§ 1.2.4. Building Permits - Obtaining a Certificate of Occupancy for Structures Occupied without a Certificate of Occupancy
1)
Commercial Plan Review for Life/Safety Permit
a)
Before a minimum life/safety permit can be issued, the permit application must be submitted, reviewed and approved by Commercial Review based on the building regulations in place at the time the permit original permit was issued.
b)
The following inspection checklist indicates the minimum inspection requirements in order to obtain a Life/Safety Certificate of Occupancy:
(1)
City stamped approved plans on site that include a basic floor plan.
(2)
Approved permit on site.
(3)
Fire and/or Health (if applicable) approval.
(4)
All means of egress per code.
(5)
ADA parking and accessible route; any ADA requirements on the approved plans.
(6)
Address visible from street as per code.
(7)
Safety glazing where required by code.
(8)
Smoke detectors where required by code.
(9)
Interior and exterior wall coverings per code.
(10)
Fire separation distance per code.
(11)
Barrier requirements for pools, hot tubs and spas.
c)
If there are obvious violations, the Building Inspector may require other inspections including Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing. The Building Inspector may require Engineers reports. Engineers reports that may be required include: structural observation or in-situ load test if there is reasonable doubt about the structural integrity of the building. Other reports that may be pertinent in determining compliance with the code.
2)
Residential Life/Safety Permit
a)
Before a minimum life/safety permit can be issued, the permit application must be submitted, reviewed and approved by Residential Zoning Review based on the building regulations in place at the time the permit original permit was issued.
b)
The following inspection checklist indicates the minimum inspection requirements in order to obtain a Life/Safety Certificate of Occupancy:
(1)
City stamped approved plans on site that include a basic floor plan.
(2)
All existing expired permits for accessory structures that were not finaled must have a new permit issued and inspected at the time of issuance of the Life/Safety permit.
(3)
Approved permit on site.
(4)
All means of egress per code.
(5)
Address visible from street as per code.
(6)
Safety glazing where required by code.
(7)
Smoke detectors where required by code.
(8)
Interior and exterior wall coverings per code.
(9)
Fire separation distance per code.
(10)
Barrier requirements for pools, hot tubs and spas.
(11)
If there are obvious violations, the Building Inspector may require other inspections including Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing.
c)
The City Inspector may require Engineers' reports. Engineers' reports that may be required include: structural observation or in-situ load test if there is reasonable doubt about the structural integrity of the building.
(1)
Other reports that may be pertinent in determining compliance with the code.
3)
Amnesty Certificate of Occupancy
(1)
If a structure has been cited under the Housing Code or Dangerous Building Code, the Building Official shall inform the owner of the structure on how to obtain a certificate of occupancy when repairs are completed.
(2)
An applicant for a certificate of occupancy shall be advised at the plan submittal stage that the filing of a building permit application may result in enforcement action if unsafe conditions are not corrected or the building use is not permitted in its current zoning district.
(3)
Unsafe conditions may be subject to citation pursuant to Appendix Chapter 1 of the Building Code.
(4)
All applications for certificate of occupancy shall be reviewed for compliance with Appendix Chapter 1 of the Building Code; the Fire Code; the Housing Code; Dangerous Buildings Code; and zoning use district regulations in effect on February 28, 1986.(5) The Building Official shall notify applicants of the ten-year limitation on lawful, non-conforming zoning uses.
(5)
The Building Official shall notify applicants of the ten-year limitation ion lawful, non-conforming zoning uses.
(6)
All building permits issued pursuant to the amnesty program shall be labeled, "Section 307". Ordinance 890406-B
4)
Use Changes In Lease Spaces And Parking.
a)
A change in the use of a lease space in a commercial building (i.e. from retail to restaurant, etc.) requires the submittal of a commercial building permit regardless of whether or not any physical alteration or remodeling of the space is proposed. The new use must be a permitted use in the zoning district, and because different uses have different parking requirements, it must be verified that the site provides adequate parking for the proposed change of use. While this is not normally a problem, the change in use could result in an inadequate number of parking spaces, regardless of the amount of space currently leased or the intensity of use in the center.
b)
In order to verify in advance that the proposed use is permitted and sufficient parking exists to support the new use, WPDRD suggests that an applicant does the following prior to applying for any building permits:
i)
Contact or meet with Development Assistance Center research staff to determent whether or not there is an approved site plan for the property. If the site has an approved site plan, obtain a red-stamped copy of the relevant sheets of the site plan, then meet with one of the Development Assistance Center Consulting Planners for information and assistance in submitting and processing a site plan correction.
ii)
If there is not an approved site plan for the property, it will be necessary to process a Site Development Exemption for the proposed change of use. The applicant will need to contact the property management company for the commercial property and request a "lease space summary", which lists current uses and total square footage for each lease space in the center, along with a letter authorizing the applicant to submit the necessary permit applications for the proposed change of use. Submit this summary and authorization letter along with the application for Site Plan Exemption (for interior remodeling only), to a Planner in the Development Assistance Center for review.
c)
If there is not enough parking for the proposed change of use, the Development Assistance Center Planner can discuss possible options such as reconfiguring/re-striping the parking area, off-site parking, shared parking analysis, or possible parking variances.