It shall be the duty of the Building Official or his or her representative to make, or cause to be made, a final inspection and examination of all buildings or structures included under the various classifications of this code, hereafter erected, constructed, altered, repaired or added to, before any such building or structure is occupied, and if such a building has been found to have been constructed in conformity to the provisions of this code, to issue a written certificate thereto to the owner as set forth below.
(A) Certificate of occupancy. A certificate of occupancy shall be obtained by the owner or his or her agent before which time it shall be unlawful to occupy a building. The owner or agent will be subject to penalties provided in this code if he or she allows the building to be occupied before final inspection has been made and a certificate of occupancy has been issued except that temporary occupancy may be authorized as provided hereunder.
(B) Compliance with other codes. A certificate of occupancy shall be issued only when the owner or builder has complied with all provisions of this building code, the planning and zoning code, and the streets and public services code.
(C) Work in public right-of-way. Where work in the public right-of-way is necessary to bring the improvements located therein up to the standards of the city as established by the Department of Engineering, such work shall be completed prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy. This work shall include sidewalks, curb and gutter, storm sewers and appurtenances, and street paving. All work in the public right-of-way shall be done in conformance with the specifications and standards established by the City Engineer and on file in the Department of Engineering. The work required to be done in the public right-of-way may be deferred for good reason such as when general street improvements are proposed for the subject right-of-way, provided guarantees acceptable to the City Engineer to assure the completion of such work at a later date are provided.
(D) Cost of engineering services. Where engineering services are furnished in connection with any improvement other than inspection and approval, the cost of such services shall be paid to the city. Such cost shall be the City Engineer’s estimate as based on fees recommended by the Ohio Society of Professional Engineers.
(E) Temporary certificate of occupancy. The Building Official or his or her representative may issue a temporary certificate of occupancy for a specific time when a building or structure has been substantially completed so that its occupancy would not be hazardous or detrimental to the general welfare and when full compliance with all applicable codes and permits has not been achieved and when there are valid reasons for allowing such occupancy on a temporary basis. Delay of outside concrete work because of cold weather is an example of a valid reason. Where a temporary certificate of occupancy is requested by an owner or his or her agent, the Building Official or his or her representative shall require that the owner and any other interested party such as a tenant shall sign a statement guaranteeing full completion of all code regulated items before expiration of the specified time and agreement to the cut-off of any or all utility services without recourse from the date of expiration of the temporary certificate of occupancy until all work is satisfactorily completed.