Building Services general information

The use of structural steel guidance

• Certificate of acceptance (COA)

  A certificate of acceptance (COA) may be applied for when building work has been done without first getting a building consent. A COA provides limited assurance in certain situations that we are satisfied on reasonable grounds that the unconsented building work complies with the building code. Any building works that cannot be verified as complying with the building code will be listed on the COA as exclusions. If you cannot demonstrate compliance with the building code, we may refuse to issue a COA and you may also need to remove the building work.

  It is an offence to carry out building work for which a building consent is required. (Building consent is not required in certain cases as specified under section 41 of the Building Act 2004). Issuing a COA for unauthorised building works does not limit the Dunedin City Council from taking further enforcement action.

  Please note that a COA cannot be issued for work carried out before 1 July 1992.

  We recommend submitting your COA application using our online service. You need to be a registered user to sign in and lodge an application online. Before lodging the application fill in the COA check sheet found on the Forms and Guidance page.

  Fees and levies will apply. More information is available on our Fees and Charges page.

  A COA application may also be required to pay development contributions under the Dunedin City Council Development Contributions Policy. For more information please ring 03 477 4000 and ask to speak to the Development Contributions Officer, or email development.contributions@dcc.govt.nz.

  Please contact Building Services on 03 477 4000 if you require further information.

• Notice to fix (NTF)

  A notice to fix (NTF) is a statutory notice issued by the Dunedin City Council requiring a person to remedy a breach of the Building Act 2004 or regulations under that Act. A NTF is issued to a specified person (building owner) and where applicable, the person carrying out or supervising the work.

  The notice will state; the breach, the remedy and the time frame in which the notice must be complied with. We monitor issued NTFs and in some instances if the notice has not been complied with, an infringement notice will be issued or a prosecution undertaken.

  For more information please visit the MBIE website (external link, new window).

• Building infringement notices

  Building infringement notices are issued by the Dunedin City Council to any person who commits an offence by not complying with certain provisions of the Building Act. These provisions are specified in the building infringement regulations (external link, new window).

  A list of the offences and infringements can be found here (link, new window).

  Payment for building infringements can be made online (new window), or by eftpos, credit card or cash at a Dunedin City Council customer service centre.

• Submitting independent building reports (safe and sanitary or as-built reports)

  An independent building report (also known as a safe and sanitary or as-built report) is typically supplied to the Dunedin City Council (DCC) by a suitably qualified and experienced person on behalf of a building owner, when unauthorised building work was completed on the property prior to 1 January 1993 without building permit.  Work completed after this date without building consent requires a certificate of acceptance application.

  Before accepting an independent building report and placing it on the property file, the report will be reviewed by the DCC to ensure it doesn’t include reference to work that must be covered by a certificate of acceptance, or reference attributes that may suggest the building is either dangerous or insanitary.

  The DCC does not accept responsibility for validating independent building reports or accept liability for the contents or any misrepresentations made. The report is merely placed on file as a matter of public record. The acceptance of such a report will be noted on any future Land Information Memorandum (LIM)’s requested.

  Note:  Should the DCC be made aware that a building may be dangerous or insanitary it may take the appropriate action under the Building Act 2004. The report will not be accepted on DCC records if this is the case.

  The report must include the following information:

  • A request on behalf of the current owner for the report to be placed on the DCC property file for the address.
  • Why the report is being submitted and what it covers, including the scope of works.
  • Who did or did not do the work and when it was done.
  • Background including the current status of any building permits that  are being addressed by the report.
  • Supporting documents from specialists such as electricians, plumbers, engineers etc, where applicable.
  • Supporting photographs where applicable
  • Legible plans scaled, dimensioned and showing distances to boundaries (where applicable).
  • Any recommendations (e.g. that some remedial work requires a building consent or that work completed after 1 July 1992 requires a certificate of acceptance).
  • A safe and sanitary report must end with a statement siting Building Act sections 121 and 123, stating the work is neither dangerous nor insanitary.

  Who can write a report?

  The building report author must be an independent person who has no financial interest in the property. They cannot be the person that did the work or an associate of the owner, such as an employee, employer, partner, parent, child, sibling or any close relative, friend or business associate.

  The author must be a suitably qualified and experienced person with sufficient knowledge to make this statement. As an example, the author may need to calculate beam loads and spans, calculate bracing demand and performance, or assess plumbing and drainage work in terms of performance with the New Zealand Building Code. Depending on the nature of the building work, suitable authors may include one or more industry professionals such as:

  • Building Surveyors
  • Chartered professional engineers
  • Registered architects
  • Experienced architectural designers (Licenced Building Practitioner)
  • Experienced carpenters (Licenced Building Practitioner)
  • Certifying plumbers or drainlayers
  • Registered electricians

  Reports and supporting information can be emailed to building@dcc.govt.nz

  Confirmation of receipt of the report will be sent to the agent or owner along with a disclaimer advising the DCC will not assess or inspect the building work.

  A filing fee is applicable please refer to Building services general charges (new window).

• Tiny House / Homes Guidance

  Guidance has been developed by MBIE and the DCC (links below) to support a consistent approach to issuing building consents for tiny houses across each region of New Zealand.

  Tiny houses need to be safe, healthy and durable for their intended use.

  The guidance provides detail on these definitions along with considerations to help determine if a tiny house is a building or a vehicle, or both a building and a vehicle, and which relevant laws they need to comply with.

  MBIE Tiny House Guidance

  DCC Tiny House Guidance

  MBIE Sleepout Guidance

• Development contributions

  A development contribution is a contribution of cash by developers to fund the additional demand for reserves, network infrastructure and community infrastructure created by growth.

  Development contributions apply to applications for resource consent, building consent or service connections lodged with the Dunedin City Council. Development contributions must be paid in full before a code compliance certificate will be issued.

  For more information, please phone 03 477 4000 and ask to speak to the DCC Development Contributions Officer or email developmentcontributions@dcc.govt.nz.

• Determinations (Disputes)

  Whether we approve your building consent application depends upon how well the project conforms with the requirements of the building code and Building Act. If you disagree with us over some aspect of your building proposal, or a decision we have made either during processing or certifying, you can apply to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment for a determination.

  The Ministry will make a ruling on matters within its jurisdiction (refer to section 177 of the Building Act 2004 for a complete list of matters falling under the Department's jurisdiction). There is a charge for the service.

• Land information memorandum (LIM)

  A LIM is a report that includes information we hold about a specific property and any issues that may affect it. More information and how to apply can be found here (new window).

• Where can you get a copy of the Building Act / Code?

  The Building Act 2004 controls the building of houses and other buildings in New Zealand. It applies to the construction of new buildings as well as the alteration and demolition of existing buildings.

  The Building Code (contained in regulations under the Building Act), states how a building and its components must perform, rather than how it should be designed and constructed.

  The Building Act 2004 is available on the Legislation on line website (external link, new window).

  For more information on the Building Code please visit the MBIE website (external link, new window).

• Oil-fired heating installations 

  Building consent is required for installation of oil-fired heating systems. The installations are required to comply with clause C2 of the New Zealand Building Code (Prevention of fire occurring). They typically achieve this by complying with the cited standard, AS 1691, as modified by C1/AS1 - C1-C6 Protection from Fire Acceptable Solution C/AS1

  Heating oil tanks not part of building consent

  Fuel oil tanks are containers as defined in regulations made under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, therefore their installation is not building work regulated by the Building Act 2004. This means that building consent cannot be granted for heating oil tanks, and their installation cannot be inspected as part of a building consent.

  When applying for building consent for an oil-fired heating installation, do not show the tank or provide tank specifications. The tank cannot be part of the building consent.

  Heating oil tank compliance and safety

  In March 2022 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notified Dunedin City Council (DCC) of a potential health and safety risk associated with the use of aluminium for construction of domestic heating oil tanks.

  EPA advice is that aluminium tanks used for residential properties do not meet the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work (Hazardous Substances) Regulations 2017.

  Environmental Protection Agency advice - March 2022

  DCC has produced guidance that explains the requirements for design, construction and installation of domestic home heating tanks - Domestic-Home-Heating-Tanks-Checklist.pdf

  If you need more information, please get in touch with DCC Building Services on 03 477 4000 or email building@dcc.govt.nz.

• Dangerous, insanitary and affected buildings

  We are committed to making sure our city is a safe and healthy place to live. One way we do this is by making sure local buildings don’t pose any danger. Discover why we may classify a building as dangerous, insanitary or affected and what this means.

  What is a dangerous, insanitary or affected building?

  Dangerous buildings

  Under the Building Act, a building is dangerous if any of the following conditions are met:

  • Under normal circumstances, except for in an earthquake, it is likely that the building will cause injury or death to people inside or nearby, or cause damage to other property.
  • If it is likely to cause injury or death to people inside it or in other buildings nearby in the event of a fire.

  Affected buildings

  In some situations, the risks posed by a dangerous building can affect other properties. An affected building is a building that is next to, joined to, or close to a dangerous building or a dangerous dam.

  Insanitary buildings

  An insanitary building is a building that presents a health or hygiene risk to the occupants or the surrounding environment.

  How do I report a suspected dangerous, affected or insanitary building?

  If you think a building might be dangerous, affected or insanitary contact us by:

  Phone: 03 4774 000

  Email: building@dcc.govt.nz

  Key information will be required such as the buildings address and why you feel it may be potentially dangerous, affected, or insanitary.

  Dunedin City Councils approach to dealing with dangerous, affected or insanitary buildings

  When a building is bought to our attention as being possibly dangerous, affected or insanitary, we undertake an investigation to determine whether the building has the potential to cause serious harm to people, or damage other property.

  In some situations, buildings may be being used for something they were not designed for, have suffered structural damage or they may not have functioning sanitary facilities. Such buildings may pose risks to people or to other property.

  If we consider the building to be dangerous, affected or insanitary we try to liaise with the owner to discuss action to be taken. If notification was received from Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) we liaise with FENZ and the owner to discuss proposed action.

  The Dunedin City Councils Policy sets out the course of action we take when satisfied a building is dangerous, affected, or insanitary (including buildings with a heritage status. These actions may be used to help reduce the risks to people and other property posed by the building. A notice may be served on the owner specifying the remedial work required and timeframe the work must be completed by.

  Potential enforcement action for non-compliance with dangerous, affected, or insanitary building notices

  Failure to comply with a building notice can lead to prosecution or an infringement notice. If immediate action is necessary this could result in us arranging for the work to be carried out (in accordance with the Building Act). All costs will be recovered from the building owner.

  Information and record keeping

  Any buildings identified as being dangerous, affected, or insanitary will be noted as such on our property database until the issues are resolved. Information will also be recorded on the Land Information Memorandum (LIM) for a property.

  Useful links

  MBIE - Dangerous, affected and insanitary buildings guidance

  DCC - Dangerous, Affected and Insanitary Buildings Policy

• Limitations

  This guidance is not intended to address durability, stability, construction monitoring, erection, producer statements or issues other than those listed below.

  The key elements are:

  Quality of Steel	Demonstrate compliance to grade and dimensions of steel sections as specified on drawings
  Manufacture	Demonstrate compliance to grade and dimensions of structural steel elements as specified on drawings
  Fabrication	Demonstrate compliance of structural steel sections to dimensional and weld details as specified on drawings

• Affected buildings

  Structural steel is used on buildings ranging in size and complexity from single story low risk structures, that may only contain a small number of portal frames, to large multi-storey buildings with post-disaster functions, that may be built entirely from steel.

  The Dunedin City Council Building Consent Authority’s (DCC BCA) role is to ensure appropriate compliance with requirements for these types of projects.  Not every project will be required to meet these requirements, but the types of buildings that may require verification of structural steel are:

  • Post-disaster buildings (e.g., hospitals).
  • Large structures (e.g., multi-storey buildings).
  • Buildings of national interest (e.g., airports, train stations).
  • Buildings with high seismic demand, fatigue.
  • Bridges.

  In general, importance levels 3, 4 and 5 buildings (Refer Building Act 2004, Clause A3) may be subject to verification of structural steel.

• Dunedin City Council requirements

  Consent application processing

  When making an application for building consent, we need sufficient information to determine whether the proposed work will comply with the New Zealand Building Code (NZBC).  The information provided for the verification of structural steel must be submitted as part of the building consent application and when the building consent is granted, will form part of the consent for the structure. Any proposed changes will be treated as an amendment to the building consent.

  Site inspection

  Once construction work has started, and steel is being supplied to the site, our site inspector will need to see appropriate documentation showing the steel being supplied matches specifications in the building consent.

  The elements to be considered are:

  Quality of Steel	Demonstrate compliance to grade and dimensions of steel sections as specified on drawings
  Manufacture	Demonstrate compliance to grade and dimensions of structural steel elements as specified on drawings
  Fabrication	Demonstrate compliance of structural steel sections to dimensional and weld details as specified on drawings

  If you require assistance with this, you should seek the assistance of an appropriate expert or conformance assessment body. This could include a metallurgist, material testing company or inspection company.

  For general enquires related to good practice sourcing or standards requirements, contact Steel Construction New Zealand (SCNZ) directly at info@scnz.org.  Additional information can be found at the SCNZ website at https://www.scnz.org/

• Dunedin City Council guidance

  To ensure your structural steel meets New Zealand standards (the requirements of AS/NZS 5131:2016 – ‘Structural Steelwork – Fabrication and Erection’) we need to have confidence in the quality assurance process.

  Several structural steel distributors in New Zealand are members of SCNZ. These distributors have been independently audited by SCNZ to satisfy the requirements of the SCNZ Structural Steel Distributor Charter requirements.

  You can find more information here: SCNZ Structural Steel Distributor Charter | Steel Construction New Zealand

  You can also find other helpful guidance documents, including – the New Zealand Guide to the Sourcing of Compliant Structural Steel, here:  Compliance Toolbox | Steel Construction New Zealand (scnz.org)

• Quality of steel pre-consented approval

  Applicants will need to show their steel grade and type complies with that specified on the designs. This can be through information supplied as part of the building consent application and by documentation provided during construction, in the following ways:

  1. The applicant can provide a certificate of product performance issued by an approved and accredited third-party such as ACRS, BSI or JAS-ANZ.  This certificate should be specific for each profile and size per grade of steel. These requirements should form part of the building consent application.
  2. An alternative method of demonstrating compliance may be through a third-party inspection of the factory and a Factory Production Certificate (FPC) report to an approved standard. Note: The reports must be specific to the sections, size, and grade of steel. These requirements must form part of the building consent application.
  3. Provide evidence that the steel has been purchased from one of the suppliers listed on the SCNZ website at https://www.scnz.org/compliance/scnz-structural-steel-distributor-charter/
  4. Where none of the above options is acceptable, a meeting between the applicant and the DCC BCA will be necessary to determine how compliance can be demonstrated.  Once agreed, these requirements will form part of the building consent.

• Manufacturing pre-consented approval

  All rolled sections and plates for welded sections must be supplied from an approved mill. The building consent application must clearly demonstrate that the steel grade and size as shown on the drawings is the same as that ordered and delivered to the site. This can be demonstrated by a ‘material take off’ for each size and grade indicating proposed supply mills.

  Note: Sections may be supplied from one or more mills across all profiles, grade or size including plate. However, each mill proposed must meet the requirements as set out above under ‘Quality of Steel pre-consent approval’. These requirements must form part of the building consent application.

• Fabrication pre-consented approval

  All welded sections must be fabricated by an approved fabricator certified under the Structural Fabrication Certification (SFC) Scheme of SCNZ, or an approved equivalent.

  An alternative method of confirming compliance could be destructive and or non-destructive testing carried out by an approved third-party in New Zealand.  The level, type, specification, and amount of testing will need to be agreed between the DCC BCA and the applicant.  This must be recorded and will form part of the building consent application.

  SCNZ certified contractors will be able to provide evidence that the steel has been purchased from one of the supplies listed on the SCNZ web site at: https://www.scnz.org/compliance/scnz-structural-steel-distributor-charter/

• Verification testing

  In certain circumstances, and solely at the DCC’s discretion, third-party testing of landed steel or welded sections may be required.  You should discuss this with your designer prior to submitting a building consent application to avoid unnecessary delays.

  Third-party testing may include, but is not limited to:

  • Mechanical properties: yield strength, tensile strength, elongation, and impact.
  • Chemical composition: product analysis.
  • Weld quality: Destructive testing.
  • X-ray testing.

• Documentation required prior to construction

  When building consent has been granted before any on-site erection commences, we may require confirmation that the structural steel sourced meets the requirements of the Standard AS/NZS 5131:2016 – ‘Structural Steelwork – Fabrication and Erection’ and the requirements of the building consent.

• Contact us

  If you need to discuss any of the above guidance, contact us by:

  • Sending a request online: Building Information Request
  • Phone - 03 477 4000
  • Email - building@dcc.govt.nz