Model Fees (Amendment) By-laws, 2026 (No. 1)
Councils must halve fire fuel-storage certificate fees, capped at US$500 for commercial use, and abolish fuel depot and service station nozzle fees; way leaves are capped at US$50 per km up to US$5 000, and service rental fees on laid-down infrastructure are abolished.
Nine new lines are added to the model fees schedule, and most of them cut what councils may charge. Fire fuel storage registration certificates fall by 50% for commercial use, capped at US$500,00 a year, and by 50% for service stations and for fuel depots with no cap stated.
Three charges go entirely. Annual fuel depot nozzle fees, annual service station dispensing nozzle fees, and annual service rental fees for laid-down infrastructure are all abolished.
Way leaves are now capped. A way leave costs US$50,00 per kilometre per project, capped at US$5 000,00. Road crossing fees are cut 50% and capped at US$500,00 for thrust boring, and capped at US$5 000,00 for non-thrust boring.
There is a gap a reader will hit immediately: several of these are expressed as "50% reduction" rather than as an amount, and the by-laws do not state the figure being reduced. The base rates sit in the Model Fees By-laws, 2026 (SI 41 of 2026), so the actual payable fee cannot be worked out from this instrument alone.
Because these are model by-laws, each council still has to adopt them for the changes to bite locally. No commencement date is stated.
What changed
- Fire fuel storage registration certificate for commercial use cut 50% and capped at US$500,00 a year
- Fire fuel storage registration certificates for service stations and for fuel depots cut 50%, no cap stated
- Annual fuel depot nozzle fees abolished
- Annual service station dispensing nozzle fees abolished
- Way leave set at US$50,00 per km per project, capped at US$5 000,00
- Road crossing fee for thrust boring cut 50% and capped at US$500,00
- Road crossing fee for non-thrust boring capped at US$5 000,00
- Annual service rental fees for laid-down infrastructure abolished
Who this affects
- fuel depot operators and service station owners
- telecoms and utility companies laying cable or pipe under roads
- urban and rural district councils setting fee schedules
- contractors applying for way leaves and road crossings
- fire safety and compliance officers
Plain-language summary — not legal advice. Always read the full instrument.