WCC, Building Permits (D/E Series)

Descriptive Data

Archives Identifier00059Date Range1985-1993DescriptionThis series consists of building permits issued between 1985 and 1993, in both paper and microfiche form.

Under Wellington City Bylaws (NZSS 1900) building permits were required for all new buildings, alterations, demolition or relocation. Depending on the type of building proposal, applicants were required to submit building, site and drainage plans, specifications, calculations, and an application form. The building plans may show floor plans, elevations, sections and other construction details. The drainage plan was removed from the application documentation and filed in the property's drainage folder. A History Sheet was attached to the submitted documents. This sheet was used to record examinations by the City Engineer's Department and other Departments of Council as required. This may include Structural Branch, Streetworks, and Town Planning. Any changes required were recorded on the bottom of the History Sheet. The final examination was performed by the Building Branch and all requirements collated in a typed up Addenda Sheet.

At the end of this process the permit information was recorded by a Building Branch Clerk and the applicant notified that the permit was ready for uplifting. The person uplifting the permit was required to sign the addenda sheet. All applications were recorded in a building permit register and in a card index system arranged by street name. All documents (including application form, history sheet etc) were placed in permit envelopes and filed in permit number order in a strongroom. Rolls of plans for large projects were filed separately in racks in the strongroom.

In 1982 the Divisional Engineer (Buildings) proposed to microfiche all building permit documentation to reduce storage and facilitate modern methods of reference. New permits were microfiched as they were issued and past permits were also gradually filmed. Paper plans that had been microfiched were offered to the property owners. If the owners failed to respond to the offer or indicated that they did not wish to accept, the paper plans (and other paper documents) were destroyed. Plans of historical merit or interest not required by the owners were offered to the Historic Place Trust. The majority of building permits between D1-D3333 exist only on microfiche. There are also some E Permits which exist only on microfiche. Where paper records have survived they have been retained in preference to the microfiche. There are some instances where the record of the building permit is made from a combination of paper and microfiche (for example when the plans are paper and the A4 documentation is microfiche). The microfiche appears to be a scan of the application as it was received and later amendments were not always captured on microfiche.Quantity (Linear Metres)326.95MediumFileSystem of ArrangementPaper records arranged by building permit number. Microfiche records arranged by street address and are in boxes with the microfiche of C Permits (Series 00058)Collection TypeWellington City Council

Access Information

Restriction StatusOpen

Related Agencies

Controlling or Creating AgencyBuilding BranchRelationship Date Range1922-1991

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WCC, Building Permits (D/E Series)