A Certificate of Occupancy (CO) is required for new residential or commercial building structures for living or business purposes. In order to receive a CO, the following must exist for the job:

• All final inspections have been completed with a "pass" disposition, including fire if applicable.
• All trade sub-permits, as well as other affiliated permits on the job, must be finaled.
• A final "As-Built" must be submitted to and approved by the Engineering Division in the Public Works Department.
• All fees associated with the job must be paid including any Solid Waste Assessment fees.

Certification Process

Staff will begin processing and verifying all of the above as soon as the final building inspection (199) has passed. If fees are due on the project, a document listing required fees will be faxed to the contractor or owner/builder. If no fees are due and all other components have been verified, a CO will usually be issued within a couple of business days from the passing of the building final inspection. Please call our office at 239-321-7920 to confirm a CO has been released for the property.

Obtaining a Copy of an Issued CO

If you wish to obtain a copy of a CO that has been issued on a job, you may use our automated inspection request line (IVR) to obtain a faxed copy of the CO or come to our office. The office is located at:

1825 Hendry St.
Suite 101
Fort Myers, FL 33901

Requesting a Faxed Copy

To request a faxed copy via our automated system:

• Call 239-321-7210
• Select Option 5
• Enter the main building permit number such as BLD2005-00001

The system will inform you if a CO has been recorded on the permit. If it has, you will be prompted to enter your fax number.

Certificate of Completion

A Certificate of Completion (CC) can be issued upon request on all permits not requiring a CO. Please contact our staff at 239-321-7920 for your request. In order to receive a CC, the following must exist for the job:

• All final inspections have been completed with a "pass" disposition, including fire if applicable.
•  All fees associated with the job must be paid.

For More Information

For more information or assistance, please email the division or call 239-321-7920.