When a Resource Consent is Needed

Do I Need a Resource Consent?

The Tasman Resource Management Plan states what activities require a Resource Consent and what activities are 'permitted' and do not require a Resource Consent. 

To find out if you need a resource consent you can either go straight to the Tasman Resource Management Plan or you can contact the Council and ask for one of the simplified guides that cover many common activities:

Tasman Resource Management Plan (TRMP)

You can also look at the TRMP Summary Guides for information about common activites.  They are easier to access but are summaries only:

Tasman Resource Management Plan - Summary Guides

We strongly encourage you talk to us about your project.  Duty resource consent planners are available to talk to you during normal office hours at all Council offices. 

Information about Resource Consents

If you wish to build, use land or use a natural resource in a way that does not comply with the rules of the Tasman Resource Management Plan you may need to get a resource consent. A resource consent is an important legal document that gives you the right to do something outside of what the rules normally allow. 

There are five types of resource consent:

• land use consent for the use of land
• subdivision consent for subdividing land (we have special pages explaining subdivisions)
• water permit to take water
• discharge permit to discharge contaminants to land, water or the air
• coastal permit to do something below the high tide mark