While building work is underway

You can start building once you have your building consent, any other required consents or approvals, and have agreed contracts with your building professionals.

You will need to:

• build to the consent
• keep records of work and energy work certificates
• meet special requirements if it’s a public building
• arrange regular inspections by us. 

Building consent is granted on the basis of specific plans, drawings, and specifications. If your building project looks likely to vary from what you submitted, you need to discuss that with us first. 

If you want to change any details, key materials or products, talk to us. We’ll tell you what’s required to change your building consent. You might need to make a variation to the plans or a formal amendment.

We can issue a notice to fix if:

• unfinished work does not comply with the building consent (at any stage of the build)
• the finished building does not comply with the building consent
• you didn’t organise an inspection and our officers can’t inspect an aspect of the build.

You could be fined if you or your builder fails to do the work required by the notice to fix.