Cobb County issued a certificate of occupancy for SunTrust Park to the Braves on Friday, more than a month ahead of the first game at the new ballpark.
“After hundreds of inspections throughout 30 months, the stadium has fulfilled and passed all required inspections by Cobb County Building Department and the Cobb County Fire Marshal’s Office,” according to an announcement posted on the county government’s website.
The Braves said in a statement that they “are excited to reach this key milestone at SunTrust Park.”
Cobb noted that by law every new business, tenant or building is required by the county to have a certificate of occupancy before the general public can occupy a facility.
“This certificate indicates that the building or tenant meets the county’s minimum adopted building and fire codes,” the county said.
The Braves’ first scheduled game in the new stadium is a March 31 exhibition against the New York Yankees. That game, planned by Braves officials as a soft opening/dress rehearsal, will be open only to season-ticket holders.
On April 14, the Braves will play their first regular-season game in SunTrust Park against San Diego.
“On behalf of our entire organization and our partners in Cobb County,” the Braves said in Friday’s statement, “we want to thank those who have been instrumental in bringing this monumental project out of the ground, which includes (project manager) JLL, (general contractor) American Builders and all of the subcontractors.
“We also want to express our gratitude to each and every construction worker who contributed to this project, and we look forward to showing off SunTrust Park to all of Braves Country on April 14th.”
There is still some work to be done before the stadium is ready for a ballgame. Most noticeably, grass hasn’t been installed on the field, although it is expected to go in as soon as next weekend.
