Apply for a Certificate of Occupancy to Change Business/Owner

• Existing Certificate of Occupancy
• Change of Owner documents
• Register on Certifi
• Log in to Certifi

Applying for a Certificate of Occupancy includes 6 steps:

1. Property Address

2. Applicant Validation

3. Existing CofO

4. Building Description

5. Permits

6. Summary and Submission

Each step is dependent on the preceding one, meaning that the next step will only become accessible if you complete the previous step:

• provided all the required data, and
• saved all the subsections of the preceding step.

Follow the specific order of steps above and the form guides you through the process.

The system will define the list of required documents based on the information you provide. In the final step (Step 6), ensure that you upload all the required documents necessary for the application.

Enter the address information for the property on which you wish to make changes.

1. Complete the required fields of the 'Property Address' form.

2. Click on 'Search.'

All fields are required by default; you must enter data to proceed unless specific fields are marked as 'if applicable' or 'optional.'

3. Find and select the correct address you want to use for the CofO. When you select an address, you will be able to see the name of the owner(s) and their addresses as well.

If you see more addresses in the list and it is difficult to choose, you can narrow down the search results by providing a unit number.

IMPORTANT: Ensure that you choose the accurate address, owner name, and owner address before proceeding, as the information selected in this step will be displayed on the final CofO.

Contact DOB if you have any questions (e.g., you can't find the address because it is a freshly purchased property and it is not updated in the database yet) or something is unclear about the addresses.

3. Click on 'Save and continue.'

You can submit your application as a(n)

• Property Owner
• Business Owner/Tenant
• Authorized Agent of the Owner
• Authorized Agent of Business Owner/Tenant

Different pieces of information and documents are requested from the different types of applicants.

Please be aware that at the conclusion of the application process (Step 6), it is necessary to upload the signed affidavit from the property owner, business owner, or tenant.

1. Select 'Property Owner' from the 'Who is applying' drop-down.

2. Accept the 'Disclaimer.'

The 'Property Info' box is closed by default, but you can always check it by clicking on the 'Property Info' area at the top of the page.

3. Provide your personal and contact information and address as the property owner. See the screenshot below for reference.

All fields are required by default; you must enter data to proceed unless specific fields are marked as 'if applicable' or 'optional.'

5. (Optional) Add a secondary contact who assists the Department of Buildings (DOB) during the review process.

6. Click on 'Save and continue.'

Please be aware that at the conclusion of the application process (Step 6), it is necessary to upload Tenant documents.

1. Select 'Business Owner/Tenant' from the 'Who is applying' drop-down menu.

2. Accept the 'Disclaimer.'

The 'Property Info' box is closed by default, but you can always check it by clicking on the 'Property Info' area at the top of the page.

3. Provide the contact information and address of the property owner.

4. Provide your personal contact information for a business owner or tenant. Trade name is important because this is the trade name that will show on the final Certificate of Occupancy, but it is not required.

All fields are required by default; you must enter data to proceed unless specific fields are marked as 'if applicable' or 'optional.'

5. (Optional) Add a secondary contact who assists the Department of Buildings (DOB) during the review process.

6. Click on 'Save and continue.'

Please be aware that at the conclusion of the application process (Step 6), it is necessary to upload the signed affidavit from the property owner, business owner, or tenant.

1. Select 'Authorized Agent of the Owner' from the 'Who is applying' drop-down.

2. Accept the 'Disclaimer.'

The 'Property Info' box is closed by default, but you can always check it by clicking on the 'Property Info' area at the top of the page.

3. Provide personal and contact information of the property owner - the person the CofO will be granted to. Trade name is important because this is the trade name that will show on the final Certificate of Occupancy, but it is not required. See the screenshot below for reference.

All fields are required by default; you must enter data to proceed unless specific fields are marked as 'if applicable' or 'optional.'

4. Provide the applicant's address.

4. (Optional) Add a secondary contact who assists the Department of Buildings (DOB) during the review process.

5. The 'Agent/Expeditor Information' section is automatically populated with your data based on your Access DC account. Check this information and modify if needed.

6. Click on 'Save and continue.'

Please be aware that at the end of the application process (Step 6), it is necessary to upload the signed affidavit from the property owner, business owner, or tenant.

1. Select 'Authorized Agent of Business Owner/Tenant' from the 'Who is applying' drop-down.

2. Accept the 'Disclaimer.'

The 'Property Info' box is closed by default, but you can always check it by clicking on the 'Property Info' area at the top of the page.

3. Provide personal and contact information of the property owner.

All fields are required by default; you must enter data to proceed unless specific fields are marked as 'if applicable' or 'optional.'

4. Provide personal and contact information of the business owner or tenant - the person the CofO will be granted to.

All fields are required by default; you must enter data to proceed unless specific fields are marked as 'if applicable' or 'optional.'

5. (Optional) Add a secondary contact who assists the Department of Buildings (DOB) during the review process.

6. The 'Agent/Expeditor Information' section is automatically populated with your data based on your Access DC account. Check this information and modify if needed.

7. Click on 'Save and continue.'

Requirements:

• If you want to change the use of the property, you need to have a valid Certificate of Occupancy (CofO) for that property.

Depending on the issue date of the CofO, you need to select one of the following options:

• There is a valid Certificate of Occupancy issued after Sept 2008
• There is a valid Certificate of Occupancy issued before Sept 2008

The issue date is important because the CofOs are stored in different databases depending on this information, so you need to search for them in the correct database to proceed.

1. Select the first option: 'There is a valid Certificate of Occupancy issued after Sept 2008.'

2. Click the 'Search database for CofO of the address' button.

3. Choose the correct CofO from the result list.

4. Select 'Change/Revision' at the bottom of the page.

5. Click on 'Save and continue' at the bottom of the page.

1. Select the second option: 'There is a valid Certificate of Occupancy issued before Sept 2008.'

2. Click on the link that navigates you to the eRecords site.

3. Log in using your Access DC accound and search for the CofO you need in the eRecords database and download it as a PDF.

Please note that you will need to upload the pdf at Step 6.

4. Select 'Change/Revision' at the bottom of the page.

7. Click on 'Save and continue' at the bottom of the page.

1. Fill the form about the building description. Check the helping explanations below the fields for further details.

All fields are required by default; you must enter data to proceed unless specific fields are marked as 'if applicable' or 'optional.'

2. Click on 'Save.'

3. Provide information about the existing conditions of the building/spaces and describe the present state of the property regarding the present certificate owner's name and Business Trade Name. The data you add here needs to match the information in the existing CofO.

4. Click on 'Save.'

5. Provide information about the existing state of the property use by selecting the categories from the drop-down. The general building code use and zoning use categories are similar, but from a different point of view. Visit the General Building Code Use Categories page for more information.

6. Select attributes that are applicable for the existing use of the property. There are certain attributes that require more in-depth information, so answer all the questions that are shown up with gray background in the form.

If you choose 'I have received approval from the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) or Zoning Commission (ZC),' you provide the number of the written approval and the approval date. At Step 6 you'll need to upload the order and a letter or matrix, with attachments as necessary, from the property owner.

7. Click on 'Save.'

IMPORTANT: Remember to save this section containing property use information before proceeding to the next section. The data required for property load and occupant load calculations is determined by the details you've provided in the property use section.

8. Provide information about property load and occupant load.

9. Click on 'Save.'

10. Select 'Owner/Business Change' from the drop-down at the 'Type of change(s)' section.

Certificate of Occupancy Types and Definitions

Ownership Change: Ownership change occurs when property or business ownership transitions between current or new tenants, owners, or proprietors. It does not involve changing the property's size, square footage, load capacity, or how it is used. It is mainly about updating ownership details without the use of a building permit.

Use Change: This refers to the alteration of the intended purpose of a property or space. It occurs when a property transitions from one designated use to another, such as converting residential areas into commercial spaces or transforming retail areas into offices.

Occupant Load Change: This refers to adjusting the capacity of a building or space to accommodate varying numbers of people or amounts of weight safely. This modification occurs during renovations or when repurposing a building for different uses, necessitating changes to its occupancy limits or weight capacities.

Please note that you can select 'Owner/Business change' alone, or you can select 'Use change' and/or 'Load change' as well. The change of use affects the change of load, so it will automatically be selected as well and the use defines what information is requested on load.

In this example you will see the most complex version of the form, where the 'Owner/Business', the 'Property Use' and the 'Property Load' are all changing.

In case of owner changes, Change of Owner documents need to be uploaded at step 6.

11. Provide information on the Owner/Business change.

IMPORTANT: If there is a major renovation at the property you need to request a building permit. Please refer to 2017 DC Building Code section 105.1 to check if a building permit is required.

12. Click on 'Save.'

13. Provide information on the Proposed Property Use.

14. Select attributes that are applicable for the proposed use of the property. There are certain attributes that require more in-depth information, so answer all the questions that are shown up with gray background in the form.

15. Click on 'Save.'

16. Provide information on the proposed property load. The requested information will be dependent on what you defined in the earlier steps.

You can always add more sections to provide all the necessary information by clicking on the 'Add another section' button below the fields.

17. Click on 'Save.'

18. Make sure you provided all the required information and saved all sections separately. Click 'Save and continue' at the bottom of the page.

Select whether you want to apply for a Permanent or a Conditional Certificate of Occupancy.

Conditional Certificates of Occupancy are for cases where the construction is not completed yet, but you need the CofO before its completion.

1. Select 'Permanent' at the type of Certificate of Occupancy.

IMPORTANT: Please note that for a permanent CofO, all building permits associated with the application must have 'Third-party completed' or 'Approved' results for their Building Final inspections.

2. You will find the property address you provided in the initial step. Click the 'Search for Permit' button to view all issued building permits at the specified address.

3. Select the permit or permits that are associated with the application from the list and click 'Check inspection results.' Knowing the permit number will make the search easier.

4. You are eligible to apply for a Certificate of Occupancy only after obtaining an approved result from the Building Final Inspection.

If you receive an error message stating that the Building Final inspection is missing, you can't submit your application.

In this case, click 'Save Draft' at the bottom of the page. You can complete your application once you've obtained the necessary inspection. Contact either your third-party inspection agency or use the DOB scheduling system, depending on who conducted the previous inspections on your permits.

Return to the application form later and click 'Check inspection results' to finalize your application. You will receive a success message once the permit is verified.

5. Include the contact information of the person at the construction site whom DOB inspectors can contact to schedule an inspection.

6. Click on 'Save and continue.'

Requirements:

• You have to upload fire and life safety plans showing egress and areas to be occupied.

Conditional Certificates of Occupancy are for cases where the construction is not completed yet, but you need the CofO before its completion and you need to answer questions about what delayed the completion of construction.

Please note that for a conditional CofO, all building permits associated with the application must have partially-approved results for their final building inspections.

For conditional CofO applications, customers must have an in-progress or issued Core and Shell CofO. Please upload the issued CofO or share the Certifi project number for your ongoing application.

Please provide all data accurately, as the application will be reviewed by DOB.

1. Select 'Conditional' at the type of certificate of occupancy.

2. Complete the questions on the form about the conditions of the completion.

All fields are required by default; you must enter data to proceed unless specific fields are marked as 'if applicable' or 'optional.'

3. Please note that you will need to upload fire and life safety plans showing egress and areas to be occupied later (at Step 6) during the application process.

4. You will see the address of the property you provided in the very first step. Click on the 'Search for permit' button to see the permits that are available at the provided address.

5. Select the permit that is associated with the application from the list and click 'Check inspection results.' Knowing the permit number will make the search easier.

6. The certificate of occupancy can only be applied for if you have the necessary result for the building final inspection.

If you receive an error message stating that the final building inspection is missing, you can't submit your application.

In this case, click 'Save draft' at the bottom of the page and you can finish your application if you get the necessary inspection done. Get back to the application form later and click 'Check inspection results' again to finish the application.

Otherwise, you will receive a success message that the permit is verified.

7. Include the contact information of the person at the construction site whom DOB inspectors can contact to schedule an inspection.

8. Click on 'Save and continue.'

As you are applying for a Business/Owner change, keep in mind that you need to upload a 'Change of Owners' document at the 'Building Description' section.

On this page, you can view a summary of the application process. The numbers in various sections (e.g., Applicant Validation (0/2)) indicate the missing documents you need to upload in this step. Additionally, you must select the inspection date and agree with the statements provided under 'Certification' before submitting the application.

You can expand all sections by clicking on them to review the information you provided in the previous steps for accuracy. If necessary, you can make changes. Please be aware that if you modify any information in a step, you may need to revisit subsequent steps as the required information might change.

The 'Property Info' box is closed by default, but you can always check it by clicking on the 'Property Info' area at the top of the page.

1. Click on the 'Applicant Validation' box to expand it and review the data you provided earlier. If applicable, upload any missing documents indicated by the form.

These are the documents that will allow DOB Inspectors to enter the property.

2. Click on the 'Existing CofO' box and review the data you provided earlier. If you find any inaccuracies or omissions, please return to Step 3 to edit the form.

3. Click on the 'Building Description' box and review the data you provided earlier. Upload the missing documents indicated by the form if applicable. If you encounter inaccuracies or omissions, return to Step 4 to edit the form.

4. (Optional) Select the 'Miscellaneous Documents' box. Here, you can upload any necessary documents that don't fit into other categories. If applicable, upload a document and provide a description if necessary.

5. Click on the 'Permits' box and review the data you provided earlier. If you encounter inaccuracies or omissions, please return to Step 5 (Permits) to edit the form.

6. You must agree with the statement written under. Click on 'I agree and acknowledge.'

7. Click within the 'Inspections Date' field and select a date from the calendar that falls within the next 2 weeks.

The earliest date you can choose is 72 hours after the application is submitted, and you are required to select a date in the next 3 days. To ensure that DOB can issue the Certificate of Occupancy within the 7-business day Service Level Agreement (SLA), the inspection must be scheduled between day 3 and day 5 of the review process.

8. To proceed, you must agree with the conditions of the process and Service Level Agreement (SLA), located at the bottom of the page.

9. Click on 'Save and continue' to submit your application.