Certificate of Occupancy
Overview
A Certificate of Occupancy is a document that notifies owners, buyers, or other interested parties that required inspections have been performed and the structure is in compliance with the adopted building codes.
While inspections and the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy do not guarantee the structure is defect-free, it does provide a level of safety to occupants, as well as property protection that would not otherwise exist.
You must request a Certificate of Occupancy, they are not automatically issued.
There are multiple steps, outlined below, to obtain occupancy. A Certificate of Occupancy is issued for all:
- New Residential Construction
- New Commercial Construction
- Tenant Improvements or Change-Of-Use
The building permit and any related permits for the project must pass final inspection and all conditions of those permits must be met before the City of Missoula can issue a Certificate of Occupancy. If they cannot be met at this time, you may request the departments review and approve a Conditional (aka Temp) Certificate of Occupancy.
If applicable, properties must pass their Missoula Public Health City-County Health Department final inspection.
Commercial properties must pass their final fire inspection. Residential properties do not require a fire inspection to receive a certificate of occupancy. You can request your fire inspection at the same time or after your final building inspection.
How to View Conditions
You can review the outstanding conditions in the Missoula Citizen Portal. Select the Conditions tab to see a list of conditions on your permit.
Condition Categories and Action Required
Review the conditions for any that show as "In Process" and need to be addressed.
- Default - These are automatically assessed based on the parcel.
- If they are listed under ZCMP, contact Code Compliance by emailing PlanningConditionsOn-Call@ci.missoula.mt.us.
- If they are listed under ENG, contact Engineering by emailing engpermitdesk@ci.missoula.mt.us.
- Engineering - Contact Engineering by emailing engdesk@ci.missoula.mt.us or schedule applicable utility connection or right-of-way permit inspections.
- ZCMP - Contact Code Compliance by emailing PlanningConditionsOn-Call@ci.missoula.mt.us.
- Property - Parcel do NOT need to be addressed.
Please include both the address and permit number as well as any applicable information to address the conditions in your email.
You can request inspections on related permits or conditions at any time. Approving departments are notified once the final building inspection is passed. However, to expedite the process, you may request inspections.
Contact Coordinators by emailing coordinators@ci.missoula.mt.us to request your Certificate of Occupancy or Conditional Certificate of Occupancy. If you have a specific timeline that you are working within, such as sale or title signing, please let us know and we will try to accomodate the timeline.
Coordinators will email the Certificate of Occupancy to the requestor once all inspections and conditions are met.
The issued Certificate of Occupancy is attached and available for download on the permit portal.
Contact Us
Schedule Building Inspections
Phone: 406-552-6040
Text 'SCHEDULE' to 888-413-4439
Engineering Conditions
engdesk@ci.missoula.mt.us
Planning Conditions
PlanningConditionsOn-Call@ci.missoula.mt.us
Permit Coordinators
coordinators@ci.missoula.mt.us
Fire Inspection
firebureau@ci.missoula.mt.us
406-552-6210
Health Inspection
envhealth@missoulacounty.us
406-258-4755