Building consent information has moved
You'll find it on the Auckland Council Website
The councils in Auckland region have been working cooperatively to move smoothly to the new Auckland Council on 1 November 2010.
That co-operation has helped us standardise Building Consent online information and produce a single set of associated forms, which you can use now at any local government organisation in the Auckland area.
Still available on this site
Stormwater
Stormwater can cause flooding, erosion and long-term environmental damage. We are upgrading our public stormwater systems, building stormwater ponds, and improving the quality of stormwater that flows onto our streams and beaches. To make a real difference everyone needs to take responsibility for stormwater on their property.
Why use rainwater?
People have relied on rainwater for household, landscape and agricultural water uses for centuries. As communities have become larger and more centralised, community water treatment and distribution systems have gradually replaced the collection of rainwater as our primary water supply.
Using rainwater will reduce:
- demands for mains water supply and you will save on your water rates
- flooding by providing temporary storage for water
- wet weather sewage overflows
- pollution of our beaches and waterways
Options for using rainwater
Option 1: Watering your garden – building consent not required
Option 2: Watering your garden and supplying laundry and toilet (no mains top up) – building consent required
Option 3: Garden, laundry and toilet gravity system with mains top-up (backflow preventer required) – building consent required
Option 4: Garden, laundry and toilet boosted (pump) system with mains top-up (backflow preventer required) – building consent required
Rain tanks
A building consent is generally not required for garden irrigation rain tanks which are normally small however, a building consent is required for all household plumbing. This includes rainwater systems that:
- connect to the mains water system as backup and therefore require a backflow prevention device
- exceed 25,000 litres capacity and are supported directly by the ground
- exceed 2,000 litres capacity and are supported more than 2m above the supporting ground
- exceed 500 litres capacity and are more than 4m above the supporting ground.
Tanks larger than 6,000 litres may require resource consent to ensure they meet certain criteria, such as distances in relation to boundaries, etc. All plumbing is required to be carried out by a registered plumber and must comply with the Building Code.
For more information, see the What Can You Do? Use Rainwater on our stormater page.
