City moves certificate-of-use requirement into zoning code; first reading approved

The commission approved on first reading an ordinance (5168-26) to amend the city code so that certificate-of-use requirements are enforced through the zoning code.

Angelo Van, assistant development services director, told commissioners the amendment clarifies that certificates of use are the mechanism that zoning uses to ensure a business complies with permitted uses, inspections and enforcement. "What staff is proposing right now is to basically define and move it to the zoning code because the certificate of use is basically the mechanism that the zoning uses to ensure that a business or commercial use complies with the permitted uses," Van said. He described limited functional exemptions that will remain (for example, a single law office being treated as one business rather than requiring each attorney to obtain a separate certificate).

Commissioners moved to approve ordinance 5168-26 on first reading and to schedule second reading for June 22, 2026; the motion carried unanimously.