Business & Development

Certificate of Occupancy

A Certificate of Occupancy is a legal document used to identify the approved use and/or occupancy of a building or a portion thereof. A Certificate of Occupancy (you may hear it referred to as a “CO” or “C of O”) is required before a building or structure can be used or occupied; and whenever there is a change in the existing occupancy of a building or portion thereof.

The following handouts provide some basic information on how to obtain a Certificate of Occupancy:

• Certificate of Occupancy Residential & Commercial Guide Sheet (PDF 110 KB)
• Temporary Certificate of Occupancy Application (PDF 359 KB)

Please contact the Certificate of Occupancy Coordinator a minimum of 10 days prior to needing a CO by calling 509.625.6106 or cocoordinator@spokanecity.org.

In your email or call please identify:

• The job address
• The building permit number
• Contact information (your name, phone # and email address)

The CO Coordinator will use this information to coordinate with all departments that need to provide a final inspection or approval and sign off before the CO may be issued.

CO Status Checks

The following handout can be used as a guide sheet on how to check the status of your Certificate of Occupancy from our Online Permiting System:

• Checking your CO StatusOnline (PDF 80 KB)