Self-Certification for Plumbing and Drainlaying Scheme

Self-certification for plumbing and drainlaying is a voluntary, opt-in scheme that lets endorsed plumbers and drainlayers self-certify (sign off) eligible plumbing and drainlaying complies with the building consent.

The self-certification scheme only applies to certain types of eligible plumbing and drainlaying work. The work must meet the eligibility requirements for the scheme, including limits on building height and design requirements.

The scheme does not remove the requirement to:

Obtain a building consent, building consent amendments or minor variations where required
Comply with the Building Code
Comply with applicable Acceptable Solutions or Verification Methods
Obtain a code compliance certificate (CCC)

Council’s Role

Council’s responsibilities under the scheme include:

Processing and issuing building consents for applications that include self-certifiable plumbing and drainlaying, including building consent amendments and minor variations
Receiving and checking certificates of compliance as part of the CCC process and retaining the associated records
Carrying out regulatory and enforcement functions under the Building Act where required, including issuing notices to fix

Council inspectors will not inspect plumbing or drainlaying work if it is eligible under the scheme, is listed in the building consent as self-certifiable work and is carried out or supervised by an endorsed plumber or drainlayer.

Council must accept valid certificates of compliance issued by endorsed plumbers and drainlayers as evidence that self-certified work complies with the building consent. The responsibility for the compliance of self-certified plumbing and drainlaying rests with the endorsed plumber or drainlayer who issued the certificate of compliance.

Council may still inspect other parts of the building work, as well as plumbing and drainlaying that is not eligible for self-certification.

Building Owners’ Role

Building owners can decide whether to use endorsed plumbers and drainlayers to self-certify eligible plumbing and drainlaying instead of having that work inspected by Council. Where a building owner has not opted in for self-certified plumbing and drainlaying, inspections must be carried out by Council.

Self-certification does not remove the requirement to obtain a building consent where one is otherwise required, and it does not remove the requirement for building work to comply with the Building Code.

Building consent applications

Self-certifiable plumbing and drainlaying must be clearly identified in the building consent application, plans and specifications. Good quality documentation helps ensure all parties understand what building work will be self-certified and what building work will remain subject to Council inspections.

Applications should clearly describe:

The plumbing and drainlaying proposed to be self-certified
Whether the work is self-certifiable plumbing, self-certifiable drainlaying, or both
The relevant Building Code compliance pathways, including Acceptable Solutions and Verification Methods
The proposed scope of work shown on plans and specifications
Practitioner details (if known)

Plans and specifications should clearly identify:

The proposed scope of self-certifiable plumbing and drainlaying work (including eligibility information)
The applicable compliance pathways
The demarcation between self-certified and inspected building work.

The endorsed plumber or drainlayer does not need to be known when the building consent application is submitted. However, if the endorsed plumber or drainlayer is known at the time of the building consent application, the application needs to state the name of the endorsed plumber or drainlayer that will do, assist in doing, or supervise the self-certifiable plumbing and drainlaying.

The owner (or their agent) must notify Council of the endorsed plumber or drainlayer who will undertake or supervise that work before building work begins.

Only plumbing and drainlaying identified as self-certifiable in the issued building consent may be certified under the scheme. Any plumbing and drainlaying not identified as self-certifiable remains subject to normal Council inspection requirements.

Changes after the building consent has been issued

Where a proposed change affects self-certifiable plumbing or drainlaying, endorsed plumbers and drainlayers should identify the issue early and discuss it with the owner or their agent. If the change affects the approved design, compliance pathway, or scope of self-certifiable work, a minor variation or building consent amendment may be required before the building work can start.

Minor variations

A minor variation is a small change to an issued building consent that does not materially affect compliance with the Building Code. All changes must be approved before work proceeds.

To apply for a minor variation:

Complete an Application for Minor Variation form
Email the form and supporting documentation to building.group@fndc.govt.nz

Building consent amendments

Where a change goes beyond the scope of a minor variation, a building consent amendment may be required. Examples may include significant design changes, changes to compliance pathways, introduction of alternative solutions, changes that introduce non-self-certifiable plumbing or drainlaying, or changes that introduce additional self-certifiable plumbing and drainlaying. Construction should stop until a building consent amendment has been issued.

If the owner wants to add self-certifiable plumbing or drainlaying to a building consent that has already been issued, then a building consent amendment will be required. The application will need to include the plumbing and drainlaying proposed to be self-certified, which needs to be eligible for the scheme.

To apply for a building consent amendment:

Complete an Application for Building Consent Amendment form
Email the form and supporting documentation to building.group@fndc.govt.nz

Alternatively, lodge the application through our online portal: Apply online for a building consent

Certificates of compliance

A certificate of compliance is the formal record that self-certifiable plumbing and drainlaying has been completed according to the building consent. The certificate of compliance and supporting documentation is issued by the endorsed plumber or drainlayer. This replaces the inspection process and confirms the work complies with the building consent.

The certificate of compliance must be included in the application for code compliance certificate (CCC). Council must accept certificates of compliance as evidence of compliance with the building consent.

Legislation

The legislation and regulations that apply to this scheme are:

More information

For detailed information on this scheme, refer to MBIE’s website: Self-certification for plumbing and drainlaying scheme | Building Performance