After a final inspection from the Building Safety Division, a new building or commercial tenant space cannot be occupied until a Certificate of Occupancy (CO) or Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO) is issued. A certificate of Completion (CC) or Temporary Certificate of Completion (TCC) can be issued, when requested, for unoccupiable buildings or structures, such as a core-and-shell building or retaining wall. (If you are interested in a CC, follow the process below for a CO; if you are interested in a TCC, follow the process below for a TCO.)

When requesting one of the four certificates, you will actually be applying for a separate CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY/COMPLETION permit on Commerce City’s eTRAKiT website. The CO permit will be linked to the main “parent” permit which you previously obtained for the construction of your project.

Prerequisites

The following items, if applicable, must be accomplished in association with the parent permit prior to your request.

• All final inspections of the parent permit must be approved including, when applicable, South Adams County Fire Department, South Adams County Water and Sanitation District, Public Works, Health Department and Planning.
• If converting a sales office in a model home back to a garage, re-inspections are required and must be approved prior to converting a TCO to a CO (see below for conversion process).
• Required deferred submittals (i.e., trusses, stairs, guards, handrails, pre-engineered metal building) must be uploaded to the parent permit and approved by the city.
• Any permits linked to the parent permit for items such as fire sprinklers, alarms, etc. must be finaled.
• The Elevation Certificate, when construction is in a floodplain, must be uploaded to the parent permit.
• The Special Inspections Final Certification Report (commercial) or Inspections Certification Reports (residential) must be uploaded to the parent permit.
• The UFER Certification must be uploaded to the parent permit.
• Certificate of Operation issued by the Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety when elevators are installed.

Minimum Submission Documents

After the prerequisites above have been completed, you may apply for a CO or TCO permit in eTRAKiT. Ensure the documentation listed below, if applicable, are uploaded during your application.

• Improvement Location Certificate.
• Energy Compliance Certificate.
• Grading Certificate (residential-only).

eTRAKiT Application Process

Begin your CO or TCO process by apply for a CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY/COMPLETION Permit in eTRAKiT. On Step 1 of the process, you will be asked for the following information:

• Short Description: use this field to provide information on your project such as “CO for Greyhound Park Apartments.”
• Job Value: this permit type does not use a job value for any purpose. You may put any value here to advance the application.
• Type of Certificate: in the pulldown, select which is the initial request for your project: CO, TCO, CC or TCC.
• Parent Permit: input the record number of the parent permit here.
• TCO Justification: in this field, please describe the reason you’re asking for a TCO. Leave this field blank if you are applying for a CO.
• Length of Time: input in this field the number of months you wish your TCO to be applicable.

Once you answer the remaining questions, input the address, upload the required documents and list all applicants, your application is ready for review. The city will then:

• Review the application for completeness. If the application, prerequisites or submission documents are not complete, you will be asked to submit or complete missing prerequisites or documentation in order to proceed.
• Once your submission is determined to be complete, staff will review your submission for compliance and apply any conditions. TCOs will be given a sunset date based on your desired timeframe.
• Once your submission is approved, staff will upload the certificate to the eTRAKiT attachments folder of the parent permit. You will be notified via email that your certificate is available for downloading and printing.

TCO Extension Process or TCO-to-CO Conversion Process

If you need an extension to your TCO to complete the outstanding work or if you have finished the outstanding work and wish to convert your TCO to a CO, follow the process below.

• To initiate either process, you will need to log into your eTRAKiT account, scroll to the bottom of your dashboard. There you will see a section titled “My Submittals Awaiting Response.”
• To request a TCO extension or a TCO-to-CO conversion, click the “Respond” link adjacent the “CO” permit for the original TCO request.

• Click the paper clip to attach outstanding documentation for your request, and in the “Response or Comment” field, provide a description of your request. If you’re requesting a TCO extension, you must provide an explanation for the extension and a requested timeframe. 

• You will be notified of the status of your request via email. If approved, staff will upload the corresponding certificate to the eTRAKiT attachments folder of the parent permit.