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Plan commission forwards certificate‑of‑occupancy UDO change to committee to add change‑of‑occupancy inspections
Summary
The Plan Commission moved June 17 to send a short UDO amendment on certificates of occupancy and a new change‑of‑occupancy inspection requirement to committee for final action; staff and the fire marshal said the provision will help catch life‑safety issues when tenant spaces change uses.
The Carmel Plan Commission on June 17 voted to send a short amendment to the Unified Development Ordinance that modernizes certificate‑of‑occupancy language, adds definitions and creates a change‑of‑occupancy inspection to the Committee of the Whole for final action.
Department of Community Services Director Mike Halibaugh described the amendment as a staff‑initiated, short update to align the UDO with current building‑safety practice and to add a specific change‑of‑occupancy review. "The change of occupancy requirement is new ... this is a new inspection that will allow whenever a commercial space empties out before it gets reoccupied, they wanna do a safety inspection," Halibaugh said. Halibaugh said the amendment also clarifies that building‑safety officials will administer inspections and updates inspection language to reflect incremental inspections during construction.
Fire Marshal Chris Roren told the commission the change will address recurring life‑safety problems that appear when tenant spaces change hands. Roren said inspectors commonly find blocked exits, unlit exit lights, out‑of‑date fire extinguishers and added cooking equipment that lacks proper hood protection. "That kind of thing happened over and over and over again," Roren said. "This kind of helps to nip all that in the bud right from the get go."
Staff and counsel also noted the Indiana legislature recently amended state law on private inspections for certain building classes; legal staff said a separate amendment aligning city rules with the state law effective Jan. 1, 2026, will follow. The plan commission voted to send the certificate‑of‑occupancy UDO amendment (PZ‑2025‑00104) to committee with final voting authority.
