Who runs the water
Under Local Water Done Well, both councils chose an in-house business unit rather than a water company. Which one serves you depends on which side of the council boundary your section is on.
Neither council's website could be read when we checked, so we don't quote a pipe rule for either. Ask your council where its pipe ends before a drainlayer starts work near the boundary in Nelson, Stoke or Richmond.
Self-certification, new in 2026
Since 7 September 2026, certifying plumbers and drainlayers can apply to PGDB for a self-certification endorsement. It isn't automatic: they need a current certifying licence, the Board's online training, appropriate insurance and proper business record-keeping.
An endorsed tradie can sign off eligible consented work instead of a council inspection. You still need the building consent, and the work must still meet the Building Code. The scheme covers plumbing and drainlaying, not gas.
Within 10 working days of finishing, they must lodge the certificate of compliance with PGDB and give it to you with the supporting documents. Anyone can look up a property's certificates on PGDB's self-certification register.
Your rights on any plumbing job
- The work must be done with reasonable care and skill, and be fit for purpose.
- It must be finished within a reasonable time.
- If no price was agreed, the price must be reasonable.
- These Consumer Guarantees Act rights are automatic and can't be signed away.
- If you can't sort a dispute out with the business, the Disputes Tribunal can make a final decision.
Cylinders and gas certificates
Replacing a cylinder skips building consent when the new heater is connected to, or comes with, a controlled heat source, provided an authorised person installs it.
For gas, whoever issues the Gas Safety Certificate must give you a copy within 20 working days of issuing it, and keep their own copy for at least 7 years.
What we would do in Nelson Tasman
If your job needs a building consent, ask the tradie early whether they hold a self-certification endorsement. If they do, name them on the consent application. If one is added later, you must tell the council in writing. Keep the certificate of compliance with your property papers, because the council can refuse the code compliance certificate without it.
Tell us the job, and a Nelson Tasman tradie who specialises in it can take it on. Only that one tradie gets your contact details.