Certificate of Occupancy Application

Are you opening a storefront? Every new business that applying for a City Business License that intends to operate a physical publicly-accessible location within the city limits of Princeton, WV, must obtain a Certificate of Occupancy during the business license application process. Once you have your city business license, you'll schedule a time for the Princeton Building Inspector and Fire Chief to inspect your property to ensure it is up to code and assign you a maximum occupancy count. If you're not sure when you apply for a Certificate of Occupancy in the process of opening a business in Princeton, please check our New Business Checklist for steps. For more information on the Certificate of Occupancy, submit a form using the "Help" tab, or contact the City of Princeton Code Enforcement at 304-487-5022.

Established Businesses Who Expand Their Storefronts

Established businesses expanding their storefront to include more occupants can also use this form for a new Building & Occupancy Inspection to receive a larger maximum capacity rating for their Certificate of Occupancy, contingent on the approval of the Building Inspector. Note: The thought of an inspection often makes people anxious, but don't worry, our Building Inspector and Fire Chief want you to succeed! Not only are they friendly and make the inspection process easy, but also, with their years of professional experience, they might identify potential liabilities that could otherwise be disastrous to your new business. If they discover code violations that you weren't expecting, they'll try to advise you and point you in the right direction to help you quickly and safely open the shop.