The turnaround comes after Dunedin builders expressed frustrations earlier this year about the length of time building consents were taking to process. In March, only 51% were processed within the 20-day statutory timeframe.
Services and development general manager Simon Pickford said in a report the performance of the building department had been identified as "the key frustration'' for Dunedin businesses.
However, a number of steps had been taken and as of the second week in July, 87% of consents were processed within the 20-day timeframe.
Mr Pickford's report detailed measures the council had taken in response to concerns raised by businesses which took part in a series of satisfaction surveys.
Survey respondents raised concerns about the cost of processing building consents, insufficient resourcing in the department and delays.
Only 31% of respondents believed that building control provided an environment that supported business developments, 17% that it did a better job than other councils to support businesses and 14% that it used "out of the box'' thinking to support businesses.
As a result, the council was making changes in a range of departments as part of a drive for "continuous improvement'', but its building department was identified as a major area where change was needed.
Mr Pickford said that since the first of three surveys, the building department had struggled with an increased workload and to fill vacancies, resulting in the delays seen in March.
To turn that around, it had advertised three extra full-time positions, one of which had been filled, and another person would come on board this month.
It had also employed a contractor to fill the position of team leader while it was being advertised, and staff had been doing overtime.
In other areas of the surveys, the council performed much better.
This was particularly the case for its environmental health team and council agency Enterprise Dunedin, with 88% and 77% of respondents respectively agreeing they provided a "business friendly'' environment.
The combined results for all departments painted a mixed picture for the council.
Fifty-three percent agreed the department they dealt with provided a "business friendly'' environment, compared with only 20% agreeing it provided a better service than other councils.
When it came to overall council performance, a significant majority of respondents indicated they were happy with their dealings with staff over a range of categories.
