1. Find out if you need a resource consent
If your sign doesn't meet the District Plan criteria for your area, you'll need to get a resource consent.
To check if you need consent or any other Council permissions, contact a planning technician on 04 801 3590 or planning@wcc.govt.nz.
Check which activity area your property is in
Enter your address into our ePlan and check the zoning under the Map Legend.
ePlan – our District Plan online
Criteria for permanent signs in residential areas
You don't need a resource consent to put up a permanent sign in a residential area if your sign:
- is under 0.5 square metres and no higher than 2 metres off the ground
- only displays the name or purpose of an activity permitted on the site, for example your business name or "bed and breakfast"
- is not illuminated.
You may need a resource consent to display more than one sign, or if your sign doesn't meet all of these criteria.
Criteria for temporary signs in residential areas
You don't need a resource consent to put up a temporary sign (for example, a real estate sign or an ad for a local event) in a residential area as long as the sign is:
- under 3 square metres and no higher than 4 metres off the ground
- put up no more than 28 days before the event and removed within 7 days of the end of the event
- within the boundaries of your property.
You may need a resource consent if your sign doesn't meet all of these criteria.
Criteria for other areas
To find out whether signs in other areas of the city will need a resource consent, check the District Plan conditions for your property.
District Plan
2. Pre-application meeting
If you need a resource consent to put up your sign, we recommend you meet with us before you apply to discuss your plans and get some advice.
Bring to the meeting scaled plans showing:
- what the sign will look like
- where it will be located in relation to features on a building, like windows.
Resource consent pre-application meetings
3. Sign design guide assessment
As part of your application, you will need to provide an assessment against the sign design guide if your sign or billboard will be:
- in a Business 1 area (for example, the area around Outlet City in Tawa)
- in a Business 2 area (for example, the semi-industrial area near Wellington Airport)
- within a town centre (like Newtown town centre)
- in the central area (the central city).
Sign design guide (558KB PDF)
Signs:
- must be in scale and compatible with the building or site on which they are located.
- must fit in well with their context and complement the surrounding area
- should not be oversized, brightly illuminated or moving, or create visual clutter in an area
- must be assessed from a road safety perspective
- need a maintenance plan to keep the sign looking current.
We recommend you get your your architect, draughtsperson, urban designer or consultant planner to prepare this assessment as they should be familiar with what we need.
Resource consents
Need help?
The Resource Consents team is available Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.
Planning Technicians
Phone: 04 801 3590
Email: planning@wcc.govt.nz