Building Plan Search Service

Wellington City Council's Building Plan Search service is run from the Wellington City Council Archives premises, 28 Barker Street.

This search requires one working day to complete and is available Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5.00pm.

The Council needs an accurate street address to perform the search. Sometimes additional information, such as the original property owner's name, is required because street numbers were not recorded consistently in early Council records.

Records Available

Building permit and consent records date back to 1892. In general, permit/consent records contain:

• architectural plans (floor plans and elevations)
• building specifications and calculations
• the Council's documentation such as applications and inspections

Records are filed by date of application so there is no single file for a property. For example, plans for house alterations are not filed with plans for its original construction.

To request a Building Plan Search online, use the Building Plan Search Form.

Building Plan Search Fees

Residential property search

• first permit/consent $25.00
• subsequent permits/consents $5.00

Commercial property search

• first permit/consent $35.00
• subsequent permits/consents $7.00

Students with ID for registered course

• first permit/consent $5.00
• subsequent permits/consents $2.00

Other Sources

To request drainage information, contact the Wellington City Service Centre in Civic Square.

Records for large government-built works pre-1991 are kept by Archives New Zealand.

For state housing works pre-1991, contact Housing New Zealand.

More Information

Wellington City Archives

Related Links

• Building Plan Search Form
• Archives
• Archives New Zealand website
• Request for Information - Housing New Zealand website

Department Details:
Archives