A new building shall not be occupied or a change made in the occupancy, nature or use of a building or part of a building until after the Building Official has issued a Certificate of Occupancy. Said certificate shall not be issued until all required electrical, gas, mechanical, plumbing and fire protection systems have been inspected for compliance with the technical codes and other applicable laws and ordinances and released by the Building Official.

Step 1

Plans Coordination Section - Building Safety Division

The applicant completes the necessary forms provided by this department (location of building, complete physical address, complete address of property owner, etc.) and submits a scaled /dimensional floor plan. Applicable fees will be assessed.

Step 2

Inspections are required to be scheduled a minimum of one day in advance. Inspection requests for the Building Safety Division and Fire Department will be set up at the time of permit issuance for the following day, unless otherwise requested. Inspections are made between 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Building Safety Division

If the building is occupied or furnished, the applicant or the applicant's representative must be on the premises when the inspection is performed. Otherwise, arrangements may be made so the building will be open on the day of the inspection. The County Building Inspector will check the building for compliance with mechanical, electrical, plumbing, building, and firecodes. The inspector will note, also, if there has been a use change of the building.

Fee Schedules

Fees involved in the issuance of Orange County Occupational Licenses are charged by the Occupational License Office, Public Health Unit, Environmental Protection Division and the Plans Coordination Section of the Building Safety Division. The fee schedules are subject to change without notice.

Plans Coordination Section Fees

A $25.00 fee is charged and includes an inspection. Each additional inspection carries a fee of $30.00.

If building corrections are necessary, there may be permit fees depending on the type of work to be performed. Impact fees may also be applicable if a building has undergone a use change.

Health and Rehabilitative Services/Orange County Public Health Unit

Environmental Health

A $50.00 application fee is required for the existing systems verification. Additional permit fees will be required if the existing septic facilities are required to be upgraded.

Occupational License Fee

Fees appropriate to the type of business, according to the county's approved fee schedule, are charged by the Occupational License Office at the time the license is issued. The fees are in addition to all other fees charged by the various departments.