Spokane Building Services » Certificate of Occupancy

Certificates of Occupancy

A Certificate of Occupancy is a legal document used to identify the approved use and/or occupancy of a building or a portion thereof.

A Certificate of Occupancy (you may hear it called a “CO” or “C of O”) is required before a building or structure can be used or occupied; and whenever there is a change in the existing occupancy of a building or portion thereof.

The following handouts provide some basic information on how to obtain a Certificate of Occupancy:

Certificate of Occupancy Handout

Certificate of Occupancy Process for New Single-Family Residences

Temporary Certificate of Occupancy Application

As identified in the above handouts, please contact the Certificate of Occupancy Coordinator a minimum of 10 days prior to needing a CO by calling (509) 625-6106. This information is provided at the bottom of all building permits.

Upon calling, you will be asked to leave a voicemail that identifies:

The Job Address;
The Building Permit Number; and
Contact Information (your name, phone #, and email address)

The CO Coordinator will use this information to send an email to all external (non-Building Services) departments that need to approve your project before the CO can be issued. To be included in the routing of this email please be sure to provide your email address when leaving your message.

CO Review Departmental Contacts – Routing Sheets

The following Routing Sheets identify the departments (with contact names & phone numbers) that need to provide authorization before a Certificate of Occupancy can be issued:

Most Commercial Remodels requiring a CO will only need approvals from Building Services, Fire Protection Services, and in cases where food is served the Health Department.

CO Status Checks

The following handout can be used as a guide sheet on how to check the status of your Certificate of Occupancy from our Online Permit System:

Checking for CO Statuses Online

Hope this helps!!