Certificate of Occupancy (CO)

Certificate of Occupancy (CO) is the municipal document confirming a structure is safe and code-compliant for the use it is occupied for. Required after new construction and after substantial rehab that triggers a re-occupancy review. For ground-up loans, CO issuance is typically a hard prerequisite to the final draw and to the construction-to-perm rollover. Delays — failed inspections, mechanic''s liens, deferred sidewalk or stormwater work — can push project timelines 30-90 days past the original pro forma.