Certificate of Use

Call us at 904-357-0285

Certificate of Use

What is a COU?
Certificate of Use or COU is a Zoning Certificate that a space a business occupies complies with three items:

  1. Local Zoning Ordinances.
  2. The Florida Fire Prevention Code.
  3. The Florida Building Code.

Zoning- Making sure the proposed use is correct for the Zoning of the business.

Occupancy Classification- Making sure your business is classified in the right occupancy for it’s use. A Florida Licensed Design Professional would help to determine Occupancy Classification.

Florida Fire Prevention Code and the Florida Building Code- Your space would need to be brought into code compliance. This may involve Life Safety issues, ADA compliance or upgrading your space to meet the current Florida Building Code.

To obtain a Certificate of Use you will the following:

  1. Professional Drawings -Obtain drawing from a Florida Licensed Design Professional. This would help to determine Occupancy Classification and code compliance. The Design Professional then could provide the drawings for permit.
  2. Permit-A Licensed Building Contractor to obtain a permit for upgrading your space to obtain our Certificate of Use.

Call us at 904-357-0285 and with any questions.

City of Jacksonville Certificate of Use