To find a use and occupancy (U&O) certificate in Montgomery County, Maryland, search the address in the Department of Permitting Services Data Search or filter the county’s Use and Occupancy Certificates dataset by street number and name. DPS says every commercial business in the county needs a valid U&O for its use, and a certificate stays valid until the use of the space changes (DPS U&O flyer). DPS staff can also find the certificate for a space: call 311 in the county or 240-777-0311 from outside it.
We downloaded all 16,145 U&O records in the dataset on October 25, 2026, covering applications from 1999 to October 23, 2026. Recent records are tidy: of 3,223 certificates applied for from 2021 through 2025, 99.4% read Finaled, and 99.2% were issued on the same day as the final inspection. Older records read differently. 70.0% of those filed from 1999 through 2008 still say Issued, with no final date.
| Item | What we found |
|---|---|
| Where to search | DPS Data Search (address); county open data, updated daily; copies through DPS online records requests |
| Records in the dataset | 16,145 U&O certificates, applications from 1999 to October 2026 |
| Status | Finaled 71.1%, Issued 28.7%, Stop Work 36 records |
| Still reading Issued, by application year | 1999–2008: 70.0%; 2009–2012: 33.4%; 2013–2020: 3.0%; 2021–2025: 0.6% |
| Application to certificate, 2021–2025 | Median 219 days; middle half 63 to 372 days |
| Expiration | None while the use stays the same; a new use needs a new certificate |
| Most records by city | Silver Spring 3,654; Rockville 2,998; Bethesda 2,747 |
How to look up a U&O certificate in Montgomery County
- Search the street number and street name in DPS Data Search, or filter the open dataset by Street Number and Street Name. Each row shows the permit number, the work type (OCCUPY or USE), the status, the issue and final dates and a short description such as “Restaurant”, “Suite 430” or “Bldg B 2nd floor – offices”.
- Match the description to your space. A building can hold several certificates, because each different use in a building needs its own; large buildings often have one per floor or suite.
- Compare the use on the certificate with the use you plan. One office replacing another needs no new certificate. A dental office moving into a former barber shop needs a Change of Use building permit and a new U&O after inspection, even with no construction (DPS flyer).
- Get a copy. DPS says U&O certificates can be downloaded online at any hour through its online services (DPS Permitting for Businesses presentation).
- If no certificate turns up, ask DPS before you sign a lease or buy: 311, or 240-777-0311 from outside the county.
Why many older Montgomery County U&O records still say Issued
| Application years | Records | Finaled | Still Issued |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–2008 | 5,340 | 29.4% | 70.0% |
| 2009–2012 | 2,142 | 66.4% | 33.4% |
| 2013–2020 | 5,215 | 97.0% | 3.0% |
| 2021–2025 | 3,223 | 99.4% | 0.6% |
For a certificate from the 2000s that still reads Issued, the data record leaves open whether every final inspection passed. Ask DPS for the certificate itself. A printed U&O lists, for each floor, the use group, occupancy load, construction type and the code edition it was approved under, as on this 2024 certificate posted by Montgomery College.
Only 90 of the 16,145 records carry an expiration date, which matches the DPS rule that a certificate lasts as long as the use does.
How long a Montgomery County U&O takes, by type of space
For new buildings and fit-outs, the application date usually comes early, so the clock includes construction. Median days from application to certificate for OCCUPY records filed 2021–2025, grouped by words in the description:
| Description group | Records | Median days |
|---|---|---|
| Townhouses (111 described as four-story) | 602 | 338 |
| Blank description | 443 | 260 |
| Restaurants and food service | 113 | 166 |
| Apartment and condo floors | 205 | 132 |
| Offices, shops, clinics and other suites | 1,362 | 123 |
| Change of use | 82 | 103 |
Detached single-family houses rarely appear: 35 of the 3,223 recent descriptions mention a house or single-family dwelling. For a house, the building permit and its final inspection in Data Search are the records to check, as our Montgomery County electrical permit lookup shows for electrical work.
Checklist before you lease or buy commercial space in Montgomery County
- U&O certificate number and the use it lists, matched to the business you will run.
- Status Finaled with a final date, or for an old Issued record, a copy of the certificate from DPS.
- One certificate per use: a restaurant with an event room, or retail on one floor and offices on another, can need more than one.
- Any new walls, added space or fit-out since the certificate: DPS requires a new U&O for new construction and fit-outs.
- Business owner responsibility: DPS puts the duty to confirm a valid U&O on the business owner, however long the space has been in use.
- A business run from home: a Home Occupation Certificate is the DPS registration for that.
For older permits on the same property, see our guide to Montgomery County, MD old permit records. New houses in the county need a registered builder, covered in our new home builder lookup, and our certificate of occupancy lookup compares other cities. More analyses are on our permit data page.
Counts are our calculations from Montgomery County’s Use and Occupancy Certificates data on data.montgomerycountymd.gov, downloaded October 25, 2026 (records through October 23, 2026). DPS pages checked October 25, 2026.