Certificates of occupancy
(a) Requirement. A certificate of occupancy shall be required for any of the following:
(1) Occupancy and use of a building or any portion of a building hereafter erected, rehabilitated, reconstructed, restored, altered, or moved;
(2) Change in use of an existing building;
(3) Occupancy, use, or any change in use of vacant land; and
(4) Any change in use of a nonconforming use.
No such occupancy, use, or change of use shall take place until the building inspection division has issued a certificate of occupancy. Said certificate shall be deemed to authorize both initial occupancy and the continued occupancy and use of the building or land to which it applies. It shall state that in the opinion of the building inspection division, the building or proposed use of a building or land complies with all the provisions of this ordinance, and all other applicable ordinances, codes, and regulations, and, if applicable, with all the terms and conditions of any site plan approval, variance, or special use permit.
No certificate of occupancy shall be issued for any structure or use requiring a variance or special use permit unless and until the zoning board of review has approved the site plan and granted the variance or special use permit, and the applicant has complied with all the terms and conditions of said approval.
The zoning enforcement agency may require certification from the engineer, architect, or land surveyor that the project as completed complies with the terms and conditions of the variance or special use permit.
(b) Application. Application for a certificate of occupancy for a new building or for an existing building which has been altered, reconstructed, restored, or moved shall be made after all work on such building or part thereof has been completed in conformity with the provisions of this ordinance and all other applicable provisions. In the case of a new building, the application shall be accompanied by an as-built site plan or architectural survey, prepared on a topographic base with a datum satisfactory to the town engineer, by a licensed engineer or land surveyor, indicating the precise location of all structures, roads, parking areas, storm drains, catchbasins, aboveground and underground utilities including electric services, curbs, gutters, and all other site features, as built. Where the application involves an accessory structure or single principal building, the building inspection division may waive any of the foregoing elements of the application which it deems to be superfluous, unduly burdensome, or disproportionately costly.
Application for a certificate of occupancy for the use of vacant land, or for a change in the use of land or of an existing building, or for a change in a nonconforming use, shall be made after the applicant has obtained all approvals required under this ordinance.
Every application for a certificate of occupancy shall state that the building or use complies with all applicable statutes, ordinances, codes, and regulations.
All certificates of occupancy shall be issued on the condition that duly authorized employees of the building inspection division shall have the right to reinspect the premises within two years of issuance of the certificate in order to confirm that the property is being occupied or used in compliance with all applicable statutes, ordinances, codes, and regulations.
(c) Temporary certificate of occupancy. The building inspection division may issue a temporary certificate of occupancy for a part of a building or alteration of a building for a period of not more than six months. Such temporary certificate shall not be construed as in any way altering the respective rights, duties or obligations of the owner or of the town relating to the use or occupancy of the land or building or any other matter covered by this ordinance. No temporary certificate shall be issued, except under such restrictions and provisions as will adequately ensure the safety of the occupants of the building and of adjacent buildings and land.