Road Corridor Access & Permits
Apply for road corridor access
We have a requirement under the Local Government Act to manage people working on the road, particularly utility network operators working within the road reserve.
All excavation and trenching work carried out within the road corridor must be carried out in accordance with the National Code of Practice for Utilities' Access to the Transport Corridors.
Apply online
Make a Corridor Access Request (CAR) online by going to the beforeudig.co.nz. You might need to register first. Make sure you have a sketch of the location handy.
About Corridor Access Requests (CAR)
A Corridor Access Request is a permit from Council to carry out works within the public road. They are needed to ensure all work sites on roads are as safe as possible for workers, motorists, pedestrians and cyclists, or anyone planning to dig up part of the road as part of a project.
A permit is required for a variety of activities, including:
- Any activity that will alter or cause to be altered the surface of any part of the road reserve, such as excavating, drilling, resurfacing
- The placement of any pipe, duct, pole, cabinet or other structure below, on or above the road reserve
- A new driveway.
When you fill in a CAR application form via BeforeUDig, this will also contact the relevant service plan utility services. If you have trouble with the online form, you can make a manual application instead to the Rotorua Lakes Council.
For building works requiring construction of a vehicle crossing, you will need to apply for your Corridor Access Request when you lodge your building consent.
Factsheets
- Urban Residential Factsheet - (PDF, 869Kb)
- Urban Commercial & Industrial Factsheet - (PDF, 1.15MB)
- Rural Residential Factsheet - (PDF, 1.2MB)
- Rural Commercial & Tanker Crossing Factsheet - (PDF, 1.13MB)
- Vehicle Crossings as part of your building consent - (PDF, 432Kb)
Application processing times
| Local roads | 5 - 10 working days |
| State highways | 10 - 15 working days |
There are varying fees for CAR depending on the type of works. Please check the Fees and Charges page on our website for current fees.
Types of corridor access request
| Project | Works that exceed 14 days from establishment to final reinstatement |
| Major | Works involving an excavation of greater than 1 square metre and taking less than 14 days from establishment to final reinstatement |
| Minor | Domestic service connections and/or works of up to 1 square metre that do not disrupt pedestrian or vehicular traffic |
| Retrospective | Notification of minor or emergency works that have taken place within the past 7 days. |
You will also need the following as part of your application.
Traffic management plan
Submit a traffic management plan for any activity that varies the normal operating conditions of any part of the road reserve (boundary to boundary).
For example, if the work will prevent:
- Normal pedestrian access along a footpath
- Normal use of a vehicle driving or parking lane
- Sports events that use any roads.
Traffic management plans are required to be designed, set up and monitored by personnel qualified under NZTA requirements.
Site or lay plan
A site or lay plan must:
- Be clear and easy to read
- Be site specific
- Show the full extent of services to be installed, for example in the footpath from outside 124 John St to outside 148 John St
- Detail any trees and other above ground structures or street furniture along the planned lay.
Vehicle crossings
Before you dig in the road, the vehicle crossing is also part of the Corridor Access Request (CAR).
A vehicle crossing is the part of the pavement that goes from the road to the front boundary of a property. They connect with things like residential driveways, farm races or paddock gateways.
Different construction requirements exist for a vehicle crossing depending on the type of property it serves - residential, commercial, or industrial. The crossing is only for the individual property, not the wider community; therefore, the landowner is responsible for its installation and maintenance.
Despite this, the vehicle crossing is in the road reserve and so must be built according to the specifications in Section 3 of the Regional Infrastructure Technical Specifications.
The Rotorua district plan also has rules about where and how wide crossings can be. If your proposal does not fit these rules you can apply for resource consent for a variation. Contact the Council's Planning Guidance Unit for further information.
High productivity motor vehicles
In mid-2010 the government passed legislation to allow bigger trucks, known as high productivity motor vehicles (HPMV), to carry heavier loads on our roads.
To operate a HPMV you require a special permit. You are restricted to roads approved for these vehicles.
To apply for a HPMV permit or find information about high productivity motor vehicles, visit the HPMV section of NZTA/Waka Kotahi.
