FAQ's
What is a Flood Assessment Certificate?
A Flood Assessment Certificate is a certificate issued by the Selwyn District Council that certifies whether the site or activity is likely to be subject to inundation and if it is, the appropriate minimum finished floor level to mitigate flooding risk.
How do I know if I need to apply for a Flood Assessment Certificate?
Flood Assessment Certificates are required for all residential units or principal buildings, or additions to residential units or principal buildings of more than 25m² in floor area, where the site is located within the Natural Hazard Overlays under the Partially Operative District Plan. To check if your site is within the Natural Hazard Overlays, you can search for your property and select 'Hazards and Risks' down the right-hand side of the page. The overlay covers most of the plains, so unless your property is on a hill, you are likely to need a Flood Assessment Certificate.
How much will a Flood Assessment Certificate cost?
Due to the Long-Term Plan being adopted from 1st of July 2024, new fees will apply for the following applications:
- New applications for existing lots within an urban zone
- New applications for subdivisions or subdivision stage/s
No charge for the following applications:
- Rural zoned properties (where accompanied by a Flood Hazard Assessment prepared by Environment Canterbury, or other site-specific Flood Hazard Assessment prepared by a suitably qualified and experienced person)
- Urban zones where an ECAN assessment is required due to consent notice.
- Resubmitted FAC applications to set the floor level in relation to a known datum reference. (Only if you have had a FAC issued prior to 01 May 2024, and it has not expired otherwise the fee will apply.)
How long are Flood Assessment Certificates valid for?
Flood Assessment Certificates are valid for 2 years from the date of issue.
What information is available to help determine the appropriate finished floor level?
- Flood Model Results (canterburymaps.govt.nz)
- Flood model results undertaken as part of a recent subdivision but not yet incorporated into the flood model held on Canterbury Maps.
- As built earthworks plans prepared by the subdivision developer as part of the subdivision process.
How long will it take to issue a Flood Assessment Certificate?
We aim to issue most site-specific Flood Assessment Certificates within 10 working days from date of application. There may be some applications such as Subdivision applications that are processing through Resource Consent or other Subdivision applications as part of Section 224 which may take longer to process.
For existing lots, the Flood Assessment Certificate will be issued at either at land use consent stage or at building consent stage (whichever comes first).
How did this process come into effect?
This new process came about as a result of submissions on the Proposed Selwyn District Plan. It was not part of the notified version of the Proposed Selwyn District Plan. The decisions were released on Saturday 19th August 2023. (The date of decision is the date of coming into effect).
What happens if my site or activity is within an area of High Hazard?
Dwellings or principal buildings on land within a high hazard area require a resource consent for a non-complying activity. Please contact the duty planner for more information.
Why can't we rely solely on the flood model results on Canterbury Maps?
The flood model is based on lidar data from 2017 and does not account for subdivision development that has occurred since then. Selwyn District Council is in the process of updating the model and will then continuously update it as new subdivision development occurs.
Why do Flood Assessment Certificates lapse after 2 years?
Where building work does not proceed within the 2-year life of the certificate, it will lapse. This is because the Council’s flood model will be continually updated with new information as new subdivisions are developed or other new information becomes available. The 2 year period gives applicants the certainty to proceed with building design with a known minimum finished floor level, but ensures that up to date information is used to determine the appropriate finished floor level.