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Temporary Certificate of Occupancy

In some circumstances the Department may determine a property is safe to occupy, but there are outstanding issues that must be resolved before a final CO can be issued, instead a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO) is issued. TCOs typically expire 90 days after issuance. If the outstanding issues for a final CO have not been completely resolved prior to the expiration date, the TCO may not be renewed. If your property has a TCO, consult a PE/RA to determine what is needed to get a final CO.

  • Multiple Alteration 1 (Alt1) applications may be open at a time but only one PW6 can be filed for an Alt1 application. A TCO may be issued for an Alt1.
  • A submitted PW6 opens sequence 1 for initial TCO. The PW6 form is filed to initiate inspections required prior to issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy.

NOTE: A PW6 can be filed any time after the permit is issued.

TCO Requirements

  • Temporary or Final Construction inspection sign-off
  • Temporary or Final Plumbing inspection sign-off
  • Temporary or Final Electrical inspection sign-off
  • Temporary Elevator sign-off (if applicable)
  • $100 fee for TCO (unless fee is exempt)
  • The applicant schedules the update of the open inspections
  • The inspection unit will enter the updated inspection information into BIS the required items that specify the floor or room details or the construction area.
  • An approved Schedule of Occupancy in DOB NOW: Build.
  • A Certificate of Occupancy Request is submitted in DOB NOW: Build for jobs in the Buildings Information System and jobs in the DOB NOW system.
  • The TCO is issued in BIS either for 90 days (standard) or for a specific number of days (based on BC or inspection unit approval)
  • If the space is not occupied for more than 30 days a new TCO will be needed in order to re-occupy.

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