Sniffing out the CO. Building permits and more.

Submitted by DonHester on Wed, 01/28/2015 - 16:45.

Sniffing out the CO. Building permits and more. Wenatchee Home Inspections

I am not talking Carbon Monoxide here but “Certificate of Occupancy” (some other common acronyms CO, COO, CEO, C of O). This will mainly concern newer construction and in areas where CO’s are required such as Washington State.

I have done several home inspections now that either I was provided information that the home did not have a Certificate of Occupancy or there was some conditions in the home that leads me to question that the home may have not received one. I always inform my clients they should check with local building officials to see if there is any permits or open permits for any work done on the property. This type of information is extremely valuable for my clients in many ways. This is especially true of the buyer is looking to do some remodeling. Sometimes a permit is taken out but never receives a final.

Now back to CO’s (certificate of occupancy). CO’s are provided by the local building official after their final inspection of the home and provides authorization it meets their requirements and any required corrections have been performed. Remember this typically is not an exhaustive evaluation in most cases. The CO represents that the building official has performed a final inspection of the home and has signed off that it is safe and it now can be legally occupied. You may or may not actually receive a physical piece of paper confirming this but it should be recorded with the local jurisdiction.

So how does this affect the purchaser? If the said property transfer hands the new owner may now be responsible for any correction that may be required. This could include some major cost depending on what is outstanding. Some lenders may require a confirmation of this prior to lending.

This is from one jurisdiction’s FAQ page-

“Is there any way to get into my new home before the final inspection?

“Typically, no. In order to receive the certificate of occupancy, everything on the city approved plans, down to the landscaping, needs to be completed and inspected. Basically, to occupy, 100% completion is required. Under extreme cases, the Building Official may allow a temporary certificate of occupancy to be issued. However, justifiable cause will need to be proven in order to receive such an approval. If the Building Official does approve the TCO, all the requirements for cash deposits as described above (Temporary Power) apply.”

From the 2012 IRC-

SECTION R110 CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY

R110.1 Use and occupancy.

No building or structure shall be used or occupied, and no change in the existing occupancy classification of a building or structure or portion thereof shall be made until the building official has issued a certificate of occupancy therefor as provided herein. Issuance of a certificate of occupancy shall not be construed as an approval of a violation of the provisions of this code or of other ordinances of the jurisdiction. Certificates presuming to give authority to violate or cancel the provisions of this code or other ordinances of the jurisdiction shall not be valid.

Exceptions:

1. Certificates of occupancy are not required for work exempt from permits under Section R105.2.

2. Accessory buildings or structures.

R110.3 Certificate issued.

After the building official inspects the building or structure and finds no violations of the provisions of this code or other laws that are enforced by the department of building safety, the building official shall issue a certificate of occupancy which shall contain the following:

1. The building permit number.

2. The address of the structure.

3. The name and address of the owner.

4. A description of that portion of the structure for which the certificate is issued.

5. A statement that the described portion of the structure has been inspected for compliance with the requirements of this code.

6. The name of the building official.

7. The edition of the code under which the permit was issued.

8. If an automatic sprinkler system is provided and whether the sprinkler system is required.

9. Any special stipulations and conditions of the building permit.

Due diligence is always required when purchasing a home. This is information that is outside of any home inspection SOP’s but could be very valuable to a potential buyer. In one instance my client was able to ask for an inspection for very little money. Remember a building official can require a repair while home inspectors can only make recommendations...caveat emptor!

“Knowledge has to be improved, challenged, and increased constantly, or it vanishes.”

Peter Drucker

NCW Home Inspections, LLC is a Licensed Washington State Home Inspection service located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Douglas County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington and the cities of Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Cashmere, Oroville, Cle Elum, East Wenatchee, Quincy and many more…

Your Wenatchee and Chelan Professional Real Estate, Home and Structural Pest Inspection Service

Instructor- Fundamentals of Home Inspection- Bellingham Technical College

www.ncwhomeinspections.com 509-670-9572

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Sniffing out the CO. Building permits and more.