Certificate of Occupancy

A certificate of occupancy, or CO, is the city or village saying your finished space is safe and built to code for its intended use. After your build-out, inspectors check the building, fire, plumbing, electrical, and accessibility work. When it all passes, they issue the CO, and only then can you legally occupy the space and open.

Healthcare uses often trigger extra scrutiny: medical gas, specialized plumbing, and higher occupancy loads can mean more inspections. If your use is different from the prior tenant's, the city may require a new or amended CO even if the space looks finished.

No CO, no opening. It is the last gate before you can see patients, and it is easy to underestimate how long the final inspections take. Build CO timing into your lease commencement and your opening date, and never schedule patients or staff start dates until you have a clear path to that sign-off.

A dental practice in Evanston finishes its build-out on schedule but cannot open for two extra weeks because the final CO is held up by one failed accessibility inspection at the restroom. A single item on the punch list delayed the entire opening and two weeks of revenue.