If you are planning to buy or sell a property you can request a LIM to find out information Christchurch City Council has on file for that property.

Request a Land Information Memorandum (LIM)

You can also complete and pay for a LIM application at one of our Customer Service Hubs.

Land Information Memorandum (LIM)

A LIM report is required to be processed within 10 working days and includes any information relevant under section 44a of the LGOIMA Act 1987.

This may include information such as:

Building, consents and activity licences information Land, property-related information and services
List of building permits and consents, code compliance certificates and warrants of fitness, swimming pool fence compliance etc. Special characteristics of the land and buildings including protected buildings and trees, historic buildings, potential contamination and flooding areas.
Notified information under section 124 of the Weathertight Homes Resolution Services Act 2006. Information about drinking water supply, sewer and/or stormwater utility services.
List of land-use resource consents within 100m. Rates and water information and outstanding charges, rateable valuation data.
Other registrations and licences. Refuse and recycling collection information.
Canterbury earthquakes information related to placards issued. Other land information the authority considers relevant.

Property files

A property file can contain additional useful information. You can request this information when requesting a LIM or separately. 

The property file fee is additional to the LIM fee and will be charged at the digitised property file fee rate.

Refer to the land and property information service fee schedule to view our fees and charges.

You can pay the LIM fee when you submit your LIM application, or if you are a pre-approved credit account holder, you can charge it to your account, which is invoiced each month.

To enquire about setting up a pre-approved credit account, please contact the LIM and Property Information Team Leader on 03 941 8999.

If you're having problems with the online form, you can try:

  • Completing the form quickly - pauses in activity of over two minutes will cause the form to time out or an error to display.
  • Closing all internet browser windows/tabs and starting a fresh session.
  • Only have one form open at a time on your computer.
  • Using a different internet browser. We recommend Google Chrome.
  • Using a different device.
  • Clearing your cookies or cache.
  • Clearing your browser history.
  • Removing your temporary files.

View today's LIM processing report [PDF, 557 KB].

If your LIM is not showing in the report after two working days, email dutybco@ccc.govt.nz , or call 03 941 8999.

To upgrade from a standard LIM to a fast track LIM, complete the cancel or upgrade a LIM application. If you have already paid the standard LIM fee you will be contacted to pay the difference prior to your fast track being processed.

To cancel a LIM there is a cancellation fee, however, you can cancel a LIM application at any time up until we begin to process your LIM report. If you have already paid, we will refund you the LIM fee minus any applicable cancellation fee. 

 

Technical reports

2008 Akaroa Harbour Basin Settlement Study

The purpose of this study was to provide the Christchurch City Council with a preliminary assessment of the flood hazards in the Akaroa Harbour Basin settlements, based on an assessment of historical flood events. For more information, please refer to the technical reports.

2011 to 2014 Mayoral Flooding Taskforce Events Summary

There was a series of large storms from 2012 to 2014, which caused flooding in significant parts of the city. During this event, Christchurch City Council undertook a one-off data capture of the extent of the flooding by surveying flood levels and projecting the likely flood extents on a map, using the flood model available at that time.

More information on this event can be found online by reading the Mayoral Flood Task Force Reports Part A [PDF, 8.6 MB] and Part B [PDF, 24 MB]. This reporting was a one-off response and is not undertaken for all flood events.

Historical flood events

We hold historical flood information for some flood events. This will be noted on LIMs and/or included in property files. This information is based on information collected during or after floods and is not comprehensive.

If we don’t hold information showing flooding for a specific area, that doesn’t mean flooding didn’t happen in that area at some point in the past. A summary of the information we hold is provided below.
 

Flood surveys

The flood surveys carried out between the 1970s to the early 2000s were questionnaires to understand flooding impacts on private property. The surveys were sent out to selected catchments and were optional to complete.

Flood surveys capture information about which properties were reported as being flooded in a particular event or at a particular time. Not all of them have accompanying reports.

Some of this information will be located within the relevant individual property files, including the following:

  • 1934 Waimea Terrace Flood Mapping
  • 1968 Aranui Flood Mapping
  • 1977 to 1981 Heathcote Flood Surveys
  • 1986 Canon Street-Manchester Street Flood Survey
  • 1986 St Albans and Frees Creek Flood Survey
  • 1987 Lower Styx Flood Survey
  • 1989 Fendalton Riccarton Flood Survey  
  • 1991 Barrington Flood Survey
  • 1991 Queensbury Street-Mascot Place Flood Survey
  • 1991 Upper Wilderness Drain Flood Survey
  • 1992 Heathcote (Lower) Flood Survey (August)
  • 1992 Heathcote (Upper) Flood Survey
  • 1993 St Johns Street-Hargood Street Flood Survey
     

Flood maps

We hold a number of maps that show the extent of flooding from various events in the past. These can be viewed in the links below. Note that the quality of these maps varies, and there may be duplication between them.

Flood event summaries

1930 to 1992 Heathcote flood history summary

This document is part of the Heathcote Floodplain Management Plan, a joint initiative by Christchurch City Council and Canterbury Regional Council, aimed at understanding and managing flood risks in the Heathcote River floodplain.

It includes a historical overview of major flood events from 1930 to 1992, details on flood causes and impacts, and outlines flood mitigation measures, such as the Woolston Cut and proposed Wigram East Retention Basin.

Note: No LIM comments will be generated from this event summary, as it did not identify property-specific flooding.

Flooding in the Heathcote River: A History and Database by Andrew Nichols [PDF, 17 MB]
 

1986 storm event

Between 6 and 7 July 1986, Christchurch experienced a long-duration, low-intensity rainfall event of approximately 70 to 125mm total depth across the city, with most of this concentrated in a 24-hour period. The worst flooding was recorded in the northern parts of the city, including the St Albans/Mairehau area and Brooklands.

1986 storm event report [PDF, 1.3 MB]

1986 storm flood map for Mairehau/St Albans [PDF, 3.2 MB]
 

1992 storm event

Between 28 and 31 August 1992, a significant storm event brought elevated tides, significant rainfall, snowfall, and flooding to Christchurch, particularly around the main river channels.  Some impacted areas had flood questionnaires distributed following the event.  Where these were returned, they will be located within the relevant individual property files.

Note: Apart from the surveys, no LIM comments will be generated from this event summary, as it didn’t identify property-specific flooding.

1992 Avon Heathcote Styx rivers flooding report [PDF, 421 KB]
 

1999 storm event

Between 16 and 19 July 1999, Christchurch experienced a long-duration, low-intensity rainfall event of approximately 70 to 120mm total depth across the city, with up to 150mm in 24 hours noted in Le Bons Bay. There was significant surface flooding, especially around the main river channels, but confirmed flood damage was very limited.

Note: No LIM comments will be generated from this event summary, as it didn’t identify property-specific flooding.

1999 storm event report [PDF, 9.9 MB]
 

2000 Sumner/Redcliffs storm event

Between 11 and 13 October 2000, Christchurch was hit by a severe storm that brought heavy rain and strong winds, especially to the south-eastern suburbs. The intense rainfall overwhelmed parts of the stormwater system, causing flooding and damage in areas, including Bowenvale, Sumner, and Redcliffs.

There were blockages, with serious consequences in Barnett Park, Redcliffs; Nayland Street at Richmond Hill Road, Sumner; and Upper Sumnervale Drive, Sumner. As a result of these overflows, there were reports of water entering eight houses in Redcliffs and up to 12 houses and commercial premises in Sumner village.

Lower Richmond Hill Catchment flooding investigation notes [PDF, 28 MB]

Report on drainage in Sumner during the storm event [PDF, 15 MB]
 

2017 Heathcote flood event

Significant rain, from the morning of 21 July to the end of 22 July, caused extensive flooding. This rainfall coincided with higher-than-normal tides and a storm surge, which increased tidal levels by 400 to 450mm. As a result, there was localised flooding in Christchurch, including surface flooding in Southshore and across Banks Peninsula.

There were also minor slips in the hill areas. Fourteen residential properties along the Heathcote River experienced flooding of habitable areas, and many others experienced property or access flooding.

CDEM - July floods post-event report [PDF, 8.8 MB]
 

2019 Sumner storm event

On 22 October 2019, a brief but intense rainfall event in Sumner caused flooding in parts of the Sumner Village Centre, affecting several shops. The severity of the flooding was due to the highly localised nature of the storm and the stormwater system not being designed to handle such extreme rainfall intensity.

Note: No LIM comments were generated from this event summary, as it didn’t identify property-specific flooding.

2019 Sumner flood event report [PDF, 755 KB]
 

2022 wet-weather response

In July, Christchurch experienced three significant weather events within just three weeks, starting on 11 July and following earlier wet conditions. The total rainfall for the month broke records at both the Botanical Gardens’ and Christchurch Airport’s weather stations.

These events caused minor river flooding and surface ponding across the city.  There were media reports of buildings flooded above floor level during the three rainfall events; however, we haven’t been able to confirm these reports. Individual areas affected by flooding are identified and discussed in more detail in Appendix 1 of the memo provided below.

2022 wet weather response - July 2022 memo [PDF, 1.7 MB]

Other flooding information

2021 Le Bons Bay flood event  

On 15 December 2021, the remnants of Cyclone Ruby resulted in persistent heavy rain throughout the day in the eastern bays of Banks Peninsula, with rainfall intensities increasing in the evening.  This rainfall resulted in slips and flooding of roads and property, along with road closures and power and other service outages. 

Christchurch City Council staff visited Le Bons Bay the following day to assess the damage. Where flooding of individual properties was observed, the photos are included in the relevant individual property files. 

If a property file doesn’t hold information about flooding, it doesn’t mean flooding didn’t happen, only that it wasn’t recorded during the investigation. 

Flood model reports

Flood model reports, or model status reports, record detailed information about how the hydraulic models were built and about their assumptions and input data. They are produced by our hydraulic modelling consultants and intended for a technical audience.

Each report is based on a catchment-wide scale, so it doesn’t take into consideration property-specific characteristics, such as buildings, fences, and private drainage. For more information about flooding, please refer to flooding-and-floor-levels.

The latest model status reports can be accessed below:

For more information about LIMs, contact the Council: