Certificate of Occupancy — Philadelphia
Philadelphia issues a Certificate of Occupancy after inspection, once zoning/use registration and building permits are complete.
What it is. The Certificate of Occupancy certifying the space may be legally occupied for the restaurant use.
Who issues it. City of Philadelphia — Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) (City layer).
When you need it. Before occupancy; issued only after zoning/use registration and after passing the required inspection.
How to apply. After the building permit, arrange the required inspection with your assigned L&I inspector; the CO is issued on approval.
Fees. Per the L&I schedule — see source (⟢ VERIFY).
What SpoonSeal tracks. The document(s) you upload for this requirement, with automatic renewal/expiration tracking (Current, Due Soon, Expired). Where the city publishes health-inspection results (e.g., NYC and Chicago), SpoonSeal syncs them automatically; elsewhere they can be added manually.
References
- City of Philadelphia, Get a Certificate of Occupancy — https://www.phila.gov/services/permits-violations-licenses/get-a-certificate/get-a-certificate-of-occupancy/ — Official source last checked: 2026-07-02
Stay ahead of this requirement
SpoonSeal stores your documents, tracks expirations, and reminds you before anything lapses — so you are always inspection-ready.
Get started free →This guide is informational and not legal advice. Always confirm current requirements with the official agency linked above.