Engineering inspections
If you need engineering inspections, you need to organise and pay for these separately with your engineer. Once they've completed the inspection, they'll provide you or your agent with a report. You'll need to pass this report on to the Council at or before the Council inspection.
Booking an inspection
Inspections will need to be booked at various stages during building work. As it's your responsibility to make sure they are carried out, you'll need talk to your tradespeople about booking them. If you have multiple inspections to book, we may be able to combine them into one visit.
Appointments are available:
Monday–Friday
8am–12 noon and 1pm–4pm
To book, phone the Building Inspections team on 04 801 3813.
Note: As the availability of our inspectors can vary, we recommend booking in advance to avoid delays.
What you need to provide when you book
You'll need the:
- service request number (SR number)
- address of the property where building work is being done
- type of inspection required
- name and phone number of the on-site contact person.
If you need to reschedule or cancel
You must reschedule or cancel an inspection by 4pm the business day before the inspection was due. If you don't, you may be charged a fee.
Call the Building Inspections team on 04 801 3813, or email bccinspectors@wcc.govt.nz
During the inspection
To avoid having to pay for extra inspections, make sure:
- you have a copy of your stamped approved building consent plans and specifications on site
- your tradesperson is on site to answer any questions
- your site is safe and accessible for the inspectors and any visitors.
Your tradesperson will also need to provide documents that show how the work complies with your building consent – for example, a producer statement.
Documents and certificates to collect
After the inspection
After every inspection the inspector will email a site report to you and anyone else named as a contact on your building consent. The report will state if you've:
- passed
- failed – you’ll need to address the problem and book a re-inspection, or if the problem is severe you may be issued with a Notice to Fix.
If you get a fail
If the building work differs from the consented plans, or there is a major non-compliance, you'll get an instruction in the site report for your tradesperson to fix the non-compliant items.
We will tell you if work can continue while you fix the failed items, or if an amendment to your consent is required. If an amendment is required, work on this area must stop.
After the issue has been fixed, you’ll need to either:
- provide evidence, such as a statement from your tradesperson or photos of the work, to show that the problem has been addressed
- book a re-inspection if you can’t provide sufficient evidence or there's too many items that needed fixing.
If we are satisfied that the work is now compliant, you'll be issued another site report passing the items that failed.
If we're not satisfied or the problem is more severe, you may be issued with a Notice to Fix.
If you're issued a Notice to Fix
A Notice to Fix is a legal document that outlines:
- work that doesn't comply with your consent or the Building Code
- a reasonable time frame to rectify the problem.
If you're issued a Notice to Fix on your final inspection, the clock will stop on your code compliance certificate application until the work has been completed and a final re-inspection has been booked and passed.
The time it takes to investigate the non-compliant work and produce a Notice to Fix is billed on Wellington City Council time at $217.00 per hour.
Note: If the Notice to Fix isn’t acted on within the time frame stated, we may issue an infringement notice under section 402 of the Building Act and a $1,000 fine.
Acting on a Notice to Fix – Building Performance
What you need to do
You'll need to consult with your tradesperson to get the building work fixed on time and follow the terms and conditions stated in the Notice to Fix.
Making a change to your building consent
When building work is finished
When your building and plumbing work is finished and the final inspections are completed, you'll need to apply for your code compliance certificate.
Applying for a code compliance certificate
Our inspectors have limited slots each day for final inspections — please book at least 48 hours in advance.
If you need inspections not listed in your approval letter
You might need extra inspections if:
- your engineer or tradesperson recommends it
- your project is managed in a way that means multiple inspections are required per inspection type
- work needs to be re-inspected.
You'll be charged for any additional inspections – these fees will be noted on your final invoice when you get your code compliance certificate.