No land shall be occupied or used, and no building hereafter erected or structurally altered shall be occupied or used in whole or in part for any purpose whatsoever, until a certificate is issued by the zoning administrator, stating that the building and use comply with the provisions of this chapter.

No change or use shall be made in any building or part thereof, now or hereafter erected or structurally altered, without a permit being issued therefor by the zoning administrator. No permit shall be issued to make a change unless the changes are in conformity with provisions of this chapter.

Nothing in this chapter shall prevent the continuance of a nonconforming use as hereinbefore authorized, unless a discontinuance is necessary for the safety of life or property.

Applications for certificates of zoning compliance shall be filed with the zoning administrator and upon approval shall be issued within seven days after the lawful erection or alteration of the building is completed. A record of all certificates shall be kept on file in the office of the zoning administrator, and copies shall be furnished on request to any person having a proprietary or tenancy interest in the building affected.

No permit for excavation for, or the erection or alteration, of any building shall be issued before the application has been made for a certificate of zoning compliance, and no building or premises shall be occupied until that certificate is issued.

A certificate of zoning compliance shall be required of all nonconforming uses. Application for a certificate for nonconforming uses shall be filed with the zoning administrator within 12 months from the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter (August 6, 1979), accompanied by affidavits of proof that such nonconforming use was legally established prior to the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter (August 6, 1979).

Certificates of zoning compliance shall be void if the work contemplated in the certificate is not commended within six months after issuance of said permit and is not completed within one year after the issuance of said permit. Any permittee holding an unexpired permit may apply for an extension of the time within which work may be commenced or completed under the permit when said permittee is unable to commence the work or complete the work within the time required by this section for good and satisfactory reasons. The zoning administrator may extend the time for action by the permittee for a period not to exceed 180 days upon written request by the permittee showing that circumstances beyond the control of the permittee have prevented action from being taken or completed. No permit shall be extended more than once by the zoning administrator and any requests for further extension by an unexpired permit holder must be made to the city council and the council shall use the same criteria as the zoning administrator in determining whether a further extension should be granted. [Ord. 425 § 1, 1992; Code 1975 § 6-5.0706.]