No land shall be occupied or used and no building (except as
per the provisions of the City Property Maintenance Code) shall be
occupied or used in whole or in part, for any purpose whatsoever,
until the Building Commissioner or his/her designee has issued an
occupancy permit. The use, occupancy or tenancy of a building or part
thereof shall not be changed without an occupancy permit being issued
by the Building Commissioner or his/her designee.
Whenever the sale of a building results in a change in the occupant,
or whenever premises are rented to an occupant, or whenever there
is a change in use of the premises, it shall be required to apply
for and receive an occupancy permit in accordance with the provisions
of the Property Maintenance Code, the Zoning Code, and all other applicable
ordinances and regulations of the City.
An occupancy permit shall remain in effect and not expire for
owner occupied residential dwelling units, in accordance with the
provisions of the Property Maintenance Code, provided that no change
of occupancy occurs. For non-owner occupied units, an occupancy permit
shall be valid for five (5) years. An occupancy permit renewal shall
be required after five (5) years from the date of issuance if tenancy
does not change.
A record of all certificates of occupancy shall be kept on file
in the office of the Building Commissioner or his/her designee and
copies may be furnished on request to any person having a proprietary
or tenancy interest in land or building affected by such certificate
of occupancy.