The Occupancy Process involves the Department of Neighborhood Services and the DCD Development Center. A permit is started at the Development Center. Owners need to acquire this if their buildings 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 or use.

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 from DNS (typically one each from Construction, Plumbing and Electrical) 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 violations are found they must be corrected before the building is open to the public. The type of violation can determine what kind of activity can occur...if any. The inspector and owner agree to a timeline to fix the repairs.

The Occupancy Brochure can help you understand how the process works and what one needs in order to apply.