To certify building work, the Council has to ensure that the building work has been completed as per the building consent, plans and specifications, and to meet the requirements of the New Zealand Building Code. To do this the Council ensures that:

• building consent conditions have been met
• all building work has been undertaken as per the building consent and requirements of the New Zealand Building Code (performance based, rather than quality based)
• all completed documentation has been received such as gas and electrical energy certificate, drainage plan, surveyor's certificate
• all records are complete
• all inspections have been undertaken, passed and approved

If it is a commercial building or a residential cable car attached to a building, there are additional requirements prior to the issue of the Code Compliance Certificate such as:

• check whether all specified systems installed in the building are operational
• issuing Compliance Schedules and Compliance Schedule Statements

Council must also give regard to whether a building method or product to which a current warning or ban under Section 26(2) of the Building Act 2004 relates, has been used or applied in the building work to which the Code Compliance Certificate would relate.

If the application for Building Consent application was made under the Building Act 1991, then the transitional provisions will apply, in that the building work must comply with the building code that applied at the time the consent was granted.

Once an application for a Code Compliance Certificate (BA Form 6) has been received and the building work has been certified and any outstanding fees paid, the Building Consent can be put forward for an issue of the Code Compliance Certificate.