Requesting Property Files

If you are looking for property information within the Nelson City Council area, Council can assist with your request e.g. if you are interested in buying a house or looking up the file for your own house.

General Property Information

The General Property Information ('GPI') for a property is available to the public free of charge. The GPI report includes:

• Nelson Resource Management Plan (NRMP) hazard overlay map
• Hazard Study Information
• Hazardous Activities and Industries List (HAIL) site information brochure
• Information about Property Files
• General Property Information (GPI) summary
• Property Conditions

Property File

A full property file includes:

• The GPI information above, plus:
• Copies of the relevant Building Consents
• Copies of the relevant Resource Consents
• Other public relevant documents

These files may exclude:

• Confidential records
• Building consents that have no code compliance certificate
• Resource consents that are still being monitored
• Subdivision resource consents
• Land Information Memorandums (LIMs)

There is no charge to view a full property file for a property that you own.

To view the full contents of the Council Property file of a property you do not own, there is a property access fee of $20. Customers requiring regular access to property files can either obtain a ‘regular user’ concession card - $80 for five property files, or pay an annual user fee of $2,000.

How to request a property file

• You can request the GPI or the full property file at the Customer Service Centre counter at 110 Trafalgar Street, where you can make your $20 payment via cash or EFTPOS, if applicable. Or by emailing your request to propertyfiles@ncc.govt.nz and paying online if required.
• To speed up the process and ensure you are given the correct property file please also provide the property valuation number, which can be found by using our Rates Search page.
• If you are requesting the property file for a property that you own, you do not need to make a payment.

Requesting an electronic file for a property you do not own

• Step 1: If you are requesting to see the property file of a property you do not own, pay the fee using a credit card via our Online Payments page. Please select the ‘other debtor’ tab and use the reference ‘1999999’ and the amount is $20 (it will charge a 2% transaction bank fee on top). Once paid, you will receive an email confirmation.
• Step 2: Send the email confirmation to propertyfiles@ncc.govt.nz stating that you have paid, proof attached and would like the full file for the specified address. Please provide both the address and either the valuation number or legal description to ensure we provide you with the right file. We endeavour to process these requests by the end of the next working day.

Electronic versus paper files

• As of October 2025, all Nelson City Council property files have been scanned and are available electronically.

Available Electronically

The General Property Information for all properties (as below):

• New Building Consents lodged since numbers BC140287 – approximately mid-2014 - are all scanned.
• New Resource Consents lodged since approximately April 2018 are all scanned.

Paper Files

• Building Consents lodged before 2014 that are still ‘active’ (i.e., that do not have a CCC Code Compliance Certificate) are still paper files.
• Resource Consents that are still ‘active’ (i.e., where the conditions are being monitored) are still paper files and not scanned (except new applications received since April 2018).
• Subdivision resource consents are generally not scanned (except new applications received since April 2018).
• If you need to copy any information from a property file, the first five photocopies (maximum size of A3) size are included in your Property File Access Fee, otherwise fees as follows.