Temporary Certificates of Occupancy

Temporary Certificates of Occupancy’s (TCO) are reviewed at the Building Officials discretion and on a case-by-case basis for limited circumstances not involving any life safety or accessibility corrections. Final occupancy is the preferred pathway for applicants and City.

Under limited circumstances, for temporary occupancy to be issued:

  • No life safety corrections can be outstanding, including for Health Department, Building Safety Division, and Fire Department.
  • No accessibility corrections can be outstanding.
  • All departments/divisions must sign off to approve TCO.
  • All requirements of outside agencies must be satisfied.
  • The time limit of the TCO is set by the Building Official.

 

Commercial or industrial TCO's are rarely issued and are typically for stocking and training only. Without exception, public occupation is only allowed upon issuance of final occupancy. See below for general process for projects considering TCO.

Planning Ahead:

  • TCO requires a separate application and fees. Two working days are required to process the request.
  • TCO fee has a dedicated time allocation for Building Official, Building Inspector, and Building Development Services Technician. Any additional time expended to process a TCO will be charged the fully burdened hourly rate in 0.5 hour increments.
  • Changes to the approved plans, not approved in advance through the revision process, will create delays.
  • Applicant is responsible for scheduling inspections. Please review each department’s policies on scheduling.

 

Inspections:

  • Plan to schedule final inspections at least ten working days prior to the planned opening. Final inspections are for all outside agencies (e.g., Health Department) and Departments/Divisions within the City (Fire, Engineering, Planning, Building Safety, etc.).
  • Ensure that all inspections have been completed and passed, including any correction(s). If there are corrections, applicant should budget 1-2 days to complete corrections plus additional time to schedule reinspection.
  • No same day inspection requests. Inspection requests must be submitted before 3 pm for next working day inspection.

 

Information and Resources:

 

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact permit technician of the day 707-746-4230 or email buildingsafety@ci.benicia.ca.us.