Auckland Council building inspections
Book online through myAuckland or on 09 301 0101, before 1pm for a next day slot, with no more than four inspections booked at once per consent. Each inspection costs $201 for a Residential 1 job and $231 for Residential 2 and 3 from 1 July 2026, and a cancellation after midday the day before costs the full $231. The inspector needs the approved plans on site as hard copy, the consent owner or their representative present, and a safe site. No plans means no inspection, and you still pay.
Which inspections your consent requires
Your building consent lists the inspections the council expects for the work. Treat that list as the minimum. The council says outright that more are often needed, and the usual reasons are the nature of the project, a design or product change part way through, a failed inspection that has to be re-booked, and an inspection that runs past the 45 minutes allocated to it, which is charged as an additional inspection.
The inspection types are grouped by code family, and the council’s own guide says the codes are mainly for internal use, so you book by the main code and describe the work. The exceptions are the two finals, which have their own codes. In the order a typical new house meets them:
| Stage | Code family | What the inspector is looking at |
|---|---|---|
| Before work | PCO, IME | Pre-construction meeting and site meeting. Optional, but useful on anything with a complicated design or an unusual product. |
| Foundations | IFO 1 to 4, ICB 1 | Siting and setout, bored piles, strip footings, timber retaining walls, block or concrete foundations and retaining walls. Driven and screw piles are not inspected. |
| Slab and structure | ISF 2, ICB 2, ICB 3 | Slab on grade, raft and suspended slabs, columns and beams, precast elements. |
| Framing | IFG 1, IFG 2 | Subfloor, then wall and roof framing. |
| Envelope | ICA 1, ICA 2, ICL 1 to 5 | Wrap, cavity, then cladding by type: stucco, brick veneer, weatherboard and sheet, monolithic, roof. |
| Pre-line | IPB 1, IPP 1, IPB 2 | Building pre-line, plumbing pre-line, insulation. The last look at anything that is about to be closed in. |
| Post-line | IPL | Linings fixed, before stopping. |
| Wet areas and tanking | ITK 1, ITK 2 | Internal waterproofing membranes, tanking. |
| Drainage | IDT 1, IDT 5 to 9, IPP 2 | Drainage, stormwater tanks, on-site disposal, effluent, under-slab plumbing. A registered drainlayer or certifying plumber must be on site with the as-built plan, or it is not inspected and is still charged. |
| Final | IF1, IF2, SWP | Residential final, commercial final, pool fencing. All services and the electricity must be connected. |
Recladding and remedial work has its own family (IRM, IRS, IRW) and the council also runs audit inspections (ARE, ACO) that you do not book.
How to book, and the rules that trip people up
- Online or by phone. Online through a myAuckland account, or on 09 301 0101. Either way, have the site address, the consent number and an on-site contact ready. By phone you will also be asked for the inspection type and, for restricted building work, the name and licence number of the Licensed Building Practitioner.
- Book before 1pm for the next working day. The council confirms the booking within 24 hours, and it is required to complete 80% of inspection requests within three working days under regulation 7A of the Building (Accreditation of Building Consent Authorities) Regulations 2006. That is a target for the council, not a promise for your job.
- Four at a time. Since 1 April 2021 no more than four inspections can be booked at any one time per consent. Duplicate bookings are removed. You can book a single inspection or a group of different types for the same property, but the old repeating series of site meetings is gone.
- Ready now. If a slot opens within two days of your booking the council can offer it with about 30 minutes’ notice. Accept it only if the site really is ready: if the inspector arrives and it is not, the inspection is cancelled and the fee is charged.
- Standby. If your preferred date is full you can go on a standby list for it.
- Cancel before midday the day before. Later than that and the full inspection fee is charged, $231 from 1 July 2026.
- Old consents. On a consent more than 10 years old, give three working days’ notice for a final so the documents can be reviewed first.
- Six or more in a day. The council does not guarantee that more than six inspections at one property on the same day can be done.
What must be on site when the inspector arrives
The council’s guide to booking inspections puts it in four words: no plans, no inspection. In full, the inspector expects:
- The approved consent documents, as hard copy. The stamped plans, any site-specific engineering or geotechnical reports, the consent itself with its conditions and the inspection schedule. The rest of the documentation can be on a laptop or tablet, but the council says not on a phone. Turn up without them and the inspection fails, and the fee applies.
- The consent owner or their representative, present for the whole inspection, and where the work is restricted building work, the Licensed Building Practitioner for that work either present with their licence or contactable.
- A safe site. Clear access, edge protection where it is needed, equipment ready, noise down, and any asbestos dealt with. An unsafe site is not inspected, is charged, and can be referred to WorkSafe.
- As-built drainage plans for any plumbing or drainage inspection, brought by the registered drainlayer or certifying plumber who did the work.
- Everything connected for a final: water, wastewater, stormwater and electricity all live.
The inspector compares the work against the consented plans, notes any variation, checks the consent conditions and fills in a checklist, which is emailed to you as a pass or a fail. Minor variations can be approved on site, but only before the varied work starts. Anything larger needs a formal amendment to the consent, and the inspector cannot pass work that departs from the plans without one.
What an inspection costs from 1 July 2026
Auckland Council’s consenting and property information fee schedule for 2026/27, GST included:
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Inspection, Residential 1 | $201 |
| Inspection, Residential 2 and 3, Commercial 1 | $231 |
| Inspection, Commercial 2 and 3 | $243 |
| Cancellation after 12pm the day before | $231 |
| Notice to fix | $316 |
| Code compliance certificate, project value up to $19,999 | $258 |
| Code compliance certificate, project value $20,000 and over | $722 |
| Extension of time to start, or to apply for a CCC | $201 |
| Pre-application meeting | $331 |
The consent deposit usually covers the inspections listed on the consent. Any inspection beyond that list, including every re-inspection after a fail, is invoiced at the rates above, and the council can hold the CCC until the account is paid. Fees change every 1 July, so check the current schedule before you quote a client.
When an inspection fails
A fail comes with a list of the items that did not comply, and a re-inspection at the additional inspection fee. The inspector may issue a conditional continuation of work, which lets you keep going on other parts of the build while the failed items are fixed, but that is at their discretion. Where the failure is serious, or the work was done without consent, the council can issue a notice to fix under the Building Act 2004.
A failed final is the one to avoid. The council’s inspections page says the outstanding work or information must be supplied within 60 working days or a full re-inspection is required. The June 2026 edition of its booking guide gives six months for the same situation. The two are not reconciled anywhere we can find, so treat 60 working days as the figure and ask the inspector in writing if you need longer.
Once the final passes, the council collects the producer statements, energy work certificates, as-builts and the LBP records of work, and the code compliance certificate application goes in. The 20 working day clock for the CCC decision starts then, not at the final.
The property file, and why it is not a LIM
Before you price alterations, get the property file. It is the council’s record of consents, plans, inspection records and correspondence for the address, and it is the only way to see what was consented, what passed and what never got a CCC. Applications are online only, and since 2025 it is delivered as a digital file, not paper.
| Property file | Fee | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | $79 | Up to 10 working days. Cancel for $39.50. |
| Urgent | $121 | Up to 3 working days. No refund after 24 hours. |
| Commercial property | $154 | Up to 10 working days. Cancel for $77. |
Processing starts the next working day, and working days follow the LGOIMA definition, so the period from 20 December to 10 January does not count. The file arrives as an email link with a token key, and the link expires after 28 days. If you let it lapse you apply again and pay again, so download it the day it lands. A card surcharge of 1.75% applies. Enquiries go to [email protected].
A property file only holds what the council knows about. Work done without consent is not in it, and neither are regional consents held by the former Auckland Regional Council. A LIM is a different document: a summary the council certifies, with rates, zoning, hazards and consents on one report, at $387 standard or $522 urgent. A buyer wants the LIM. A builder pricing work wants the file, because it has the drawings.
The inspection booklet and the booking guide
Two council documents cover all of this in their own words. The Building Consent Booklet, AC1229, is what most people mean by the inspection booklet: it walks through the consent process from application to CCC and includes the inspection stages. The Guide to Booking Inspections, AC1824, is the shorter and more useful one on site. It is the source of the no plans, no inspection rule, the four at a time cap and the full list of inspection codes, and its current edition is version 5, June 2026.
Keep the inspection record with the job
Built Simple holds the consent, the inspection schedule, each pass or fail and the site photos against the project, so a failed final is a fix list and not a search. Free to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I book an Auckland Council building inspection? Online through myAuckland or by phone on 09 301 0101, with the site address, the consent number and an on-site contact. Book before 1pm for a next working day slot. The council confirms within 24 hours, and no more than four inspections can be booked at once on one consent.
How much does an Auckland Council inspection cost? From 1 July 2026, $201 for a Residential 1 inspection, $231 for Residential 2 and 3 and Commercial 1, and $243 for Commercial 2 and 3, GST included. Cancelling after midday the day before costs $231. The inspections listed on the consent are usually covered by the consent deposit and any extra is invoiced.
What happens if I cancel an inspection late? A cancellation after 12pm on the day before the inspection is charged at the full inspection fee, $231 from 1 July 2026. The same fee applies if the inspector arrives and cannot inspect because the plans are not on site or the site is unsafe.
What does the inspector need on site? The approved consent documents as hard copy, including the stamped plans, any site-specific reports, the consent conditions and the inspection schedule. The consent owner or their representative must be present, the LBP for restricted building work must be present or contactable, and the site must be safe to walk.
What happens if a building inspection fails? You get a list of the items that did not comply and you re-book once they are fixed, at the additional inspection fee. The inspector can allow work to continue elsewhere on the site. After a failed final, the council’s web page allows 60 working days to supply the outstanding work or information before a full re-inspection is required.
How much is an Auckland Council property file? Standard $79 with up to 10 working days’ turnaround, urgent $121 within 3 working days, commercial $154. Applications are online only and the file arrives as a download link that expires after 28 days.
Is a property file the same as a LIM? No. The property file is the council’s folder of consents, plans, inspection records and correspondence for the address. A LIM is a certified summary report covering rates, zoning, hazards and consents, at $387 standard or $522 urgent. Builders pricing alterations want the file, because it holds the drawings.
What is the Auckland Council inspection booklet? Usually the Building Consent Booklet, AC1229, which covers the consent process end to end including the inspection stages. The Guide to Booking Inspections, AC1824, is the one to keep on site: it lists every inspection code, the four at a time cap and the no plans, no inspection rule.
Related calculators and guides
Sources
- Book a building inspection, Auckland Council.
- Building inspections explained, Auckland Council.
- AC1824 Guide to Booking Inspections, version 5, June 2026, Auckland Council.
- Consenting and property information fees, from 1 July 2026, Auckland Council.
- Order a property file, Auckland Council.
- Building (Accreditation of Building Consent Authorities) Regulations 2006, regulation 7A.
- Building Act 2004, sections 37 and 164 (notice to fix).
