Information about building consent related fees, charges, levies, proposed increases, value of work and more.

How are building consent fees and charges set?

Fees and charges are set annually by the Dunedin City Council (DCC) during the annual plan process.  However, you’ll be starting to hear about the 10 year plan for Dunedin that we are working on now.

A 10 year plan looks a decade ahead, but is reviewed and consulted on every three years.  An annual plan is prepared for the years in between.

The 10 year plan outlines the services and activities the DCC plans to provide, the things we want to do, how much we expect things to cost and what it all means for rates and debt.

The 10 year plan is also your best opportunity to tell us what we should do and where money should be spent.

For more information refer to the 10 year plan article in this publication or go to www.dunedin.govt.nz/10-year-plan.

When will we be advised of any changes to fees and charges?

Once the plan has been adopted we will advise our customers of any changes to our fees and charges.  

When quoting for work you may wish to refer to the plan on the DCC website to establish whether building consent related fees and charges could be altering after 1 July.

Why is advising the value of work of the project necessary?

The value of building work is used for government valuations and also determines the amount of levies payable on the project. The value should accurately reflect all building costs associated with the project including labour (both paid and unpaid), material costs and G.S.T.

What levies are required to be paid?

We are required to collect levies on behalf of the Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ) and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).  Projects valued $20,000 and over are required to pay the BRANZ levy and projects valued $20,444 and over are required to pay the MBIE levy.

If the building consent is staged or amended, the levy is assessed on the total project value.

A Building Consent Authority (BCA) Levy applies to all building consent applications.  

Who do I contact with an enquiry about an invoice?

Any queries about an invoice received from us that relates to a building consent should be directed to the Building Services Administration team on 03 4774 000 or by email to building@dcc.govt.nz.

Note, payment of any outstanding invoices is required before the approved building consent can be issued.

For more information refer to the Building Services Charges Guide below.