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Commercial tenant improvement

Change of tenant or layout in an existing commercial shell. Fire, accessibility, and CO are the closeout.

Yes for almost any commercial alteration. Change of use is a bigger review than a like-for-like TI.

Related permits

Building · Electrical · Plumbing · Mechanical · Fire · Sign · Health (food)

Documents

Steps

  1. prepare · Owner or GC

    Confirm which office issues the permit

    Use the job address, not the mailing city. Inside city limits is usually the city building department. Outside is often the county. If two offices look possible, call both with the address and ask who issues the building permit for that property.

  2. prepare · Owner or designer

    Decide whether the work is permitted

    Most structural, MEP, envelope, and change-of-use work needs a permit. Cosmetic finishes usually do not. When in doubt, ask the building department in writing and keep the answer with the job file.

  3. prepare · GC / trades

    Line up the people who can pull the permit

    Many offices only issue to a licensed contractor, a registered designer, or a homeowner who signs an owner-builder affidavit. Check the state license before you apply.

  4. prepare · Owner / architect

    Lock the occupancy and use

    A salon is not a restaurant. Change of use triggers parking, restrooms, accessibility, and fire in ways a vanilla TI does not.

  5. apply · Applicant

    Assemble the submittal

    Application, site plan or survey, construction drawings, product approvals, energy forms, and owner / contractor affidavits. Incomplete packages are the most common reason a file sits.

  6. apply · Applicant

    File in the official portal

    Create the account on the department website, pay the intake fee, and keep the record number. Do not start work. A complete application is not a permit.

  7. review · Designer + applicant

    Plan review and corrections

    Building, zoning, fire, flood, and trade reviewers may each comment. Answer every comment in writing, mark the revised sheets, and resubmit the full corrected set the office asked for.

  8. review · Applicant

    Issuance and job-site posting

    Pay remaining fees, print or download the approved set, and post the permit card where the inspector can see it. The stamped set is the only legal job copy.

  9. build · GC

    Special inspections and fire shops run in parallel

    Do not wait until the building final to discover the sprinkler shop was never approved.

  10. closeout · GC

    Final inspections

    Trade finals usually precede the building final. Do not conceal failed work. Bring the approved set, prior tickets, and special-inspection reports.

  11. closeout · Owner + GC

    Close the file

    Ask the department to final the permit. Collect the certificate of occupancy, certificate of completion, or finaled card. Keep as-builts, product approvals, and elevation certificates with the property.

Inspections

Watchouts