(a) No land shall be occupied or used, and no building hereafter erected, altered or extended shall be used or changed in use, until a certificate of occupancy shall have been issued by the Zoning Administrator, stating that the building or proposed use thereof complies with the provisions of this Planning and Zoning Code and other applicable codes, and no nonconforming use shall hereafter be used, occupied, maintained, renewed, changed or extended unless a certificate of occupancy shall have been issued by the Zoning Administrator in conformity with the provisions of Title Five.
(b) The Zoning Administrator shall not issue any certificate of occupancy for all one-family and two-family detached residences and improvements pertinent thereto without the approval of the City Architect, or any planned use development, multi-family use, use in Commercial Districts and use in Manufacturing Districts without the approval of the Architectural Review Board, showing that all provisions of this Code have been complied with and that no term, condition or requirement of the building permit resulting from the application of any provision of this Code has been violated.
(c) A certificate of occupancy for a new building or for an altered existing building shall be applied for at the same time as the application for a building permit. Such certificate of occupancy shall only be issued after the erection or alteration of such building has been completed and found, by inspection, to be in conformity with the provisions of this Code and other applicable codes.
Pending the issuance of a regular certificate of occupancy, a temporary certificate for partial occupancy of a building may be issued for a period not exceeding six months, during which time alterations are being made. A completion bond, the amount to be set by the Zoning Administrator, must be provided.
It shall be the responsibility of the property owner or his or her agent to have property properly graded and seeded to insure that erosion and/or surface run-off will not occur onto contiguous property and to prevent the holding of water or growing of weeds which create health and sanitary problems Such grading and seeding shall be completed prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy. A temporary certificate of occupancy may be issued by the Zoning Administrator for a period not to exceed six months for reasons of adverse climatic conditions.
(d) A certificate of occupancy shall be required for the use of or for a change in the use of a conforming building or land, and shall be issued when found by inspection to be in conformity with the provisions of this Code and other applicable codes.
(e) Upon application by the owner, the Zoning Administrator shall inspect a building or tract of land existing on the effective date of this Code and shall issue a certificate of occupancy therefor if the use of such building or land conforms to all the provisions of this Code.
(Ord. 73-00. Passed 5-14-01; Ord. 08-03. Passed 6-9-03.)