What you'll pay in council consent fees

Council consent fees are the charges you pay a territorial authority to check and sign off building work — the PIM, the building consent itself, statutory MBIE and BRANZ levies, and per-visit inspection or processing fees. They land on nearly every consented job, so getting them into your quote up front keeps you from eating the cost later. The figures below are indicative only and drawn from each council’s 2025–26 fees schedule.

What makes up a consent fee

Most councils break the total into the same few parts. Knowing the pieces helps you read any council’s schedule and price a job:

• PIM (Project Information Memorandum) — the memo on what the council knows about the site. It’s usually tiered as minor, standard or full, and the price steps up with each tier.
• Building consent — also tiered by scope, from a minor consent through to an alteration and up to a full new-dwelling consent.
• MBIE + BRANZ levies — a statutory charge of $2.01 per $1,000 of value, which is consistent across councils and scales with the value of the work.
• Processing and inspection fees — a CCC (Code Compliance Certificate) processing charge, plus per-visit inspection fees at most councils.

Indicative figures by council

Fees vary widely from one council to the next, so treat these as ballpark and always confirm against the current published schedule. A few illustrative points from the schedules:

• Auckland Council — a typical new-dwelling consent runs about $7,800, with CCC processing at $380. Lodging online can knock 10% off PIM and consent fees, and pre-application advice is $200.
• Wellington City Council — a typical new-dwelling consent is around $7,400. Hill suburbs may need a geotech PS1, so confirm the zone before you price it.
• Christchurch City Council — a typical new-dwelling consent sits near $6,900, with inspections at $380 per visit. An EQ recovery levy may apply in red zones.
• Hamilton City Council — a typical new-dwelling consent is about $6,500, and development contributions for new dwellings can add $15–25k on top.
• Tauranga City Council — a typical new-dwelling consent is roughly $7,100; coastal hazard zones may require additional reports.

Before you quote a consented job

Consent fees shift with the council, the tier and the value of the work, so a quick check keeps your quote honest:

1. Identify which council the site sits under, then pull its current 2025–26 fees schedule.
2. Match the PIM tier (minor, standard or full) and the consent tier (minor, alteration or new dwelling) to your scope.
3. Work out the MBIE and BRANZ levies at $2.01 per $1,000 of the value of the work.
4. Add CCC processing and any per-visit inspection fees, then factor in local extras — geotech reports, coastal or hazard-zone reports, EQ recovery levies, or development contributions where they apply.