TL;DR
A local document allowing a building or changed space to be legally occupied after required inspections and approvals are complete.
What it means
A local document allowing a building or changed space to be legally occupied after required inspections and approvals are complete.
Where it sits in the glossary
Certificate of occupancy is part of the Permits group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.
Why Ohio homeowners should know it
A certificate of occupancy is the document that says a space — a new build, a converted basement, a finished addition — is legally cleared for use. Ohio cities issue COs after every required inspection on the permit set has been signed off.
Homeowners care about COs at three moments: moving in after a remodel, listing the home for sale, and refinancing. Banks, insurers, and buyers all sometimes ask for the CO as proof that work was completed on the record.
ProFix tools that touch this term
Where this term gets mixed up
CO is not always required
Replacing a water heater usually does not produce a CO; building an addition usually does. The city's permit rules name when one is issued.
CO vs. permit close-out
A simple permit close-out is enough for many jobs. The CO is the formal occupancy document layered on top.
Where this term comes from
Local Ohio building departments; Ohio Residential Code.
See also
License: CC-BY-4.0 — quote freely with attribution to ProFix Editorial Team / ProFix Directory.