Signs

The District Plan defines a sign as follows:
1	any name, figure, image, character, outline, spectacle, display, delineation, announcement, poster, handbill, or an advertising device, appliance, or things of a similar advertising nature intended mainly to attract attention, and
2	placed on or fixed to any land or building, or incorporated in the design of any building (whether by painting or otherwise), and 
3	visible from a public space. This excludes signs within buildings and signs for the management of the legal road.

Temporary signs advertising a community event, electioneering, identifying construction sites or subdivision developments, or selling land or premises can be erected within a Residential Area so long as they meet the conditions outlined in rule 5.1.8.2. 

Different areas have different rules relating to such things as size, illumination, and location. Some signs might be permitted and will not require resource consent. Please check the conditions below.

Area	Permitted conditions	
Residential	Rules 5.1.8.1–5.1.8.3	
Central	Sign standards 13.6.4.1.1–13.6.4.1.8	
Rural	Rules 15.1.9.1–15.1.9.2	
Suburban Centre	Rules 7.1.1.8.1–7.1.1.8.2	
Open Space	Rules 17.1.4.1–17.1.4.2	
Heritage	Rules 21D.1.1	
Institutional Precincts	Rules 9.1.1.7.1–9.1.1.7.2	
Airport and Golf Course Recreation Precinct  	Rules 11.1.5.1.1.–11.1.5.1.4	
Conservation sites	Rules 19.1.3.1–19.1.3.2	

What information should I provide to the Council with my application?
A resource consent application will require:
1	scaled plans showing what the sign will look like and where it will be located; and 
2	a written assessment of the effects of the sign based on criteria listed below. This is what the planning officer’s assessment will be based on.

Area	Applicable criteria	
Residential	Rules 5.3.8.4–5.3.8.8	
Central	Policies 12.2.10.1–12.2.10.7 and Sign Design Guide 	
Rural	Rules 15.3.4.3–15.3.4.6	
Suburban Centre	Rules 7.3.1.13.1–7.3.1.13.8	
Open Space	Rules 17.2.2.2–17.2.2.3	
Heritage 	Rules 21D.3.1.5–21D.3.1.10	
Institutional Precincts	Rules 9.3.1.9.1–9.3.1.9.4	
Airport and Golf Course Recreation Precinct  	Rules 11.3.4.1–11.3.4.5	
Conservation sites 	Rules 19.3.1.2–19.3.1.3	

Disclaimer
District Plan rules are regularly updated, with updates going through a consultation and hearings process. The applicant must be aware of these changes and may need to meet both the operative and proposed plan requirements. Recent plan changes to note are Plan Change 48: Central Area and Plan Change 72: Residential Review. You can see further plan changes and more details on our website Wellington.govt.nz or please contact a planning technician on 801 3590 or email planning@wcc.govt.nz 

* Rules referred to in this tip sheet are found in chapters 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19 and 21 of the District Plan.