Missouri City Home Buyers Occupancy Inspection

Missouri City Certificate of Occupancy Information

Imagine after buying your dream home finding out that you cannot have the utilities turned on. That’s right you own a home without gas, water, or electricity.

Is this just a dream, a nightmare, or reality?
To prevent this from happening to you or to
someone you care about, read on...

Every time a housing unit is sold or rented within the enforcement jurisdiction of Missouri City they want certain inspections done and certain repairs made prior to issuing a new CO / Certification of Occupancy. The new owner or tenant needs this CO / Certificate of Occupancy from Missouri City to apply for utilities to be turned on. The municipality uses this to upgrade / improve their existing housing stock for the safety and well being of it’s inhabitants

The municipality of Missouri City requires existing housing stock to undergo inspection, review of inspection reports, AND REPAIR OF SPECIFIC ITEMS prior to issuing a CO / Certificate of Occupancy that will be required by the owner / tenant to apply for / obtain utilities (electricity, gas, water) to the property.

NO “CO" - NO utilities.

Missouri City repair requirements prior to issuing a Certificate of Occupancy, include but are not limited to:

• Flatwork report stating the condition of the property flatwork / concrete walkways, patios and driveways.Repairs may be required if tolerances are not within their stated parameters 
• Smoke alarms properly installed at all required locations.
• GFCI’s properly installed at all required locations.
• Anything else, as determined by the city official, who reviews a property inspection report done by a licensed inspector, or personally conducts an onsite inspection at a cost of $50.00.

Inspection reports produced by a state licensed inspector should be forwarded to inspections@missourcitytx.gov or faxed to 281-261-4382 and written response on what Missouri City requires to be repaired should be obtained. Repairs are to be made prior to the city’s physical inspection for issuing the Certification of Occupancy (CO).

The kicker is – Required repairs depend on who for the city reads / skims an inspection report or who for the city conducts the $50.00 on site inspection and what they feel should be corrected. I have personally had conversations with members of the Missouri City code enforcement department and they basically said , “anything else we see in an inspection report or see on our $50.00 city inspection that the reviewing Missouri City inspector deems relevant”...

In other words - you don’t know what else will be required to be fixed until they review a report or property and get back to you on what must be corrected and then inspected by Missouri City to issue a CO / Certificate of Occupancy.

For additional information / explanation please contact: