Certificate of Occupancy?

[Phil C.]

Hello! We are working on an apartment that's a fixer-upper. It is partially occupied, and there are some "down" units that we plan to renovate later on. We get a challenge when trying to get business license from the city. They require a certificate of occupancy, which is a unit-by-unit inspection to make sure all units are up to standard. We are surprised to learn even the down units that are not ready for rent needs to be up to code. Any experience with this? It's a big rush to get everything ready. 

On the other hand, what's the implication of delaying getting business license? 

Appreciate any thoughts!