Occupancy Inspection
Coordinated in the Administration Section, the Occupancy Process involves the inspection of buildings that meet one or more of the following conditions:

• new commercial construction,
• buildings that have a change of use,
  or buildings that have been vacant for some time and are again open for business.

Before one can "OPEN" for business, buildings must pass a number of inspections designed to protect the occupants from hazardous or unsafe conditions. A team of inspectors (typically one each from Construction, Plumbing, Mechanical, Electrical and Fire) go through the building BEFORE it is opened to see if any problems exist. If there are none, an Occupancy Certificate is granted and the business can open.

If problems or code violations are found, they must be corrected before the building is open to the public. The type of violation can determine "the final use of the building." The inspector and owner agree to a timeline to complete the corrections.