If you need a copy of an existing Lubbock certificate of occupancy, use the Open Records route linked in the City’s Investigative Inspections instructions. Finding a construction permit is a useful lead, but it does not replace the occupancy document for the particular space.
Start with the space, not just the street address
Before opening a portal, write down the street address, suite or unit, approximate project year, known permit numbers and the use described in any document you already have. Keep a parcel/APN if available, but do not substitute it for the suite. A parcel may identify land shared by several separately occupied spaces.
This guide concerns records held by City of Lubbock Building Safety. For an address outside city jurisdiction, establish the issuing authority first; a mailing-city label is not enough. Our city-versus-county records guide explains that first step.
Use the current Building Safety portal link
The current Building Safety page links to Citizen Self Service (CSS) for residential and commercial permitting. Use that City referral if an old bookmark has stopped working. The department lists 806-775-3158 for permits and 806-775-2087 for general Building Safety assistance.
Lubbock doesn’t publish which years of permits CSS covers. For an older property, call the permit line rather than assuming the portal shows the full history.
If you have a permit number, preserve the exact number and ask the permit counter to identify the associated address and work scope. If you only have an address, give the suite and estimated date and ask which record or search route can identify the relevant permit. Do not create a new permit application simply to request an old file.
Request the old certificate before treating this as a new application
Lubbock’s instructions distinguish a copy request from an investigative-inspection application. They direct requests for previously issued certificates to Open Records through its linked online form or orr@mylubbock.us. The same instructions warn that the requested document may not exist; a missing certificate or different occupancy type is referred to the subsequent application process.
The City’s Request an Open Record page lists four ways to send that request:
- Online, through the Public Information Act link in the page’s Quick Links. One link inside the page’s table is malformed, so use the Quick Links entry.
- By email to orr@mylubbock.us.
- By mail to City Manager’s Office, Attn: Open Records Office, P.O. Box 2000, Lubbock, TX 79457.
- In person at Citizen’s Tower, 11th floor; call 806-775-2226 when you arrive. The fax number is 806-775-2051.
Ask for the existing record first. If the response leaves the occupancy question unresolved, take that response to Building Safety for the appropriate next process. Do not turn “no copy located” into your own conclusion that a new certificate is unnecessary, or that the premises may be occupied.
If the answer is that no certificate exists, or the old certificate covers a different occupancy type, the next step is an investigative inspection. You submit the application with a Use Verification Form and a floor plan, in person or by email to buildingsafety@mylubbock.us. The fee is $200, due after the floor plan is approved. Building Safety is at Citizen’s Tower, 1314 Avenue K, 1st Floor Annex; the front counter is 806-775-2088 and inspections are 806-775-3159.
Make a request that can be matched to a file
- Identify the address and suite as they appeared during the period you are researching. Include any documented former address separately.
- Name the document: the previously issued certificate for that space. Add known permit numbers and an approximate date range.
- If a permit was located but no certificate was attached, describe that precise gap. Ask whether a related occupancy file or another historical index should be checked.
- For a later change of use or alteration, request the relevant later record separately so that the original certificate is not mistaken for the final answer.
Lubbock’s pages don’t state when online permit records begin. For older records, ask the custodian which years and record types were searched. A portal failure, a missing attachment and a custodian’s search response describe different limits.
Keep issuance, inspection results, closure and occupancy evidence separate in your notes. The difference between a permit and a certificate of occupancy matters when deciding what to request next. A failed lookup does not itself establish unpermitted, unlawful or unsafe work.
Sources: City of Lubbock Building Safety, Investigative Inspections instructions and Request an Open Record pages, checked October 20, 2026.