diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index bdb274c..54ec872 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ ENV NODE_ENV=production
 
 # Copy source and build
 COPY . .
-RUN npm run build
+RUN BUILDING=true npm run build
 
 # Production stage
 FROM node:24-alpine AS production
diff --git a/src/lib/server/db/index.ts b/src/lib/server/db/index.ts
index 4830d97..74c4511 100644
--- a/src/lib/server/db/index.ts
+++ b/src/lib/server/db/index.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,9 @@ import { env } from "$env/dynamic/private";
 import type { PostgresJsDatabase } from "drizzle-orm/postgres-js";
 import { eq } from "drizzle-orm";
 
-if (!env.DATABASE_URL) throw new Error("DATABASE_URL is not set");
+if (!process.env.BUILDING && !env.DATABASE_URL) {
+  throw new Error("DATABASE_URL is not set");
+}
 
 // Central database connection for tenant management
 const centralClient = postgres(env.DATABASE_URL);
diff --git a/src/lib/server/services/tenant-admin-service.ts b/src/lib/server/services/tenant-admin-service.ts
index 9dad0c3..5a77360 100644
--- a/src/lib/server/services/tenant-admin-service.ts
+++ b/src/lib/server/services/tenant-admin-service.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,9 @@ import { z } from "zod";
 import { ConflictError, NotFoundError, ValidationError } from "../utils/errors";
 import { redactDbUrl } from "../utils/url";
 
-if (!env.DATABASE_URL) throw new Error("DATABASE_URL is not set");
+if (!process.env.BUILDING && !env.DATABASE_URL) {
+  throw new Error("DATABASE_URL is not set");
+}
 
 const tenantCreationSchema = z.object({
   shortName: z