Turnover & closeout
Temporary certificate of occupancy (TCO)
Also called: TCO
A temporary certificate of occupancy lets the owner occupy the building, or a defined portion of it, before every item required for a full CO is complete. The authority having jurisdiction grants it when life safety is in place but a limited punch of remaining work is still open, and it carries an expiration date and a list of conditions. Whether a TCO is available at all, and on what terms, is the AHJ's call.
Why it matters
A TCO lets the owner start using and generating value from the building while finish work wraps up, which is often the difference between hitting an opening date and missing it. But it is conditional and expires, so the outstanding items become a hard deadline, not a wish list.
How it shows up on site
The AHJ issues the TCO with a punch of conditions — the items that must be closed before the full CO is granted, plus an expiration. The team works that list against the clock, re-inspects, and converts the TCO to a permanent CO.
Because the conditions are specific and dated, tracking each one to closed with a photo and the passing re-inspection keeps the conversion from stalling and the TCO from lapsing.
Common mistakes
Treating a TCO like a finish line. It is a countdown with conditions attached. Letting it expire before the full CO is issued, or losing track of which conditions are still open, puts the owner's legal occupancy at risk.
Checklists that put temporary certificate of occupancy (tco) to work
Free, field-ready checklists, each with the photo every item needs before it can be submitted.
Related terms
- Certificate of occupancy (CO)The document the building department issues confirming a completed building is code-compliant and legal to occupy.
- Substantial completionThe milestone where the work is usable for its intended purpose, even with minor punch items still open.
- Punch listThe running list of incomplete or defective work a contractor has to fix before an area is accepted and closed out.
- Commissioning (Cx)The process of verifying that installed systems actually perform the way the design and the owner's requirements intended.
- Functional performance testA scripted test that drives a system through its operating modes to prove it responds the way the sequence of operations requires.
- Closeout packageThe compiled record proving the work was completed, inspected, and accepted, assembled to close out the contract.
Knowing the term is step one. Proving it is the job.
RTI holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and the photos are attached, then chains the record so it can be proven untouched later.