How to book an inspection

Building inspections are typically requested by your builder when they are ready for them and can be booked by emailing building-cs@southlanddc.govt.nz, or by filling in the online booking form at the bottom of this page.

Please ensure you are planning and requesting inspections at least 5 working days prior to your preferred date.  Please note, we cannot always accommodate any bookings prior to 5 working days of your request or on your preferred day.

For final inspections, a CCC Application (Form 6) will need to be submitted, vetted and accepted prior to Council contacting you to arrange a final inspection.

Book an inspection

What happens during an inspection?

During inspections the building control officer will introduce themselves to the builder, site manager, owner or agent who is present and check that the approved building consent documentation is on site, along with the outcome of any specialist inspections that were advised on the consented documentation.

The building control officer will then check that the building has been built in compliance with the consented documents and, where a minor variation is to be approved on site, the proposed changes comply with the Building Code, as it was at the time of application for the consent was issued. They may take photographs as appropriate.

Where Specified System(s) have been included as part of the consented documents, the Building Control Officer will check that the specified system(s) (being added, amended or removed) have been installed as per the building consent.

During the inspection the building control officer will complete an electronic inspection sheet. This is the recording of the inspection findings. The building control officer will discuss their inspection results with the available onsite representative and email a copy through to the relevant contacts on the consent.

People and information needed on-site

It is recommended that the owner or an agent is available onsite for all inspections to ensure they are clear on the outcome.

It is mandatory that a full set of approved set of consent documentation will be available on site during an inspection and needs to be in a format that is easy to view.

Note: No approved plans and documentation onsite will mean no inspection can be undertaken which may incur fees as an additional inspection may need to be completed.

What if the inspection has not passed?

If the inspection fails, the remedial options will be recorded on an inspection site notice which is issued and sent to the relevant contacts on the building consent. Another inspection may be required to inspect any remedial work, in some cases photos may be acceptable in lieu of an inspection, and the inspector will clarify this on the inspection site notice.

In some cases, work may have to stop (where work is non-compliant or unsafe), and in others some work may be allowed to continue (conditional continuation). If the work is not remedied to the satisfaction of the building control officer, it is possible that a Notice to Fix (NTF) will be issued. Re-inspections may incur additional charges.