Buying or Selling a Home

About

When buying or selling a home, the Building Division wants to help make sure that the property is safe and healthy for human habitation.

To this end, a Certificate of Approval is required on all houses being sold or transferred to another party prior to the closing of the residential sale.

The seller is required to complete and submit a Home Sale or Transfer Application (PDF) and pay a $225.00 fee.

Process

  • A housing Inspector will provide a code inspection of the home.  To help make sure that the inspection is successful, review the Pre-Inspection Checklist (PDF).
  • The dwelling's heating system must be tested and certified by a licensed contractor to be safe for use. A required form called a Furnace/Boiler Certification (PDF) must be filled out by the hired mechanical contractor and submitted to the building department before the final approval will be granted allowing occupancy.
  • If the seller completes the inspection, a Certificate of Approval is issued that is good for six months.

If the seller does not finish the inspection process, the buyer must purchase an Approval Letter To Close for $40.00, that will allow the closing to transpire. The "Remaining Violations Disclosure Form" must be returned to the Building Division, along with the signed Purchasing Agreement. The buyer will then have ninety days to perform the repairs and schedule a final inspection to receive the Certificate of Approval.

Schedule an Inspection

There are multiple options available to schedule an inspection: