Signs may require a resource consent or building consent.

Planning approval

Signs require a resource consent if they do not comply with the rules in Chapter 6.8 of the District Plan(external link). 

If you have any questions or would like more information please email our Duty Planner at dutyplanner@ccc.govt.nz who will be able to clarify your situation and advise if a resource consent is likely to be required. 

Building approval

Most signs do not require building consent, especially where there is a chartered professional engineer (CPEng) involved.

Please refer to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) guidance on building work(external link) that is automatically exempt under the Building Act, in particular exemption number 39 and 25.

Where signs are part of a building or are a building in their own right, they must comply with building code, even if a building consent is not required.

Formal building approval is not required for signs that:

  • Are fixed flush to a wall and do not project more than 300mm from the wall
  • Are painted directly on to a building
  • Signs where the face is less than 6 square metres and the top of the sign does not exceed 3 metres from the supporting ground
  • Are designed by a CPEng engineer

Form B-002 – application for Building Consent [PDF, 818 KB] also available in Word. [DOCX, 425 KB]

Form B-004 – exemption from Building Consent [PDF, 128 KB].