Building your dam
You can start your build as soon as your building consent is granted. You must start building work within 12 months of the date the consent was issued; otherwise, it will lapse.
Making changes to your plans
Minor variation
Minor variations are changes to the design in the consented plans after the building consent has been issued but small enough that they do not affect Building Code compliance.
Apply for a minor variation before you make the change, and we will decide if it is minor or if you need to apply for an amendment to your building consent.
To apply for a minor variation, email buildingconsents@ecan.govt.nz with the proposed changes to the consented plans or specifications.
Read MBIE guidance on minor variations.
Major variation
Major variations are changes to the design in the consented plans after the building consent has been issued and are likely to affect Building Code compliance.
Where the work is outside the scope of the building consent and may impact several Building Code clauses, apply for an amendment before you undertake it.
Read MBIE guidance on major variations.
Submit your application
To apply for an amendment to your building consent, send the completed prescribed form F002 - Building consents and/or Project Information Memorandum (DOCX file, 194.06KB) together with the proposed amendment to the consented plans or specifications:
- Email: buildingconsents@ecan.govt.nz
- Post: Environment Canterbury, PO Box 345, Christchurch 8140
- In-person: 200 Tuam Street, Christchurch 8011 or 75 Church Street, Timaru.
Building work inspections
It is your responsibility to ensure that building work inspections are undertaken per the consent documentation. This will enable us to confirm that the work complies with the approved consent documentation and the building code.
Inspections should be planned, performed and managed by either us or your Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) consultant where we determine that they have the appropriate expertise to undertake these inspections.
This decision will be identified in the building consent conditions.
The matters that require inspection may include the following, although the specific requirements will be determined on a case-by-case basis:
- footings, foundations or underpinnings
- embankment construction
- appurtenant structure or specified systems details
- siphon
- spillway
- final inspection.
We are required to schedule an inspection within three days of your request and will endeavour to do so depending on the availability of our technical consultants.
Cost of inspections
We can recover the costs of performing our functions under the Building Act 2004. Therefore, you need to meet the costs incurred by us to carry out inspections. This cost is time-based.
Costs include:
- our time in co-ordinating and carrying out the inspection
- our actual costs in engaging an external contractor to carry out the inspection.
For fees and charges in effect from 1 July 2025, download and read our current fees and charges schedule (PDF file, 948.55KB).
On the day of an inspection
- You should meet inspectors on site and arrange safe access to the building or building work. This includes safe access to normally inaccessible and above-ground-level areas if required.
- You or your agent need to be on site with the consented plans and associated documentation. (We can undertake an inspection only if these documents are available)
- During the inspection, you should respond to any queries or requests made by the inspector.
- Minor issues may be easily fixed or approved and noted in the inspection record.
- Major issues will require a formal amendment before work can proceed.
- You will be advised if a conditional continuation of work applies to unaffected areas.
Inspection outcomes and notices to fix
Following an inspection, the inspection records will be sent to you.
If you pass the inspection, you can continue with the build.
If some of the work fails the inspection, the areas of non-compliance must be rectified and another inspection scheduled within the timeframe advised in the inspection record.
Notice to fix
Where non-compliance is identified during an inspection, we will issue a notice to fix it.
This is a statutory notice requiring you to remedy a breach of the Building Act 2004 or the building code. It can arise from illegal building work or work not undertaken following an issued building consent.
A notice to fix will:
- be issued per the Building (Forms) Regulations 2004
- set a reasonable timeframe within which you must comply with the notice
- instruct you to contact us on completion of the building work (if required).
A notice to fix may:
- require you to apply for building consent or an amendment to an existing building consent
- require you to apply for a certificate of acceptance for building work without a building consent
- state that all or any building work must cease immediately until we are satisfied that you are able and willing to resume operations in compliance with the Building Act 2004 and regulations.
Book an on-site inspection: Email buildingconsents@ecan.govt.nz first to arrange an inspection.
Additional building certifications
In some cases, you'll need additional building certifications. For example, if your dam includes specified systems like automatic sprinklers, air conditioning and fire alarms, or if public access to the dam is required before receiving a code compliance certificate.
Compliance schedule for specified system
If your dam has a specified system (for example automatic sprinkler, air conditioning, fire alarms) it must have a compliance schedule.
A compliance schedule describes the specified systems and their performance standards and sets out the inspection, maintenance and reporting requirements for each specified system.
A compliance schedule will generally be issued at the same time as the code compliance certificate.
It should be kept in the dam to which it relates and needs to be available for inspection by any person who has a right to inspect the dam according to the Building Act 2004.
Building warrant of fitness
If your dam is subject to a compliance schedule, you need to provide a building warrant of fitness (BWOF) to us annually.
A BWOF is a declaration by you stating that the specified systems have been maintained following the compliance schedule.
This certifies that the inspection, maintenance and reporting procedures in the schedule have been fully complied with during the previous 12 months.
Certificate of public use
In some situations, it may be necessary for the public to use or access part of the dam before a code compliance certificate is issued.
If you own, occupy, or control the dam, you can apply for a certificate of public use where a building consent has been granted and no code compliance certificate has been issued for the work.
To apply for a certificate of public use, send us the completed prescribed form F015 - Certificate of public use (PDF file, 223.39KB) for a certificate of public use:
- Email: buildingconsents@ecan.govt.nz
- Post: Environment Canterbury, PO Box 345, Christchurch 8140
- In-person: 200 Tuam Street, Christchurch 8011 or 75 Church Street, Timaru.
Requesting an extension for building consent
If you are unable to start building work before the consent lapses, you can request an extension to the lapse date.
We will agree to an extension request if we are confident, on reasonable grounds, that the completed building work will still meet the Building Code.
If we decline your request for an extension, your building consent will lapse and you will need to submit a new application.
Email buildingconsents@ecan.govt.nz with your extension request and reasons why you need the extension before your building consent is due to lapse.
