Resource management fees

There is a fee for processing resource consent applications.

The fees for different types of resource management applications are outlined in our resource management fee schedule [PDF, 113 KB].

All charges include GST unless otherwise stated. All fees are deposits unless listed on the fee schedule as a total fee. An additional fee is charged for scanning hard copy applications.

Council fees are payable whether or not your resource consent is approved. The applicant is the person responsible for all costs associated with the application.

Payment of fees and commencement of processing

Resource consent applications are not complete until the required fee/deposit has been paid. Processing does not commence until payment has been received, the only exception is where an applicant has a credit arrangement with the Council, then the total cost will be invoiced on completion of processing.

For applications lodged electronically, an invoice will be issued shortly after lodgement and can be paid via internet banking or EFTPOS. Our internet banking details are provided below. Payments are credited to our account on the next business day. 

Bank: Bank of New Zealand
Account Name: Christchurch City Council
Account Number: 02 0800 0044765 03

The Particulars, Code and Reference details are all specified at the bottom of the invoice. To avoid processing delays, please make sure you include all of this information in your payment details. 

Processing costs

Most resource consent applications require an initial deposit to be paid by you at the time the application is submitted. Additional costs are usually incurred during processing and are charged to you after a decision is made on the application. The Council also requires the payment of the cost of monitoring the consent to ensure any conditions are complied with.

The cost of processing a resource consent application varies depending on the complexity of the issues involved. The more complex the application, the higher the costs are likely to be. If you need to provide further information this increases the cost.

Notified applications cost a lot more to process than non-notified applications due to the cost of advertising the application, analysing the submissions, holding the hearing, and other aspects of the notified application process. The planning issues involved are usually more complex too.

Some of the more straightforward application types have a total fee, which covers the whole cost of processing.

If you engage professional consultants to prepare or assist you with your application this will add to your costs.

Fee discount where timeframe exceeded

The Resource Management (Discount on Processing Fees) Regulations require the Council to discount processing fees where the statutory timeframe is exceeded. The discount applies to resource consent applications (land use and subdivision) and applications to change or cancel the conditions of existing consent and is one per cent per additional day up to a maximum of 50 per cent.

Fee discount for not-for-profit and community organisations

A 25% discount is available for not-for-profit community organisations and social/community housing providers because of the public good they provide. Fees can be discounted up to a maximum of $5,000 for social and community housing providers and $2,500 for other organisations.

Requests should be made in writing at the time the application is lodged, explaining how the below criteria are met. Applicants pay the normal deposit when the application is lodged, and the discount is applied when processing has been completed and the final fees are calculated.

Not-for-profit community organisation criteria: 

• High ratio of volunteers to paid employees.
• Primarily funded by grants, donations, subscriptions or similar, and not from fees, charges, local or central government funding.

Social/community housing provider criteria:

• Registered as a community housing provider with the Community Housing Regulatory Authority; or
• A registered charitable trust; and
• Having as one of its objectives the provision of social and/or affordable housing.

Confirmation that an organisation or housing provider qualifies for the discount is at the discretion of the Head of Resource Consents.

Development contributions

If your subdivision or development project increases demand on network infrastructure, community infrastructure, or reserves, a development contribution may be levied. The Council assesses development contributions before it grants a building consent, resource consent or authorisation for a service connection.

You can use the Development contributions lookup to check indicative charges, or request an estimate.

Other fees

Your project may also require other consents or services provided by other Council units, with separate fees payable for each.

• Building consents fee schedule
• Land and property information service fee schedule