Building inspection timeframes now in effect
Published: 22 August 2025
Regulations requiring Building Consent Authorities (BCAs) to complete at least 80 per cent of building inspections within three working days of the date requested by the building owner are now in effect.
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In April 2025 the Government announced the introduction of regulations requiring BCAs to complete the majority of building inspections within 3 working days – a timeframe chosen to ensure that building work progresses as quickly as possible.
The Building (Accreditation of Building Consent Authorities) Amendment Regulations 2025 came into effect on Friday, 22 August 2025.
Ensuring building inspections are carried out in a timely manner will reduce the need for builders to stop work - enabling them to plan ahead and keep building projects on schedule and budget.
BCAs will be able to adopt the policies and procedures that work for them to meet the timeframe. This could mean they could adopt a risk-based approach to inspections by prioritising high-risk and complex work or increase their uptake of remote inspections.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) will be issuing updated guidance to BCAs to support them in complying with the new requirements.
MBIE will be collecting and publishing quarterly wait time data for each BCA. The first set of data will be published in Q4 2025, while compliance will be monitored by International Accreditation New Zealand through biennial accreditation assessments.
Read Minister Penk’s press release:
Building inspection target comes into force(external link) — Beehive.govt.nz
MBIE media contact
Email: media@mbie.govt.nz
https://www.mbie.govt.nz/about/news/building-inspection-timeframes-now-in-effect
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