Engineering Acceptance

What is Engineering Acceptance?

Engineering Acceptance is the process used by the Council to ensure that:

Proposed works on Council infrastructure comply with the District Plan and relevant Bylaws.
Works are completed according to industry best practices and Council requirements.
New assets that will be owned and operated by the Council meet the appropriate standards.
Proposed works do not negatively impact existing users and meet the Council’s minimum service requirements.
The new development and infrastructure do not result in additional unplanned work on the network.

Do You Need Engineering Acceptance?

You will need Engineering Acceptance if your project involves:

Alterations to Council’s infrastructure.
New connections to Council’s infrastructure.
Extension of Council’s infrastructure.

You must obtain Engineering Acceptance before beginning any works on Council assets.

The Council will inform you if Engineering Acceptance is required in the following ways:

If you are a developer making changes to Council’s infrastructure, a condition of your Resource Consent will require you to submit plans to the Development Engineering Manager for approval.
Building consents and resource consents for Multi-unit residential units are required to obtain Engineering Acceptance prior to lodging for either consent.
If you are applying for a new water or wastewater connection, you may receive an email requesting an Engineering Acceptance application or be referred to a Council engineer for follow-up questions.

How to Apply

All requests for Engineering Acceptance related to subdivision resource consents should be emailed to the Development Engineering Team at development.engineer@selwyn.govt.nz. For all other types of Engineering Acceptance, send your application to both the Development Engineering Team and the Water Services Team at water.services@selwyn.govt.nz. Your application will be assigned to the appropriate department based on your requirements.

Application Requirements

The Selwyn District Council Engineering Code of Practice (ECOP) outlines the requirements for Engineering Acceptance applications and Council’s design standards.

The details required for your application will depend on the scope of the works proposed but all applications should include:

Detailed plans of the proposed works, including locations of alterations.
Design report (including construction methodology).
Copies of any necessary permits or consents.
Evidence that the works comply with the ECOP.
Certification by a Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) or a Suitably Qualified and Experienced Professional (SQEP), if applicable.

The Council has a design report template that you can complete and submit with your Engineering Acceptance application.

Note: Infrastructure that will vest in the Council must be designed by a Chartered Professional Engineer. Direct connections to Council infrastructure, for the purpose of supplying properties with a Council-maintained point of supply, can be designed by a Suitably Qualified and Experienced Professional.

Application Process and Timeline

To ensure fairness, applications for Engineering Acceptance are processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Once we receive your application, a Development Engineer will reach out to let you know if it passed Vetting. If it doesn’t pass, they’ll explain why it was returned as incomplete. If your application is accepted into the processing queue, you’ll be notified, and the Development Engineer assigned to your case will contact you to confirm they’re your main point of contact. The team is aiming to process Engineering Acceptance applications within 20 working days.

Review Process

The initial review can take up to two weeks or more, depending on the complexity of the project.
The overall timeline for receiving Engineering Acceptance will depend on the scale of the works and the time required to address any RFIs.
If additional information is needed, an RFI will be issued. All questions in the RFI must be answered in full before the application can be approved.
The process may involve multiple rounds of feedback and revisions based on project complexity.