200,000, with a further $20,000 for every day an offence continues. Far more often, the council issues a Notice to Fix, giving the owner time to apply for a certificate of acceptance. It then shows on the property file and the land information memorandum, or LIM.
If you don’t see yourself managing or being hands-on with any building consent preparations mentioned here, then a fixed-price pathway may help. Check out our partner company, Your Way Home.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big can you build without consent in NZ?
Size alone does not settle it. Schedule 1 allows detached buildings of up to 30 square metres in several cases, depending on the materials and who does the work. Granny flats are exempted under Schedule 1A up to 70 square metres, provided every condition is met.
Do I need a building consent?
Most likely, especially if the work is structural or affects weathertightness or fire performance. Schedule 1 covers a defined set of lower-risk work, including altering existing plumbing and removing non-structural walls. Anything touching the frame or the cladding needs consent.
How long does building consent take in Dunedin?
The DCC has 20 working days to decide once it accepts a complete application. Your actual wait depends on how often that clock gets suspended by requests for further information or RFIs.
How long is a building consent valid for NZ homeowners?
12 months from the date of grant to start work, and 24 months to complete it. Extensions can be applied for. Both run from the date of grant, not from the day work begins.
Do you need building consent to remove an internal wall?
That depends on what the wall is for. Consent is needed where it is load-bearing, a bracing element, a firewall, part of a specified system, or masonry laid in mortar. Plain partitions are usually exempt.
What documents are required for building consent?
A complete application includes the form, evidence of ownership, a full drawing set, written specifications, a certificate of design work covering any restricted building work, and any engineering reports required. Working through the DCC check sheet, which lists every item, is the best way to avoid an RFI.
Talk to Us About Your Building Consent in Dunedin
The consent process doesn’t have to be scary complicated. Eco Workshop handles council submissions and RFIs for every project we design, and we’ll walk you through exactly what to expect before you start.
Contact us or call (03) 455 1505 for a free first conversation.
References
Dunedin City Council. (2022). Retrofitting thermal insulation into existing buildings (DCCBCA-F1-RTI-v3.0). https://www.dunedin.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/784415/Retrofitting-Thermal-Insulation-into-Existing-Buildings-Guidance.pdf
Dunedin City Council. (n.d.). Building consent process. https://www.dunedin.govt.nz/services/building-services/processing-applications/consent-process
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. (2026). Building work that does not require a building consent: Exemptions guidance for Schedule 1 of the Building Act 2004 (6th ed., Version 2). https://www.dunedin.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/787007/MBIE-Schedule-1-Exempt-Building-Work.pdf
