Carrying out drainage work involving Council land or infrastructure

• Work must not begin until the applicant has received approval from Council for their application.
• Approved drainage work requires DCC inspection.
• As built plans are required at the time of the final inspection. Where laterals are installed, as built plans need to include the location and depth at the property boundary.
• The cost of restoration of services or property damaged during the course of the work is the responsibility of the applicant.
• The applicant is responsible for contacting the appropriate utility operator and arranging for the location of any underground services in the proposed work area.
• The applicant is responsible for reinstating all Council road and footpath services (where applicable) to the satisfaction of Council and at their own expense. Council must be notified in writing upon completion of the restoration work. The restoration work needs to perform to Councils satisfaction for a period of 12 months. Further information is available in the Work undertaken in the road corridor section below.

Subdivision Drainage - where Council is expected to assume ongoing ownership and maintenance, all designs and works must comply with the latest edition of the Dunedin Code of Subdivision and Development and meet Council’s satisfaction. Early consultation with DCC 3 Waters is strongly recommended, as in certain cases, design and construction may need to deviate from the requirements of the Dunedin Code of Subdivision and Development.

Drainage not intended for Council vesting must be designed to New Zealand Standard NZS 4404:2010 using class SN16 PVC-U pipe.

It is the property owner’s responsibility to ensure that no foul water enters the stormwater system, and no stormwater enters the foul water system.

The application form and guidance will be available soon on the Building forms and guidance page.

A site plan must accompany the application, clearly indicating the location and layout of the proposed work, along with the drainage design details (such as pipe dimensions, gradients and materials).

Email the completed application to building@dcc.govt.nz

If applying for building consent and Council drainage connections/disconnections are required, you can include a copy of the completed Application to carry out drainage work (Involving Council land or infrastructure) with the building consent application. Note, a code compliance certificate is not issued for drainage work involving Council land or infrastructure.

Applications are given a unique identifier, e.g. DIF 2025-123.

Our preferred method of corresponding is by email or phone. The decision will be sent via email.

Charges will apply with payment required on receipt of the invoice - refer to:

Drainage fees and charges - for connection fees and charges.

General charges - for inspection, processing and administration fees and charges.

The approved drainage work requires a DCC inspection. Required inspections will be listed on the approval letter.

Inspections can be booked by phone: 03 477 4000 or 0800 DCC INSPECT (322 467)

When you make an inspection booking you will need to supply the following:

• Approval number (e.g. DIF 2025-123)
• Project location/address
• Type of inspection required and whether it's a re-inspection
• Name and contact details (including an email address) of the person who will be on-site at the time of the inspection, and the person making the booking
• Licensed drainlayers registration number.

As-built plans are required at the time of the final inspection. Where laterals are installed, as-built plans need to include the location and depth at the property boundary.

Use our online service to submit as-built plans and supporting information.

Road and footpath openings, reinstatement and associated works such as traffic management can only be carried out by a DCC Health and Safety-approved contractor and are subject to approval of a separate Corridor Access Request (CAR).

All contractors working within the transport corridor must be a DCC Health and Safety approved contractor.

Connecting and disconnecting foul and stormwater drains to and from Council sewers (i.e. saddle connections and seal offs) can only be carried out by a DCC contractor (currently CityCare Ltd), acting under direction from the DCC.

Laying private drains including laterals and boiler tubes on Council-owned land is the responsibility of the applicant and must be installed by a licensed drainlayer.

Subdivision drainage on privately-owned land must be installed by a licenced drainlayer.

If you are planning to dig in the road, footpath, or berm, you need to apply for a Corridor Access Request (CAR) before you start.

A CAR notifies us of any proposed work in the road corridor in the Dunedin City Council (DCC) area.

To carry out work for the DCC all contractors must be an DCC Health and Safety approved contractor.

The standards for working in the road and the CAR process are set out in the National Code of Practice for Utility Operators’ Access to Transport Corridors. These standards are compulsory whether the work is for a utility, local government or commercial organisation or private individual(s).

Corridor Access Requests may incur fees - Roads and footpath fees

• Email: building@dcc.govt.nz
• Online: Building Information Request
• Phone: 03 477 4000
• In person: Building Services Enquiries Desk, Ground Floor, Civic Centre, 50 The Octagon, Dunedin
• Writing: Dunedin City Council, PO Box 5045, Dunedin 9054

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