A code compliance certificate is the last step in the building consent journey. It provides you as the owner, and later property owners, reassurance that the work is safe, durable and healthy.

To help establish that the completed building work complies with your consent and the building code, a final inspection is carried out. Before issuing your code compliance certificate, the inspector will need to decide that they are satisfied on reasonable grounds that

  • the building has been completed and complies with the building consent
  • the building work complies and will continue to comply with the building code, including any specified systems
  • all required documentation has been provided
  • your code compliance application is correct and been accepted.

Your code compliance certificate will be sent to you after full payment has been received for any additional costs incurred during construction. You’ll need to plan for this if you are working on short timeframes from final inspection to handing over/moving in and needing your code compliance certificate to make this happen.

For more details on code compliance certificates please see our publication [PDF, 2686 KB].

Your responsibilities as the building owner

As the owner you’re responsible for applying for a code compliance certificate.

You should do this as soon as you can

  • after the consented building work has been finished, and
  • within two years of the date when your building consent was granted under the Building Act 2004.

With your application you’ll need to provide all

  • records of work provided by licensed building practitioners (LBPs), and
  • required documents as listed on your building consent and inspection notice(s).