Bathroom alteration consents

This pre-paid consent covers minor alterations to sanitary plumbing and drainage only – as per NZ Building Act Schedule 1 (but can include a replacement or relocation of a hot water cylinder).

Note that any new walls or walls removed will incur additional fees for processing time and additional inspection(s) and inspection fee(s).  Waterproofing of tiled areas, such as a wet area shower, will require also an additional inspection and inspection fee.

From 1 March 2012, if you undertake structural work or work that affects the weathertightness of a building, and the building is residential, then that work may be classified as “Restricted Building Work” (RBW). From that date, RBW can only be done and/or supervised by a Licensed Building Practitioner (LBP).  Refer to the Department of Building and Housing’s website for more information.

Download

Download the Bathroom Alteration application form. (78KB PDF)

Submitting the consent application

Lodging your consent at Council

Minimum documentation requirements must be met before Council Customer Services Officers can accept your application. These can be found as the last page of the downloadable application.

Assessing the consent against the New Zealand Building Code

Although there is a minimum requirement for documentation to be submitted with a building consent application, Council still must assess each application for compliance with the New Zealand Building Code and any other relevant legislation or standards. Find out more information about the New Zealand Building Code.

Other potential requirements

If your project includes a wet area shower, an additional inspection fee of $90 is required. Find out more about wet area showers (PDF @ 65KB) (64KB PDF).

Fees

Council has set fees for Bathroom Alteration Consents. They are based on average processing times and number of inspections.

Please note: if your application requires longer to process or re-inspections are required, you will receive an additional invoice.

Council is required to collect levies for the Department of Building and Housing and BRANZ.  These levies are based on the value of works $20,000 and over and are explained in the Fees and Charges Schedule.

Find out more about Building Consent fees and charges.