What is generally required for a occupancy permit for a home?

[Brian Elfert]

I have this crazy idea for building a home with detached woodshop.

There is a home for sale on a large lot around here that is gutted. The home is a single story and is a fairly small rectangular design.

My thought is to do the absolute minimum to get the home livable, but I have no idea what is generally required to get an occupancy permit.

I would live in this home while building a new home elsewhere on the lot. The existing home would be used as a woodshop once a new home is built. I'm not sure if the city would allow this, but I do plan on taking my idea to the planning commission on Tuesday. (Very small town and the two city employees can't answer my questions.)

Again, any ideas on what exactly needs to be in a home to get an occupancy permit in general? (I did some web searches to no avail.)

Brian Elfert

[Mike Cutler]

Local codes prevail, but generally. Hot and cold running water, septic,a bathroom, heat, electrical,windows,doors. Sometimes all of the rooms do not have to be finished. In Ct they define the "living space" as the minimum requirement for occupancy.

[John Hart]

Here's a link to something local for you. http://www.stlouispark.org/business/permit_fact_sheet.htm

Maybe your specific local codes will be similar

Looks like your local codes regarding occupancy only apply to commercial properties. But you may want to dig deeper. Couldn't find any permit requirements for Hennepin county though.

[Brian Elfert]

Here's a link to something local for you. http://www.stlouispark.org/business/permit_fact_sheet.htm

Maybe your specific local codes will be similar

Looks like your local codes regarding occupancy only apply to commercial properties. But you may want to dig deeper. Couldn't find any permit requirements for Hennepin county though.

I couldn't find anything on that web page that described what is needed to actually get the occupancy permit. Commercial requirements are much stricter. A commercial building isn't always grandfathered in like residential properties.

I live in Shoreview, MN and I had to get an occupancy permit before I could move into my new home. It seems to be a requirement to get one when a new house is built or major changes are made.

I have been unable to find any city that has a checklist showing exactly what is required to get an occupancy permit. They all talk about needing to have life safety systems in place and such, but no exact requirements.

I would like to remove all interior walls except bathroom, insulate and sheetrock, put fixtures in bathroom, rewire (including smoke/CO detectors), put a cabinet or two and stove in kitchen area, and get HVAC running. It would basically be a giant efficiency apartment done with a minimum of investment. Later, I would remove the stove and cabinets and have a open space for woodshop.

While purusing the web, I found that some cities require occupancy permits any time a house changes hands. They use this as a stick to make sure homes meet minimal standards for habitation and meet requirements such as smoke detectors.

Brian Elfert

[Rob Russell]

Local codes prevail, but generally. Hot and cold running water, septic,a bathroom, heat, electrical,windows,doors. Sometimes all of the rooms do not have to be finished. In Ct they define the "living space" as the minimum requirement for occupancy.

Depending on the local fire code requirements, you may need sheetrock for what would be a new Certificate of Occupancy. If this is a small town, you may have a little more flexibility in what is required of you - you'll certainly find out. Be interesting to see what you're told.

[Brian Elfert]

Depending on the local fire code requirements, you may need sheetrock for what would be a new Certificate of Occupancy. If this is a small town, you may have a little more flexibility in what is required of you - you'll certainly find out. Be interesting to see what you're told.

I'm not sure now if this gutted house is the best property for me or not. I suppose all I lose by going to the planning commission is an evening worth of time.

I found a home with a 40 foot RV garage and space for a woodshop inside the house that is way closer to work. (20 miles closer in fact)

This house has little yard due to the RV garage and has a strange relationship with the property next door as the same family owned both for a long time. There are three or four driveways between the two properties and at least one driveway connecting the two properties. It would certainly make for interesting interactions with the neighbors.

Brian Elfert