A Certificate of Occupancy (CO) is issued by the local building department when a new building meets the applicable requirements for legal occupancy.
To obtain a CO, construction must be substantially complete, all required final inspections and approvals must be obtained, and any outstanding building department conditions must be resolved.
Depending on the project, additional approvals may be needed from fire, zoning, engineering, utilities, or other government departments.
Once all requirements are satisfied, the building department can issue the CO, allowing the property to be legally occupied.