Fire Capacity (Certificate of Occupancy) Designations

Use Certificate of Occupancy to Determine the COVID-19 Fire Capacity 

 

According to the Five Responsible Protocols for All Businesses, each business is to limit capacity for social distancing guidelines by establishing the maximum capacity at 50% of the fire code.

When a building or space is created, the local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ), (the Certified Building Department and the Chief Building Official), issues a Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O) which establishes the maximum number of occupants allowed in the building at any one time based on the size and use group of the building. 

Occasionally the building capacity is referred to as the Fire Capacity because the local fire department uses this number when conducting the annual fire safety inspection to determine compliance with local fire regulations. 

The Occupancy / Fire Capacity is calculated based on the condition and square footage of the building.  When a building has multiple uses such as a factory with offices, the certificate of occupancy has a number for the total occupancy and a number for each portion of the building.

If you need a copy or are unable to locate your certificate of occupancy / fire capacity, please contact the appropriate local Building Department for their assistance and guidelines to obtain a C-of-O and/or to calculate the building capacity for COVID-19 purpose.

Sample Certificate of Occupancy

Portage County Building Department Contact Information By Jurisdiction 

 

Portage County Townships and Villages

Randall Roberts, Director / Chief Building Official
Linda Markijohn, Office Manger
1st Floor, Portage County Administration Bldg.
449 S. Meridian Street
Ravenna, OH 44266
(330) 297-3530
 
Portage County Building Department will provide a requesting party the choice of two paths to get the C-of-O:
  • They can ask for a COVID-19 C-of-O, meaning . . . A C-of-O is a legal document within the ORC, but for the purpose of this exercise we can create a special or simple C-of-O for this purpose, whereby we will use the building footprint and square footage from the Auditor’s web page and put some disclaimers on the COVID-19 C-of-O, to identify it as such.  
  • Or, the owner can request a formal C-of-O, which requires applications, drawings and inspections.  
Aurora City Building Department
Attn: Matt McBirney, Assistant Fire Chief
65 West Pioneer Trail
Aurora, Ohio, OH  44202
(330) 562-7171
 
930 Overholt Road
Kent, Ohio  44240
(330) 678-8107
 
Attn: Bob Finney, City Engineer
530 North Freedom Street
Ravenna, Ohio  44266
(330) 296-5607
 
9184 State Route 43
Streetsboro, Ohio  44241
(330) 626-6069