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Certificate of occupancy

A certificate of occupancy is a local document confirming that a building or unit may be used for a particular purpose under building and zoning rules.

Some cities make it a condition of other business licenses. Houston, for example, requires a certificate of occupancy for the premises before issuing its secondhand reseller license.[1]

If you're opening a location, check early whether your city ties licensing to occupancy approval, since it can take time to obtain.

Home-based and appointment-only dealers should check how their city treats business use of a residence, since zoning and occupancy rules can apply there too.

Related terms

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Compliance guideWhat's specific to Houston

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Pages on this site that use the term.

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Sources

  1. Houston Code of Ordinances Chapter 7 Article I (In General); Secs. 7-2; 7-4; 7-5 and 7-6. 7-2 LICENSED PAWNBROKERS EXCLUDED: THIS CHAPTER SHALL NOT APPLY TO PAWNBROKERS LICENSED BY THE STATE OF TEXAS. 7-4 STATE LAW / CITY RETENTION PERIODS: any retention periods required by the chapter ARE NOT MEANT TO REPLACE any required retention periods provided by state law; and IN THE EVENT OF A CONFLICT BETWEEN THE CHAPTER'S RETENTION PERIODS AND THOSE REQUIRED BY STATE LAW; THE LONGER RETENTION REQUIREMENT SHALL APPLY. 7-5 CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY: any business covered by the chapter that operates out of facilities required by city ordinance to have a certificate of occupancy MUST OBTAIN THAT CERTIFICATE PRIOR TO A LICENCE BEING ISSUED. 7-6 REPORTS OF PROPERTY SUSPECTED STOLEN: (a) it is the duty of the licensee; his agents or employees TO IMMEDIATELY REPORT TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT ANY OFFER TO SELL property which they HAVE ACTUAL KNOWLEDGE IS STOLEN OR BY REASONABLE DILIGENCE SHOULD KNOW IS STOLEN; together with THE IDENTITY WHEN KNOWN AND A DESCRIPTION OF THE PERSON MAKING THE OFFER; and they shall ALSO REPORT ANY PROPERTY ALREADY ACQUIRED which they subsequently determine or REASONABLY SUSPECT to be stolen; and furnish such other information as might be helpful to the police. (b) it is UNLAWFUL to purchase an item on which are written or affixed the words PROPERTY OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON or other words demonstrating city ownership; except where the seller is a city employee authorised to make the sale who provides WRITTEN AUTHORIZATION from the department director or designee — retrieved 2026-09-23