Building vs Resource Consent Site Plan NZ: Key Differences

A building consent site plan and a resource consent site plan may look similar, but they support two different council decisions.

A building consent application focuses on whether the proposed building work will comply with the New Zealand Building Code. A resource consent application focuses on whether the proposed activity complies with district or regional planning rules and whether its environmental effects are acceptable.

Many projects need only a building consent. Some require resource consent as well. Other projects may need resource consent even when the physical building work is exempt from building consent.

Building Consent and Resource Consent Are Different Approvals

The two consent systems operate under different laws and assess different matters.

Receiving one consent does not automatically satisfy the other system. A building consent does not authorise a planning-rule infringement, and resource consent does not confirm that the proposed construction complies with the Building Code.^[1][2]

What Is a Building Consent Site Plan?

A building consent site plan is part of the construction-document package submitted for council approval.

It identifies the property, shows where the proposed building work will occur and connects the site information with the architectural, structural, fire, plumbing, drainage and other technical plans.

The building consent authority must be able to understand:

• Where the building work is located
• How the proposed building relates to legal boundaries
• What structures already exist
• How people and vehicles will access the building
• How water, wastewater and stormwater will be managed
• Whether natural hazards affect the work
• Whether the drawings contain enough coordinated information to assess Building Code compliance

A complete building consent application must be clear, correct and detailed enough to demonstrate how the proposed work will comply with the Building Code.^[3]

What Is a Resource Consent Site Plan?

A resource consent site plan forms part of an application for permission to undertake an activity that is not permitted as of right under the relevant planning rules.

The plan helps the council assess:

• The nature and scale of the proposal
• Which district or regional plan standards are infringed
• The relationship between the proposal and surrounding properties
• The actual and potential environmental effects
• Whether affected-person approval or notification may need to be considered
• What measures will avoid, remedy or mitigate adverse effects
• What consent conditions may be appropriate

A resource consent application must include an Assessment of Environmental Effects, commonly abbreviated as an AEE. The plans show what is proposed, while the AEE explains its effects and how adverse effects will be managed.^[4][5]

The Main Difference Is the Question Being Answered

That difference changes the level and type of information emphasised on each plan.

Building Consent Site Plan Requirements

The exact requirements vary according to the project, council, property and Building Code matters involved. A typical building consent site plan may include the following information.

Resource Consent Site Plan Requirements

A resource consent site plan should clearly identify the proposed activity, the relevant planning infringements and the site features needed to understand its environmental effects.

Depending on the application, the plan may show:

Side-by-Side Comparison

Can the Same Site Plan Be Used for Both Consents?

Often, yes—but it usually needs to be adapted.

A high-quality base site plan may already show:

• Legal property boundaries
• Existing buildings
• Proposed construction
• Dimensions and setbacks
• Vehicle access
• Services and easements
• Contours, trees and drainage features

That base drawing can then be developed into:

• A building consent version coordinated with the construction drawings and Building Code documentation
• A resource consent version identifying planning standards, infringements, environmental effects and mitigation measures

This approach can reduce duplication and inconsistent dimensions. However, simply submitting an unchanged building consent plan for resource consent—or vice versa—may leave important information missing.

When Is Building Consent Required?

Building consent is commonly required for work such as:

• A new house
• A substantial house extension
• A self-contained minor dwelling that does not qualify for an exemption
• Structural alterations
• New plumbing and sanitary facilities
• Retaining walls outside an applicable exemption
• Decks and elevated platforms outside an exemption
• Garages, sleepouts and sheds outside the Schedule 1 limits
• Changes affecting fire safety or specified systems

All building work must comply with the Building Code, including work that does not require building consent.^[6]

When Is Resource Consent Required?

Resource consent may be required when the proposal does not meet one or more rules in the applicable district plan, regional plan or national environmental standard.

Common residential triggers include:

• Building inside a required front, side or rear yard
• Breaching a height-in-relation-to-boundary control
• Exceeding maximum building height
• Exceeding building or site coverage
• Exceeding an impervious-area limit
• Providing insufficient landscaped area
• Non-compliant parking, access or vehicle manoeuvring
• Earthworks exceeding permitted thresholds
• Work near a stream, wetland or coastal feature
• Removing protected vegetation
• Building in a flood, coastal, heritage or ecological overlay
• Creating an additional dwelling where planning permission is required
• Onsite wastewater or stormwater discharges requiring regional approval

The specific triggers vary by location because every property is affected by its council plans, zoning and overlays.^[1]

A Project May Need Both Consents

Many residential projects require building consent but comply fully with the planning rules and therefore do not need resource consent.

A project may need both when, for example:

• A structurally compliant extension breaches a side-yard setback
• A new house exceeds the district-plan height limit
• A granny flat requires building consent and also exceeds permitted site coverage
• A garage is designed to Building Code standards but sits inside a required yard
• A retaining wall requires building consent and involves excessive earthworks under the district plan
• A new dwelling needs technical building approval and approval to develop hazard-prone land

The applications can sometimes be prepared and lodged at similar times, but the building and planning assessments remain separate.

Can Building Consent Be Issued Before Resource Consent?

A building consent authority may process and issue a building consent even when a required resource consent has not yet been obtained.

However, the council may issue a certificate under section 37 of the Building Act identifying that resource consent is required and preventing affected building work from starting until the necessary planning approval has been obtained.^[7]

The Building Consent Drawing Package

The site plan is only one part of a building consent application.

Depending on the project, the complete package may also include:

• Location plan
• Floor plans
• Exterior elevations
• Building sections
• Foundation plan
• Structural framing plans
• Construction details
• Bracing calculations
• Drainage plans
• Plumbing information
• Fire-safety information
• Energy-efficiency calculations
• Product specifications
• Producer statements or engineering documents
• Certificates of Work for restricted building work

The plans and specifications should be coordinated. The building footprint, dimensions, floor levels, roof design and service locations shown on the site plan should match the other documents.

The Resource Consent Drawing Package

A resource consent application commonly includes more than a single site plan.

Depending on the proposal, supporting material may include:

• Application form
• Assessment of Environmental Effects
• Site and location plans
• Floor plans and elevations
• Planning-compliance table
• Recession-plane diagrams
• Shadow or shading diagrams
• Neighbouring-property context plans
• Landscape plans
• Earthworks plans
• Erosion and sediment-control plans
• Stormwater reports
• Traffic or parking assessments
• Ecological assessments
• Geotechnical reports
• Urban-design assessments
• Written approvals from affected persons, where obtained

The level of detail should be proportionate to the scale and significance of the proposal’s effects.^[4]

Assessment of Environmental Effects

Every resource consent application must be accompanied by an Assessment of Environmental Effects.

The AEE generally explains:

• What activity is proposed
• Which consents and planning infringements are involved
• The existing site and surrounding environment
• The positive and adverse effects
• The people or properties that may be affected
• How adverse effects will be avoided, remedied or mitigated
• Any consultation undertaken
• Any proposed consent conditions

The site plan should support the statements in the AEE. For example, if the AEE says that screen planting will protect a neighbour’s privacy, the site and landscape plans should show the planting location, extent and relationship to the affected property.

1. Legal Boundaries

Both types of site plan need reliable legal-boundary information.

Show:

• The complete legal property outline
• Boundary lengths
• Road frontages
• Shared access legs
• Rights of way
• Irregular or angled boundaries

Do not automatically use a fence, hedge, retaining wall or lawn edge as the legal boundary.

An existing survey, deposited plan or cadastral information can provide the base. A licensed cadastral surveyor may be required where boundaries must be located or certified accurately.

Read Site Plan Requirements Near Boundaries in New Zealand for more guidance.

2. Existing and Proposed Buildings

Both applications should clearly distinguish the existing development from the proposed work.

Show relevant existing features such as:

• The principal dwelling
• Garages and carports
• Sheds and sleepouts
• Minor dwellings
• Decks and verandahs
• Pergolas and patio covers
• Retaining walls
• Swimming pools

Use different linework, shading or hatching for proposed construction and label it clearly.

3. Setbacks and Planning Yards

Setbacks are important to both applications, but for different reasons.

On a building consent plan, setbacks help establish the approved building location and may affect fire separation, foundation work and other technical matters.

On a resource consent plan, the drawing should identify:

• The required setback
• The proposed setback
• The amount of any infringement
• The length of building affected
• The relationship to neighbouring buildings and outdoor areas
• Any proposed mitigation

For example, writing only “side yard infringement” is not enough. A useful plan might show a required 1.5-metre yard, a proposed 0.8-metre setback and a 0.7-metre infringement along a specified wall length.

4. Height and Recession Planes

Building height should be consistent across the site plan, elevations and sections.

A resource consent package may also need to show:

• Existing ground level
• Proposed ground level
• Finished floor level
• Wall and roof heights
• The applicable recession plane
• The portion of the building that breaches the plane
• Neighbouring windows and outdoor areas

A horizontal setback can comply while the roof still breaches a height-in-relation-to-boundary control.

5. Building Coverage and Impervious Area

Coverage calculations are often needed for planning assessment and may also assist the building and drainage design.

The site plan should identify the areas included in the calculation, which may include:

• Existing house
• Proposed extension or new building
• Garages and carports
• Minor dwellings
• Covered decks or patios where counted
• Other roofed structures included by the plan definition

Impervious-area calculations may separately include:

• Roofs
• Driveways
• Parking areas
• Concrete and paved paths
• Patios
• Other low-permeability surfaces

Use the definitions in the applicable district or unitary plan. The same surface may be treated differently under different planning documents.

6. Contours, Levels and Earthworks

Contours and spot levels may be needed for both consent pathways.

For building consent, levels can support:

• Foundation design
• Finished floor levels
• Accessible routes
• Driveway gradients
• Retaining-wall design
• Stormwater drainage
• Natural-hazard assessment

For resource consent, levels can show:

• Cut and fill
• Total earthworks volume
• Changes to landform
• Visual prominence
• Effects on neighbouring land
• Sediment risks
• Flood displacement

A topographic survey may be required where accurate ground levels are important.

7. Stormwater and Overland Flow

Stormwater is not exclusively a resource consent issue. It can be central to Building Code compliance as well.

A building consent plan may show:

• Roof downpipes
• Private stormwater drains
• Public connection points
• Soak pits
• Rainwater tanks
• Detention devices
• Surface-water collection

A resource consent plan may additionally emphasise:

• Pre-development and post-development flow
• Overland flow paths
• Effects on streams or wetlands
• Flood-storage areas
• Water-quality treatment
• Discharge points
• Effects on neighbouring land

A standard site plan does not replace professional hydraulic or civil engineering where calculations and detailed design are required.

8. Natural Hazards

Natural hazards may affect both consent applications.

Relevant hazards include:

• Flooding
• Overland flow
• Erosion
• Coastal inundation
• Slippage
• Subsidence
• Falling debris
• Liquefaction
• Unstable or filled ground

The building consent documentation may need to demonstrate how the building will remain safe and comply with the Building Code.

The resource consent application may need to explain whether the activity increases hazard risk, redirects floodwater, destabilises land or exposes people and property to unacceptable effects.

9. Neighbouring Properties

A building consent site plan may not always need detailed neighbouring-property information. However, nearby structures can be relevant to fire spread, excavation and protection of other property.

A resource consent plan commonly benefits from showing:

• Neighbouring houses
• Approximate building footprints
• Windows facing the proposal
• Decks and balconies
• Outdoor living areas
• Driveways and accessways
• Boundary fences and vegetation

This context helps the planner understand privacy, shading, outlook, visual dominance and other effects.

10. Trees, Vegetation and Ecology

Trees may be relevant to the building consent where roots, falling hazards or construction access affect the proposed work.

Resource consent drawings may need to identify:

• Protected trees
• Native vegetation
• Ecological areas
• Vegetation proposed for removal
• Tree-protection zones
• Replacement or mitigation planting
• Landscape screening

Where vegetation is part of the mitigation proposal, include enough information to understand its location, scale and function.

11. Vehicle Access, Parking and Manoeuvring

A building consent plan may show the driveway, vehicle crossing and access needed for safe use and coordination with the building.

A resource consent plan may also need:

• Parking-space dimensions
• Vehicle manoeuvring paths
• Driveway gradients
• Vehicle-crossing width
• Visibility splays
• Loading areas
• Traffic generation
• Pedestrian conflict points

A separate vehicle-crossing or corridor-access approval may still be required.

12. Easements, Covenants and Consent Notices

Both plan types should show known easements that affect the proposed work.

These can include:

• Drainage easements
• Utility easements
• Rights of way
• Access easements
• Shared-service corridors
• Building-line restrictions

Resource consent and building consent do not automatically override private land covenants, cross-lease obligations or easement-holder rights.

Building Consent Processing

A council generally has 20 working days to process a complete building consent application.

If the council requests further information, the statutory processing clock is paused until an adequate response is received.^[8]

Common site-plan requests for further information include:

• Missing boundary dimensions
• Unclear setbacks
• Inconsistent building footprints
• Missing finished floor levels
• Unclear drainage connections
• Missing easements
• Incomplete natural-hazard information
• Plans that do not match the elevations or floor plans

Resource Consent Processing

The resource consent pathway depends on whether the application is processed without notification, limited notified or publicly notified.

The council first checks whether the application contains enough information to understand the proposal and its effects.

It then considers matters such as:

• The relevant planning provisions
• The Assessment of Environmental Effects
• The scale and significance of adverse effects
• Whether any people or groups are affected
• Whether notification is required
• Whether consent should be granted or refused
• What conditions should apply

A straightforward non-notified application without a hearing generally has a statutory processing timeframe of 20 working days, although requests for information and permitted extensions can affect the actual time.^[9]

Common Building Consent Site Plan Mistakes

Submitting an approximate property outline

Unverified boundaries can make every setback and service relationship unreliable.

Showing a footprint that does not match the floor plan

The site plan, floor plans, elevations and structural drawings should use consistent dimensions.

Omitting roof overhangs

Eaves, verandahs and other projections can affect boundary distances and drainage.

Leaving finished floor levels off the plan

Floor levels can be essential for drainage, access, flood and foundation assessment.

Providing no stormwater-disposal information

New roof area must have an appropriate collection and disposal method.

Ignoring existing services

Foundations and construction work can conflict with private or public drains and utilities.

Submitting an uncoordinated plan set

Different dimensions or building locations across the drawings are a common cause of council questions.

Common Resource Consent Site Plan Mistakes

Failing to identify the planning infringement

Show the permitted standard, proposed dimension and precise amount of non-compliance.

Showing only the applicant’s property

Neighbouring context may be necessary to understand privacy, shading and visual effects.

Leaving natural features off the plan

Streams, wetlands, protected vegetation and hazard areas can be central to the application.

Using vague mitigation notes

A note saying “provide screening” is less useful than a plan showing the planting location and extent.

Omitting earthworks and levels

A proposal may appear modest in plan view while involving substantial cut, fill or retaining.

Submitting plans that contradict the AEE

The plans and written assessment should describe the same proposal and mitigation measures.

Assuming written neighbour approval guarantees consent

Written approval can affect the council’s consideration of effects on that person, but it does not remove every planning issue or guarantee approval.

Read Why Site Plans Get Rejected in New Zealand—and How to Fix Them.

Which Site Plan Do You Need?

Information to Gather Before Ordering

• Property address
• Record of title
• Lot and deposited-plan details
• Existing survey or site plan
• Legal-boundary dimensions
• Existing-building dimensions
• Proposed floor plans and elevations
• Proposed building dimensions and height
• Boundary setback measurements
• Driveway, parking and vehicle-crossing information
• Known water, wastewater and stormwater services
• Easements, covenants and consent notices
• Contours or topographic survey
• Earthworks and retaining-wall information
• Natural-hazard information
• Neighbouring-building locations where relevant
• Trees, streams and natural features
• Planning rules or council advice already received
• Photographs of the property
• Any council request for further information

Order a Building or Resource Consent Site Plan

NZ Site Plan can prepare a clear property drawing for a building consent, resource consent or preliminary council assessment.

Depending on the information supplied, the plan can show:

• Legal property boundaries
• Existing buildings and improvements
• Proposed construction
• Boundary setbacks
• Building separation
• Vehicle and pedestrian access
• Known easements and services
• Building and impervious coverage
• Contours, drainage and natural features
• Neighbouring-property context
• Planning-rule infringements

The plan can be prepared using an existing survey, record-of-title information, council mapping, architectural drawings, measurements and photographs supplied by the property owner or designer.

Where the application requires cadastral surveying, architectural design, structural engineering, civil or drainage engineering, planning assessment, an AEE, ecological reporting or another licensed professional service, those documents must be obtained separately.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main difference between the two plans?

A building consent site plan supports technical assessment against the Building Code. A resource consent site plan supports planning assessment against applicable rules and environmental effects.

Can one site plan be used for both applications?

A common base plan can often be used, but each application may need different annotations, calculations, context and supporting information.

Does resource consent approve the construction?

No. Resource consent authorises the planning activity. Building consent is the approval that assesses proposed building work against the Building Code.

Does building consent mean resource consent is unnecessary?

No. The council may issue building consent while identifying that resource consent is still required. Work affected by that planning requirement cannot lawfully proceed until it has been resolved.

Can exempt building work require resource consent?

Yes. A small structure may be exempt from building consent but still breach a setback, recession plane, coverage rule or overlay requirement.

Can permitted planning work require building consent?

Yes. A project may comply completely with the district plan but still require building consent because of its construction, size, structure or facilities.

Does a resource consent application need an AEE?

Yes. Every resource consent application must include an Assessment of Environmental Effects proportionate to the proposal’s effects.

Do both plans need legal boundaries?

Yes. Reliable legal boundaries are fundamental to setbacks, planning compliance, fire separation, service relationships and the approved building location.

Does a resource consent plan need detailed dimensions?

Yes. It should provide enough precise information to identify the proposal, test applicable rules and understand its effects.

Does a building consent plan need environmental information?

Sometimes. Contours, hazards, trees, waterways, neighbouring buildings and overland flow paths may be necessary where they affect Building Code compliance or the safety of the work.

Which consent should be obtained first?

That depends on the project. Planning issues are often investigated early because they can change the building location or design. Discuss the preferred application sequence with the relevant council and project professionals.

How long does building consent take?

A council generally has 20 working days to process a complete building consent application. The clock pauses when further information is requested.

How long does resource consent take?

A straightforward non-notified application without a hearing generally has a 20-working-day statutory processing period. Notified applications, information requests and extensions take longer.

Do I need a property survey?

Not automatically, but a licensed cadastral surveyor may be necessary where exact boundaries, easements, setbacks or title interests cannot be established reliably.

Can NZ Site Plan prepare the entire resource consent application?

The service described here is the site plan. An AEE, planning assessment, architectural design, engineering, surveying and specialist reports must be obtained separately where required.