The steps to follow for a resource consent are outlined below. The Ministry for the Environment website also contains a useful guide.
Ministry for the Environment
arrow_forwardGet in touch early! You may be seeking help from a planning professional to submit your resource consent application, or you might want to make your own. Whatever you choose, QLDC planners are here to help you. If you are not too sure about resource consents and what this means for your project, you are welcome to contact our Duty Planner to help you better understand the resource consenting process. For larger or more complex developments we recommend you use our Pre-Application service. You can also check out MfE's guidance about the Resource Consents application process. Close
To avoid delays, it's essential you provide all the relevant information needed to process your application. You also need to think about if any person might be affected (e.g. your neighbours). It is important you include an assessment on you neighbours with an application and provide their written approval where they are affected.
You can email resourceconsent@qldc.govt.nz to lodge your resource consent application with us (please put 'New Resource Consent' in the subject line). If the attachments are large, please upload your documents online via the Application forms and fees page. Close
If required, a hearing will be held before Council appointed Commissioners for limited and publicly notified resource consent applications, and the council planner will prepare an additional report for any hearing.
Your Resource Consent will have conditions that you need to adhere to, and our processing planner will discuss these with you before your decision is issued. QLDC is responsible for monitoring resource consents to make sure you comply with the conditions of your resource consent and your project or activity is undertaken as you say it will be in your Resource Consent application. For more information about monitoring see below. For all monitoring enquiries please contact our RCMonitoring team by email at: RCMonitoring@qldc.govt.nz Close
The implementation of all resource consents is monitored to ensure compliance with the application and any conditions imposed on the consent. Monitoring incurs a cost and is a requirement of the RMA.
Once the Council has granted a resource consent, we will carry out a site inspection to make sure the development or activity has been, or is being undertaken in accordance with the approved resource consent decision and conditions. During the visit we determine if you have met the conditions attached to the resource consent. Most consents need no more than two visits and in many cases only one inspection is necessary when all conditions of consent have been complied with. For some activities, monitoring will be ongoing. In some cases a site inspection is not required until works have been completed. In other cases, such as earthworks, we need to inspect the site during the works. Close
A Code Compliance Certificate is written confirmation of compliance with a building consent under the Building Act. Resource consent monitoring is independent of any building consent inspections as building and resource consents are not approving and inspecting the same thing. Close
You do not need to be home. Site inspections do not require entry into dwellings. Only access onto the property is required. However, if you would prefer to be on site, please let us know. Close
A consent holder generally has five years to implement a resource consent. If the consent holder does not inform Council when works have started, then the start date is estimated. Monitoring is still necessary for any work or activity that has not been checked and found to be carried out in accordance with the consent granted regardless of when the work or activity was completed. Close
Resource consents are invariably ‘attached’ to the land over which the activity is approved. When you buy a piece of land you automatically become the “consent holder”. This means you are responsible for complying with the consent and its conditions and you are responsible for any costs, including monitoring charges. Close
To view application fees, please take a look at our Application forms and fees page.
Please note: your proposal may also result in additional demand on Council-owned services (such as water and reserves) and therefore will require the payment of a development contribution (DCN). These are all payable to QLDC.
See our Development Contributions page for information on this and to:
If you'd like to get an indication of processing times for notified or non-notified resource consent applications, please note that we can only achieve prompt processing if all of the required information is provided to us at the outset or as soon as it is requested.
The Ministry for the Environment has a number of publications which are helpful for those people involved in the resource consent process. These include publications on the following topics:
These provide a good overview of the process and requirements that QLDC has to follow in processing and determining applications for resource consent, and more details about what you can do in the process as an applicant and someone that wants to submit on an application that is limited or publicly notified.