Buildings that contain certain safety and essential systems, known as specified systems, are issued with a compliance schedule.

The compliance schedule describes the ongoing inspection, maintenance and reporting procedures for these specified systems.

These procedures are important not only because it is required by the compliance schedule issued by the Council but because it gives occupants of your building confidence about the building’s safety systems.

If as a result of building work a building contains specified systems, a compliance schedule will be issued by the building consent authority.

The compliance schedule will describe the specified systems, state their performance standards and describe the inspection, maintenance, and reporting procedures for the specified systems.

A compliance schedule is there to ensure the continued effective operation of the building’s specified systems.  

See information on compliance schedules for building officials(external link) at the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) website.

A specified system means a system or feature contained in or attached to, a building, contributes to the proper functioning of the building and is declared to be a specified system by building regulations(external link).  Examples include sprinkler systems, fire alarms and lifts.

An exception to the above is a cable car, they have been defined as a specified system differently.   Also if a cable car is attached to or servicing a building used wholly as a single household unit is the only reason such a building would need a compliance schedule.   

When you apply for building consent, you must include a list of all specified systems in the building project.

If as a result of building work specified systems are added to a building, a compliance schedule (or an amended compliance schedule) will be issued with the code compliance certificate.

Where a compliance schedule has been issued for the first time (typically a new building), a compliance schedule statement is also issued by the Council. 

This statement must be displayed publically in the building and is valid for 12 months. After receiving a compliance schedule statement owners must engage an independent qualified person (IQP) as soon as possible (typically within one month) to ensure that all inspection, maintenance and reporting procedures are complied with for the next 12 months.

At each anniversary of the issue of the compliance schedule, you must supply the Council with a building warrant of fitness. A building warrant of fitness states that the inspection, maintenance, and reporting procedures of the compliance schedule have been fully complied with during the previous 12 months. A copy of the building warrant of fitness must be publicly displayed in the building.

You will need to apply for an amendment to the existing compliance schedule if you want to:

  • Update owner details.
  • Amend the inspection, maintenance or reporting procedures.
  • Advise of any specified system not included on the compliance schedule for the building.

As the owner, you can apply for an amendment to the compliance schedule at any time. Complete and return an application for amendment to compliance schedule [PDF, 654 KB] (Form 11 B-031), also available in Word [DOCX, 389 KB]. 

An independent qualified persons (IQP) is a person accepted by a territorial authority as being qualified to carry out or supervise all or some of the inspection, maintenance, and reporting procedures required for specified systems stated in a compliance schedule. Independent means that the person has no financial interest in the building.

The Council does not perform building warrant of fitness inspections or certification for building owners, although from time-to-time we may carry out inspections for auditing purposes.

The role of IQPs is to inspect, maintain and report on the specified systems as detailed on the compliance schedule.

You are required by the Building Act to have annual written reports relating to the inspection, maintenance and reporting procedures of the compliance schedule signed by each IQP who has carried out those procedures. Keep the reports with the compliance schedule for two years and make sure they are available when Council inspections are carried out.

All registered South Island independent qualified persons personnel are recorded on the IQP Register administered by the Timaru District Council(external link). This also provides information and advice regarding IQP related matters.

If a building consent requires a new compliance schedule, or amended compliance schedule,  to be issued as a result of building work, a fixed fee is charged with the issue of the building consent.

There is a different fee for when a building owner applies for an amendment to a compliance schedule outside the building consent process

There is also an annual administration fee for processing the building warrant of fitness. This is comprised of a base fee and an additional fee per specified system.

A new fee for building warrants of fitness site audits following a failed audit has recently been introduced.

Refer to the building consents fee schedule for related fees.

The cost of an IQP’s services is not included in the Council application fee or annual fees.

You can obtain further information on Buildings with compliance schedules for specified systems(external link) from the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment.