Certificate of Occupancy (CO)

If the proposed business is a different type of business than what currently operates in the space, then a new Certificate of Occupancy (CO) is needed to legally operate the business within the City of Fort Worth. A change of use permit can be applied for with or without associated remodeling. Once the permit is issued and all necessary inspections are finalized, a Certificate of Occupancy will be issued.

To initiate this process, submit a Change of Use (CoU) application via our online permitting software, Accela Citizen Access.

• In Accela Citizen Access, this permit application is under the "Building Permits" drop down and is called an "Occupancy Change of Use." 

Change of Use Packet

CoU permits are reviewed by the building and zoning plan review teams and may require review from other groups depending upon proposed use. Also depending on the scope of work and proposed use inspections may be required from various departments including, but not limited to, building, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire, health etc.

Not all businesses will require a change of use to get a new Certificate of Occupancy (CO).

When a change of ownership or tenant occurs within an existing building or tenant-space, and the type of use remains the same as the existing certificate of occupancy, a new certificate of occupancy can be issued by applying online via Accela Citizen Access, or in-person with Development Support Services (City Hall, Lower Level).

• In Accela Citizen Access, this permit is under the "Building Permit" drop down tab and is called "Occupancy Existing Ordinance."  If new electrical service needs to be established for the business, an electrical ordinance inspection should be selected with this permit. 

Certificate of Occupancy Packet

**NOTE**

Documentation of the existing use is required to obtain a new CO. The City’s Building Official may accept the following alternative records to establish the existing use including, but not limited to:

• Certificate of Occupancies (CO) dated after July 2001,

• Old permits,

• Tax records, and/or

• Business records from the last 5 years.  

However, if the documentation is determined to be insufficient, the Building Official may require ordinance inspections in order to determine compliance.

Newly constructed buildings with a known tenant, will receive a Certificate of Occupancy (CO) when all necessary inspections for the building permit are finalized and any infrastructure work associated with the development has been accepted. Shell buildings will not receive a CO until a separate remodel permit for a Tenant Finish Out is completed.

Customer must contact Code Compliance at 817-392-1234 and request the Multi-Family inspection section. Get the officer for your particular address and set up a pre-inspection. (Not required for name change only) The customer has 60 days from the date of the Pre-CO inspection to come in and apply for their CO's. If it is longer than 60 days, the customer will need to schedule for a new Pre-CO inspection. 

Fees for the Full Ordinances are $243.00 per building and in the case of full inspections for particular units those will be $243.00 a unit.

Multi-Family Certificate of Occupancy Packet

To apply for the apartment CO's the customer will need to have:

o Year the apartments were built

o Warranty Deed

o Site plan or map showing all of the buildings and structures on site

o Addresses for each building along with the number of units in each

Any non-residential structure, i.e. Clubhouse, laundry room, maintenance, will need a floor plan to scale or with dimensions in order to determine occupancy load, if no previous CO is on file.