Get a Certificate of Acceptance

A Certificate of Acceptance is a statement from Council that part or all of a building project complies with the New Zealand Building Code. Find out when you need one and how to apply.

What is a Certificate of Acceptance

A Certificate of Acceptance proves that work done without a consent complies with the Building Code.

The application is assessed against the Building Code at the time you apply, not the code that applied when the building consent was granted or should have been applied for, or when the work was actually carried out.

When you need a Certificate of Acceptance

You might need a Certificate of Acceptance if:

  • you or a previous owner has completed building work that would have needed a building consent but doesn’t have one
  • an independent Building Consent Authority (not Council) can’t or refuses to issue a Code Compliance Certificate for work that had a building consent
  • the work was done urgently, necessary to protect lives or property and there was no time to get a consent.

Before you apply

Talk to us before you apply for a Certificate of Acceptance.  We can let you know whether you also need to apply for a resource consent.

How to apply

You can apply for a Certificate of Acceptance through Objective Build.

To accompany your application, you should consider submitting:

  • plans and specifications
  • supporting documentation such as photos, receipts, producer statements etc. as evidence of the work that was carried out and how it was done
  • a list of the specified systems (if any)
  • the names of each Licensed Building Practitioner (LBP) undertaking or supervising restricted building work, including any certificates of work.

If we refuse your application

We can refuse your application if you can't prove that the work complies with the Building Code.

If you can't get a Certificate of Acceptance, you might have to:

  • remove or fix the building work – we'll issue you a Notice to Fix telling you what you need to fix before we can approve the work or
  • get a building consent to carry out further work to meet the requirements of the Building Code.

Note: If the Notice to Fix isn’t acted on within the time frame stated on the Notice, we may issue an infringement notice under section 402 of the Building Act and a fine.

If your application is approved

Your certificate will come with a letter that will show:

  • what work we have approved as we have seen compliance with the listed clauses of the building code
  • any building work that we couldn't prove as complying with the Building Code – this building work will be listed as an exclusion to the Certificate of Acceptance.

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