All licensed premises must have a current Premises Certificate of Compliance (Alcohol). This certifies that the proposed use of the premises (for an alcohol licence) will meet the requirements of the Building Code and Resource Management Act 1991.
Check out our handy step-by-step guide to getting an alcohol licence [PDF, 1.4 MB].
Please note that from 7 June 2023 the Premises Certificate of Compliance (Alcohol) process has been updated. To submit an application, you will now complete your application online.
The Premises Certificate of Compliance (Alcohol) – required by s100(f) of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act – informs prospective alcohol licence applicants of any Council requirements or consents they may need to comply with when planning and setting up their proposed business use. This includes any building, planning or environmental health requirements (e.g. noise).
You need to apply for a Premises Certificate of Compliance (Alcohol) if:
- Application type A: You are buying an existing business (i.e. a change ownership) which is licenced (with no changes to the alcohol licence conditions); or
- Application type B: You are opening new licensed premises that has never been licensed before on that site, or are making changes to existing licenced conditions (such as hours, footprint area, or type of alcohol licence) whether as a new owner or the exiting licensee
Processing times for certificates can take up to five weeks.
It is important that you apply as soon as possible as we cannot accept the filing of your new licence application without the certificate being issued first.
You may also be required to apply for an update of your Premises Certificate of Compliance (Alcohol) if you are making changes to your business or building and applying for a variation of conditions on your alcohol licence (e.g. to trading hours that need a resource consent, or and extended licenced area with building alterations).
Having this certificate approved before applying for or making changes to your alcohol licence gives you certainty about what is required for your alcohol licence application and ensures you have the planning and building information you need.
Payment of fees
The fee for Premises Certificate of Compliance (Alcohol) is under the alcohol licensing fees. This is a council-set fee which is subject to review annually with changes taking effect from 1 July each year.
When you submit your application form and documents you will be emailed an invoice for payment. Application fees are non-refundable and must be paid when you apply for your certificate before we can process your application.
Payments can be made by cash, EFTPOS or credit card at a service desk or by internet banking. Internet banking account and reference details can be found on the invoice.
We no longer accept payments by cheque.
For internet banking, you will need to provide proof of payment that includes confirmation of the payment details (e.g. a screenshot of the completed transaction).
We can only process your application once we have both the fee proof of payment and the required application form and documents.
Hospitality developers and building owners
Developers, building owners and prospective tenants need to know early in the process about alcohol and food licensing and compliance requirements for hospitality developments.
- Hospitality alcohol licensing [PDF, 1.5 MB]