General Information

A building or structure shall not be used or occupied, and a change of occupancy of a building or structure or portion thereof shall not be made, until the building official has issued a certificate of occupancy there for as provided herein. Issuance of a certificate of occupancy shall not be constructed as an approval of a violation of the provisions of the building code of other ordinances of the jurisdiction.

A C.O. (Certificate of Occupancy) is required for:

• Change of ownership
• Change of tenant
• Business name change
• Change of use
• New constructions
• Existing building enlarged/altered

These requirements apply to all commercial projects. If there are multiple buildings on a property, a certificate of occupancy is required for each separate building. This does not include Apartment Buildings as only one CO is issued to each complex. Building numbers will need to be indicated on the application form (example Bldg. 1 - 10) along with their respective square footages.

Exceptions - The following do NOT require a C.O.

• Subleases:  A certificate of occupancy is not required when an existing tenant subleases a portion of their space or a new business of the same “use” and “occupancy type”. Shared utilities are allowed for a subleased space. Occupancies that are different from the main use will not need a C.O. For example:  A bank as a sublease in a supermarket; an eye doctor as a sublease in a big box retail store. If these subleases come in as a finish out permit, the building final will complete the permit. A sublease is defined as a lease of a property by a tenant to a subtenant.

• Change of Ownership on a multi-tenant building (example: shopping center).

Shell Buildings

A Certificate of Completion shall be issued for newly constructed Shell Buildings.

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION APPLICATION

(Shell Buildings only)

Sec. 4-36. - Certificate of Occupancy (Link to Municipal Code)

Certificate of Occupancy ways to apply handout