Thursday, 1 September 2022 Knowledge Articles
Do I Need A Consent For A Water Tank?
We pride ourselves on making things easy for you. This includes helping you understand how council consents work.
Our team is familiar with the processes surrounding consents, and wherever possible, we'll assist you based on our knowledge of these requirements. However, one piece of advice on this issue is invariably the same: always check with your local council even if you're convinced you don't need to. Only the council in your region can tell you whether you actually need building or resource consent to install a Promax plastic water tank. So, while we welcome your questions and will give you as much guidance as possible, the council will make the final decision on whether or not you need consent.
Every council in every district seems to have different rules, regulations and policies. Even if Promax did have all that material on hand from all of New Zealand's councils, it might not be up to date. Councils like to tinker with and change things. The rule of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" doesn't apply to many of our councils. They seem to rewrite their rulebooks all the time. That's why you need to approach your council for the latest guidelines, and that applies to tanks manufactured for residential, rural, commercial and industrial use.
There is some good news on this front. Some councils are making it easier to install a rainwater tank. It might be a response to longer dry spells and unpopular water restrictions that many New Zealand councils now have to impose. We're delighted to see some red tape removed from the tank buying process. For example, the Auckland council recently announced that ratepayers would no longer need to seek resource consent for a water tank in their homes. Even better, they won't have to pay several hundred dollars for the consent application, making it cheaper to install a water tank. However, you'll still require building consent if that tank is connected to the property's internal plumbing.
Hopefully, more councils around the country will follow suit. As we further embrace the benefits of harvesting the rain and invest in water storage tanks for that purpose, it makes sense for local authorities to ease up on existing restrictions. This will allow more New Zealanders to buy a water tank, capture the rain, and reduce the burden on the local water supply.
In summary, when it comes to consent requirements for any tank, get the answer directly from your council. Don't rely on hearsay or the experience of others who have bought a tank; your situation might be quite different, and rules might have changed. So, make the council your first port of call. Then, once you've sorted out that consent issue, we will make it plain sailing to deliver and install the tank you need.
Contact us for further information and advice to help you make the right decision.