How does a commercial tenant build-out work, from lease to opening?

A tenant build-out follows the same sequence everywhere: a test fit and lease terms, design and engineering, permit review, construction with inspections, and an occupancy approval before you open. What differs among Washington, DC, Montgomery County, Fairfax County and Arlington County is which office reviews each part and what the final certificate is called. Permit review, long-lead equipment and final inspections are the steps to plan first.

What should the lease settle before design starts?

The lease should settle what condition the landlord delivers, what the landlord pays for, and which building rules govern the work. Before you sign, a test fit, a quick layout by an architect or space planner, shows whether your program fits the space.

The construction terms sit in the work letter. NAIOP's glossary defines it as the document setting out the landlord's obligations for the improvements, typically a description of the work, its cost, the portion the landlord pays, the completion date and the insurance required of contractors. The landlord's portion is commonly stated as a tenant improvement allowance. The glossary also distinguishes shell space, with little or no interior finish, from a turnkey deal, in which the landlord provides and pays for the improvements.

Ask for the building standard and the contractor rules before pricing. They typically cover standard finishes, insurance, working hours, freight elevator use, and required vendors for base building systems such as fire alarm and sprinklers. Check early that your use is allowed in the space: Montgomery County's Department of Permitting Services (DPS) advises contacting it before signing a contract for a restaurant location, and Arlington County offers an optional code consultation before a lease is signed. Lease terms are a matter for your broker and attorney.

Who designs the space, and what do the drawings need to show?

An architect leads the design, with mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection engineers as the scope requires, and the drawings must be complete enough to price and to permit. DC, for example, requires plans for commercial spaces to be stamped by a DC-licensed design professional.

An office is mostly partitions, ceilings, lighting, power and data. Retail adds storefront and signs. Restaurants and medical suites carry more plumbing, ventilation and equipment. A food service tenant also prepares a plan for the health department; Arlington County's list includes a scaled floor plan, the equipment layout and list, a finish schedule, seating capacity and a sample menu.

Who reviews the permit drawings in each jurisdiction?

The local building department reviews the drawings for building, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire and accessibility requirements, and the health department reviews food service plans.

• Washington, DC. The Department of Buildings (DOB) issues a Tenant Layout Permit for the first fit-out of space built under a base building permit, and an Alteration & Repair Permit for space occupied before. Its plan review disciplines are structural, zoning, fire, elevator, mechanical and plumbing, electrical, and green and energy; trade permits go to licensed DC contractors. DC Health reviews food establishments through DOB's ProjectDox system. DOB's published service level for tenant layouts and for alterations over 1,000 square feet is 30 business days for its own reviews.
• Montgomery County, Maryland. DPS issues a commercial interior alteration building permit, commonly with electrical, mechanical, fire alarm and fire protection permits, and asks for the Maryland Accessibility Compliance Form. Plumbing and gas permits are handled by WSSC, and for restaurants the Department of Health and Human Services reviews the plan for its Food Service Facility license within the same submission. DPS says review comments generally come within 30 calendar days for properly submitted plans. It does not issue building permits for Rockville or Gaithersburg.
• Fairfax County, Virginia. Land Development Services (LDS) takes the application as a commercial addition/alteration record in its PLUS system. Building Plan Review, Zoning and the Fire Marshal's Office are among the reviewers, and the Fire Marshal's office also reviews fire alarm, sprinkler and range hood plans. Trade permits follow once the building permit is issued, and the Health Department must complete its plan review before construction of a food establishment begins.
• Arlington County, Virginia. Applications go through the Permit Arlington portal, including the Food Service Plan Review Application. The county lists approximate review times of 10 business days for a commercial interior alteration and 2 for projects meeting its express criteria, which exclude commercial kitchens; neither includes the completeness check or final processing. Fire alarm and sprinkler work needs a Fire Protection Systems Permit, reviewed by the Inspection Services Division and not the Office of the Fire Marshal.

Accessibility is checked under the building code during plan review; Arlington, for example, requires an Accessibility Compliance Form. The Americans with Disabilities Act applies separately. Its Title III regulations require an accessible path of travel to an altered primary function area, up to the point where its cost becomes disproportionate, which the rule sets at 20 percent of the cost of the alteration. Your architect should confirm how both apply.

What should be ordered before the permit is issued?

Order equipment and materials with long delivery times as soon as the design fixes them, so they arrive when the work is ready for them. Electrical gear, HVAC units, kitchen equipment and hoods, doors and hardware, light fixtures and custom millwork are typical examples. In the 2026 workforce survey by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and NCCER, 29 percent of respondents cited longer lead times or shortages for electrical equipment as a cause of project delays. A primer by AGC and the American Institute of Architects lists timely purchasing of long-lead items among a construction manager's services, one reason to involve the builder during design. Ordering before approval carries a risk if review changes the design.

How is work carried out in an occupied building?

Work in an occupied building is planned around the neighbors and the landlord's rules. Noisy work, deliveries and shutdowns of water, power, fire alarm or sprinklers are coordinated with building management and often done outside business hours. In DC, authorized construction hours are Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; work outside them needs an After Hours Permit, although interior painting, carpet installation and cleaning are exempt.

Which inspections come before opening?

Every permit, including each trade permit, must pass its final inspection before the space is approved for occupancy. In DC, inspections are scheduled through DOB's Tertius platform, with DOB or an approved third-party agency. Montgomery County requires final approvals on the electrical, fire alarm, sprinkler and WSSC permits before the final building and mechanical inspections are scheduled. A food service tenant also needs the health department's inspection before opening; Fairfax County's requires the plumbing, mechanical and electrical final approvals first.

What certificate do you need before opening?

You need the jurisdiction's occupancy approval for your space, and each jurisdiction names it differently.

• Washington, DC: a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) from DOB, applied for through its Certifi platform. DOB says approval typically takes about seven business days. An individual office tenant does not need its own where a valid C of O for office use covers the entire building.
• Montgomery County: a Use and Occupancy (U&O) certificate, issued after final inspections for building, electrical, mechanical and fire. A new one is required if the use or dimensions of the space have changed.
• Fairfax County: a Certificate of Occupancy (Non-Residential Use Permit), known as a Non-RUP. LDS asks for applications at least five business days in advance and lists a fee of $95, and a Fire Marshal inspection follows once the space is in use.
• Arlington County: a certificate of occupancy (CO), a separate application from the building permit. The county advises applying at least two weeks before the intended occupancy date and states that a space cannot open until the CO is approved and issued.

Restaurants also need the health department's license or permit to operate. Agencies revise their procedures, so confirm current requirements on the linked pages.

To confirm: whether Noble's Crest prepares and files permit applications in each jurisdiction itself or works with permit expediters.