Columbus, Ohio Building Permits: When You Need One

By PermitCove Editorial · · 5 min read
An Ohio brick double house with a new rear porch addition framed in fresh lumber

In the City of Columbus, Ohio, house building permits are issued by the Department of Building and Zoning Services, not Franklin County.

If you own a house in the City of Columbus, Ohio, and the next job is a rear addition, a new circuit, or a deck off the kitchen, the office that takes the building permit is the Department of Building and Zoning Services.

That's Columbus, Ohio, not Columbus, Georgia. Franklin County shows up on one city drawing sheet as a possible base map, but it is not the office that issues the house permit, and no department page linked here hands a house building permit to Franklin County or another city, so don't use this page for a house outside the City of Columbus. PermitCove is an independent guide, not the City of Columbus, and nothing here approves your project. The rules below come from columbus.gov pages and the forms, fee schedule, and construction memos they link, all listed at the end; fees and forms change, so check the live department page before you pay.

Last verified: October 4, 2026, against the City of Columbus Department of Building and Zoning Services pages linked below.

Columbus Building and Zoning Services (BZS) issues the permit

A house permit is a City of Columbus permit issued through the Department of Building and Zoning Services. The department homepage says it is the resource for construction, zoning, code enforcement, and licensing, and that its services include building permits, zoning reviews, code enforcement, contractor and business licensing, engineering, and street addressing. The director's name on the 2026 contact sheet and on the department forms is Scott Messer.

The chief building official named on the construction memos is Amit Ghosh. Questions about whether a house is even in the city go to the zoning map the department links, at gis.columbus.gov/zoning/. The homeowner guide on the frequently asked questions page starts with that check. No city page linked here says a Columbus address on a mailbox is enough.

The doors mostly list one address, and one of them drops a digit. The department homepage lists Building and Zoning Services, 111 North Front Street, 1st Floor, Columbus, OH 43215, phone (614) 645-7433. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., closed Saturday and Sunday, and closed on city observed holidays. The zoning review room is closed on the second Tuesday of the month from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. for staff training.

The plan-review page, the residential-plans page, and the footer of the frequently asked questions page print 111 North Front Street, Columbus, OH 43215, and the same weekday hours, without the words "1st Floor." The step-by-step guide on that same frequently asked questions page lists 111 North Front Street, Columbus, OH 4321. That is the ZIP on the page. The other 2026 pages print 43215. If you mail a packet, use 43215 and the first-floor line from the homepage, and if the counter sends you to another floor, ask.

The phones split by desk, and one form uses a hearings number as if it were the zoning counter. Customer service is (614) 645-7433. The typical-projects sheet, dated BA 3/26 in the footer, lists the same main number and bzs-intake@columbus.gov, plan review at 614-645-7562 and buildingplanreviewinfo@columbus.gov, and zoning at 614-645-8637 and zoninginfo@columbus.gov. The March 2026 contact sheet agrees with those three, and it adds public hearings at (614) 645-4522. The detached-garage sheet lists the phone 614-645-4522 under zoninginfo@columbus.gov. Call 614-645-8637 for a setback question. If you already called the number listed on the garage sheet, ask whether you reached hearings or clearance.

The homepage also warns that people send email that looks like the city. It says a real address ends exclusively in @columbus.gov, and that a variation such as @columbus.gov.ohio.us should be treated as suspicious. It says a Building and Zoning Services phone in a signature will begin with 614-645. Pay the department, at the counter or through the Citizen Access path the department gives you. Do not pay an invoice you cannot trace to a permit number you already have. The homepage link is spelled "Citizens Access Portal." The rest of the pages spell it "Citizen Access Portal." The inspection sheet lists the address https://portal.columbus.gov/Permits/.

Columbus permit triggers on the typical-projects sheet

The first sentence of the residential step-by-step guide is broader than the lists under it. It says any planned work, whether new construction, an alteration, or a change in occupancy, requires a building permit with plan review. The same step then points at the typical-projects sheet and lists a shorter list of work it says does not require a building permit. Both are on the department's frequently asked questions page. The first sentence doesn't cancel the exemptions, and an exemption doesn't cancel a later sheet that puts the same job on a permit list.

The typical-projects sheet, the one the step-by-step guide calls the quick guide, is the list with a BA 3/26 footer. Under "Does not require a permit" it lists install flooring, such as carpet, hardwood, or vinyl. Painting, interior or exterior, with an asterisk after "exterior." Install cabinets or countertops. Replace an overhead garage door.

Install a patio. A pergola with an open roof that is not attached to a structure. The two pages of that file do not list a footnote for the asterisk. A sentence then says that for the following projects, some zoning districts place limitations on site modifications, and it gives zoninginfo@columbus.gov and 614-645-8637. The bullets under that sentence are still in the no-permit block.

They are a fence 6 feet tall or less, a shed less than 200 square feet, and a retaining wall 4 feet high or less, measured from the bottom of the footer. "Or less" and "less than" are not the same cut. Exactly 6 feet is inside "6 feet tall or less." Exactly 4 feet is inside "4 feet high or less." Exactly 200 square feet is not inside "less than 200."

The same sheet's next block is "Requires a permit, but not plan review." Modify or update an electrical box. Replace a furnace or an air-conditioning unit. Replace a hot water tank. Replace an exterior door. Replace exterior siding. Replace a roof. Replace windows. Demolish an entire structure to grade. The block after that is "Requires a permit and plan review."

A kitchen or bath remodel. Drywall replacement of more than 32 square feet. Finish a basement or an attic. A room addition. Create a new window opening. Build a deck. Build a porch. Install or replace a swimming pool or a hot tub. Build a garage or a carport. Build a shed of 200 square feet or larger.

Exactly 32 square feet of drywall is not "more than 32." Exactly 200 square feet is inside "200 square feet or larger." A separate pair of bullets says the following projects require plans sealed by an architect or engineer: a fence greater than 6 feet tall, and a retaining wall greater than 4 feet high from the bottom of the footer. Exactly 6 feet is not "greater than 6." Exactly 4 feet is not "greater than 4."

The frequently asked questions page lists a different exemption list, and it tells you the complete list is somewhere else. Common work that does not require a building permit, on that page, includes one-story detached accessory structures used as tool and storage sheds, playhouses, and similar uses, if the floor area does not exceed 120 square feet, and playground structures.

Fences not over 6 feet, which the page also lists as 1829 mm. Sidewalks and driveways not more than 30 inches, also listed as 762 mm, above grade, not over any basement or story below, and not part of an accessible route. Minor electrical repair, including replacement of lamps or connecting approved portable equipment to approved permanently installed receptacles.

The repair of leaks in drains, water, soil, waste, or vent pipe, with the proviso that if a concealed trap or pipe has to be removed and replaced with new material, that work is new work and needs an approval and an inspection. The page then says the complete list is Ohio Building Code section 102.10.

The glossary on the same site says some replacements may not need a permit, and that the Residential Code of Ohio section 105 and the Ohio Building Code section 105 list exempted items. A house is not a commercial building, and the department's own adopted-codes page assigns one-, two-, and three-family buildings to the Residential Code of Ohio. The pointer to the Ohio Building Code is still listed on the homeowner step. Call before you treat a commercial exemption as a house exemption.

Sheds are three cuts, and exactly 200 square feet is not the same case on each one. The typical-projects sheet puts a shed of less than 200 square feet in the no-permit block, and a shed of 200 square feet or larger in the permit-and-plan-review block. The storage-shed section of the frequently asked questions page says a building permit is required for a storage shed over 200 square feet, and it says the Residential Code of Ohio rule is the same: a building permit is required over 200 square feet.

The glossary defines a shed as a roofed one-story structure, open on one or more sides, used for storage, and says all sheds in residential areas over 200 square feet require a building permit. Exactly 200 is inside "200 square feet or larger." It is not inside "over 200" and it is not inside "less than 200."

A shed of 121 through 199 square feet is outside "does not exceed 120 square feet" on the exemption list, and it is inside "less than 200" on the typical-projects sheet. The early exemption list and the later shed section are both on the frequently asked questions page. For a 1-, 2-, or 3-unit dwelling, the shed section is the one written for houses: it puts the building-permit line over 200 square feet and gives 120 square feet as the Ohio Building Code threshold for a 4-unit or larger building.

Roofs, siding, windows, and doors do not have a percentage exemption. The typical-projects sheet says replacing a roof, replacing exterior siding, replacing windows, and replacing an exterior door need a permit and do not need plan review. The frequently asked questions page says replacement of a roof, siding, windows, or doors requires a roof, siding, windows, and doors permit, that any combination of those items can be one permit if you apply at the same time, and that the permit comes with one inspection.

It says to finish all of the combination before you ask for the inspection, or you will need another trip. It says structural modifications need an alteration permit instead. The examples are changing the size of doors or windows, and changing or repairing trusses, rafters, or similar parts of a roof. Construction Industry Communication 11, revised April 3, 2026, says all residential roofing, window or door replacement, and siding replacement require a building permit, and that the permit takes one exterior inspection at the end unless the permit says otherwise. No city page linked here says a repair under a stated share of the roof is ordinary maintenance. Painting is on the no-permit list. Replacing siding is not painting.

A new opening is not a replacement. "Create a new window opening" is in the permit-and-plan-review block. "Replace windows" is in the permit-without-plan-review block. The roof application asks whether the new windows, other than a U-factor upgrade, are the same size, type, and materials as the existing windows, and it asks the same kind of question for doors. If the answer is no, the frequently asked questions page is the one that calls a size change an alteration permit. Don't file a size change on the replacement form just because that form has a yes-or-no blank.

A few interior jobs are easy to mix. Installing cabinets or countertops is on the no-permit list. A kitchen or bath remodel is on the permit-and-plan-review list. The sheet does not define "remodel." Replacing a cabinet and calling the job a remodel are not the same row. Drywall replacement of more than 32 square feet needs a permit and plan review. The sheet does not list a drywall exemption at exactly 32. Finishing a basement or an attic needs a permit and plan review. Installing flooring does not, on that sheet. No city page linked here says a basement finish is only flooring.

Demolition is also two sentences. Demolishing an entire structure to grade needs a permit and, on the typical-projects sheet, not plan review. The plan-review page says no plan review is required for demolition of a building where only a portion of the building is being demolished, and that a partial demolition is an alteration and needs a building permit instead of a demolition permit. The "no plan review" sentence doesn't let you skip the alteration permit.

Filing in Columbus: homeowner affidavit vs. licensed contractor

An owner can apply in a narrower set of cases than "I own it," and the pages do not use one sentence. The step-by-step guide says permits can be issued to property owners or to contractors licensed or registered with the City of Columbus. It says a property owner can acquire a permit for structural work the owner will do. For mechanical, electrical, or plumbing, it says addition, alteration, and/or repair or replacement work to an existing single-family dwelling in which the property owner resides. It says demolition of an accessory structure to an existing single-family dwelling. It says property owners cannot purchase permits for work they will hire a contractor to perform.

The next step on that page is about who may swing the hammer, and the last clause is easy to over-read. It says a homeowner may perform work on a single-family home or get help only from immediate family. The home must not be part of a multiple-occupancy dwelling, and it must be occupied or intended for occupation by the homeowner's family.

If immediate family cannot help, non-family members can help, but no payment should be given or implied. It then says the permit application must specify the individuals performing the work, which is limited to altering or extending existing mechanical or electrical systems. That "which" might attach to the help, or it might attach to the whole permit. The structural sentence is in the step above this one. Both are on the page.

The building-permit owner affidavit, footer BA 3/26, is the form the application points at if the permit holder is the property owner. It quotes a Columbus City Code definition of owner from section 4101.15, letter O, including the owner on the county auditor's tax list, a mortgage holder, a land-contract purchaser, and a person who has charge of the premises as agent, executor, trustee, guardian, or lessee.

The affidavit says you will do the work with your own hands or see that it is done under your direct supervision. You will not contract with someone who is not licensed by the City of Columbus for the work covered by the permit. You will require licensed contractors to obtain their own permits when applicable.

You understand that additional permits may be required for electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and occupancy. You assume responsibility for all work under the permit. You sign before a notary or a Building and Zoning Services official. The form says falsifying a public document violates Ohio Revised Code section 2921.13(A)(5), a first-degree misdemeanor, and it lists the penalty as up to six months and a fine of $1,000.00. Read the affidavit before you sign it.

Trade permits are a second affidavit, and it disagrees with a later answer on the same frequently asked questions page. The mechanical, electrical, and plumbing homeowner affidavit says that, based on the city's licensing requirements, a homeowner may not obtain mechanical, electrical, or plumbing permits for new construction of a single-family residence. The person signing certifies that they are, or will be, the occupying homeowner of a single-family residence of an R-4 use group.

Each checked trade needs its own permit, and the form asks for the name of the person who will do that trade. The conditions are that you live in the structure or will move into it, that you will only use it as your home, that you will not contract with an unlicensed contractor, and that work done by someone other than you requires permits by licensed contractors.

Assistance is allowed from people who are not licensed with the city if no contract, verbal or written, exists. The frequently asked questions page, in the fee answers, says the department does not issue blanket permits, and that all trade permits are obtained by appropriately registered contractors after the building permit is issued. The solar answer on that page is narrower still. It says your city-registered electrical contractor, not the homeowner, pulls the electrical permit for how the panels connect. The fee answer doesn't cancel the homeowner affidavit, and the affidavit doesn't cancel the solar sentence.

The deck sheet says the same thing in fewer words. A licensed contractor is required if the homeowner is not doing the construction. The homeowner affidavit is attached to the building-permit application. A self-permit for the building is not an electrical permit. Doing the wiring yourself because you own the house is the path on the homeowner trade affidavit, for an existing house you occupy, and it is not the path the solar answer describes.

Applying through the Columbus portal and the drawing sheets

The front door, when the project is on the list, is the Citizen Access Portal. The residential-plans page and the step-by-step guide both say most applications can be submitted there, and that it is the preferred method when available. After you create an account, a Purchase Permit or Inspection Trip link appears under the building section. The category page lists the project types eligible for online submission.

Drawings have to be PDF, and the department points at a user guide and a submission-standards file for the file names. If your job is not on the eligible list, the step-by-step guide still describes an in-person filing. You bring a completed application, the number of plan copies the plan-review and zoning-review pages specify, and a certificate of appropriateness if one applies, during business hours. Applications are in the documents library. The building application lists BZS-intake@columbus.gov. The typical-projects sheet lists bzs-intake@columbus.gov. Those are the same mailbox with different capitals.

Two clocks are listed for review, and they are not the same length. The plan-review page says plans are reviewed in the order received. Generally, commercial projects take 4 weeks from submission until plans are reviewed. For 1-, 2-, and 3-family residential projects, the timeline is approximately one week. The step-by-step guide repeats the one-week line for 1-, 2-, and 3-family projects.

The same guide, in both the online paragraph and the in-person paragraph, says records must be paid for before they are assigned to a reviewer, and that once assigned, the reviewer has twenty business days to issue a plan approval or a corrections letter. The online paragraph on the live page stops at "before the permit is" and does not finish the sentence.

The in-person paragraph says that after approval, the record is checked for completeness and for any related final site-compliance plan and civil engineering plans before the permit is issued. Plan approval is not permit issuance. A news item says on-site plan reviews were discontinued effective November 1, 2025, that revisions go through the portal, and that single-trade reviews will be reviewed within 3 days of receiving payment.

The solar instructions on the frequently asked questions page say that if the submittal is correct and was emailed, you receive an email within 3 business days that the permits are approved and can be printed. The one-week line is the residential plan-review sentence. The twenty-business-day line is the assignment sentence. The 3-day lines are the single-trade news item and the solar email path.

If the plans are short, or they do not comply, a correction letter goes out and the plans are on hold. The plan-review page and the step-by-step guide both say that if no response arrives within 6 months, the application is voided and the plans are destroyed. The plan-review page says you may ask for an interpretation, or seek a variance from the Ohio Board of Building Appeals or the Columbus Building Commission, depending on the project and the issue.

It names three kinds of plan approval. A full approval. A conditional approval, which it describes as minor items that can be checked in the field, or an interpretation or variance on one or more correction items. The page's own grammar is "An interpretation or variances is sought." A non-conformance approval, where the drawings do not comply and more information is required.

The plan approval is valid for 1 year from the date of the plan-approval letter. If construction has not commenced in that 12-month period, an extension may be requested. That clock starts at the letter. A later answer on the frequently asked questions page starts a different clock at issuance. Both are below, under what happens after you file.

What you draw, for a 1-, 2-, or 3-family plan, is on the residential-plans page and on the residential plan-requirements sheet, both with a BA 4/26 date on the sheet. Two sets of plans and a scope of work. Plans have to be neat, legible, and drawn with a straight edge. Freehand sketches are not accepted. Each page shows the project address, the floor being worked, and the type of plan.

A plot plan shows dimensions to property lines and to other structures. Fire-separation walls are required on the plans for a 2- or 3-family dwelling, or where a wall is less than 5 feet from a property line. Exactly 5 feet is not "less than 5 feet." Plans are scaled, or the rooms are dimensioned, at 1/8 inch equals 1 foot. Every floor where work happens has a layout.

Every room is labeled. New work is distinguished from existing work. Structural alterations have to be detailed and may need calculations. Energy compliance is named three ways: a prescriptive method, a home builders' association method, and RESCheck. The sheet names them. It does not explain them. The scope of work is a bullet list in four categories: structural, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing. Mechanical, on that sheet, includes HVAC, gas piping, and a prefabricated fireplace.

Plumbing drawings locate new fixtures, size the building drain, stacks, water service, and water mains, name the material standard, include a fixture schedule, and, other than in new construction, show where new drains and vents tie in. Electrical drawings include a service load calculation only if you are adding load, and they locate new receptacles, switches, lights, ceiling fans, smoke detectors, and the panel. The sheet says work that is shown wrong, or not shown well enough, can stop the job. Questions go to 614-645-7562 or buildingplanreviewinfo@columbus.gov.

The sheets don't require a seal on every house plan. The typical-projects sheet requires an architect's or engineer's seal for a fence greater than 6 feet and for a retaining wall greater than 4 feet from the bottom of the footer. The solar instructions require engineer or architect stamped drawings showing the roof can carry the array. The deck packet says an LVL or other engineered beam needs a seal or a lumber-company specification sheet, and that expansion bolts need a design professional's seal.

Construction Industry Communication 4 is about the Ohio Building Code seal rules. The adopted-codes page assigns the Ohio Building Code to commercial buildings and to residential buildings of 4 families and greater. That commercial seal rule doesn't carry over to a one-family kitchen just because the memo is in the same library. If the examiner asks for a seal on your house, the correction letter is the request. This paragraph is not a waiver.

The codes the application is filed under are on the getting-started page for commercial and residential codes. For one-, two-, and three-family buildings, that page lists the 2019 Residential Code of Ohio, the Columbus Building Code as the local code for permits and licenses, and, as referenced codes, the 2023 National Electrical Code, the 2018 International Energy Conservation Code, the 2016 editions of NFPA 72 and of NFPA 13, 13R, and 13D, and ICC/ANSI A117.1-09.

For commercial buildings and for residential buildings of 4 families and greater, the same page lists the 2024 Ohio Building Code, and it says the State of Ohio Board of Building Standards adopted that code effective March 1, 2024. It also says links below that refer to existing Ohio Building Code editions may not yet be updated. The deck packet says deck work shall comply with the 2019 Residential Code of Ohio, section 507. Don't design a one-family house to the 2024 commercial list just because that list sits higher on the page.

You do not start because you clicked send. The step-by-step guide says plan approval is not permit issuance. The solar path is the one that says construction may begin when the approval email arrives, and that path is written for rooftop arrays. A certificate of appropriateness, where the house is in a historic district or a commission area, comes before the permit.

The residential-plans page says to check the online zoning map, and that the certificate is required for all projects in those areas. The typical-projects sheet names, as examples, the University Overlay, the East Franklinton District, and German Village. The solar answer adds the Downtown District and Italian Village, and it lists the planning phone 614-645-4437 and PlanningInfo@columbus.gov. The list on either page is not a complete map. Use the map.

Columbus fees on the 2026 schedule

The news page says the 2026 fee schedule is effective January 22, 2026. The file is the combined development-related fee schedule linked from the documents library. Its cover does not list January 22. It says fees are charged under Columbus City Code sections 4103.14 and 901.01, that fees are due at submission, that they are non-refundable except as section 4113.17 expressly identifies, and that square-footage fees mean gross square footage under section 4113.43.

The frequently asked questions page says payment is due at submission. In the office, the accepted types are cash, check, or card, and the check is payable to the Columbus City Treasurer. Online, the portal email takes an electronic check or a card. This is not a quote for your address.

The 1-, 2-, and 3-family table is the one for a house. New construction and additions, including 6 inspections, are $1,100. Alterations and accessory structures, including 2 inspections, are $385. Foundation, including 2 inspections, is listed as $275/$300. The schedule does not say which of those two foundation amounts applies. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing, including 2 inspections, are $275.

A minor-work permit for electrical, mechanical, or plumbing only, and only if the work is on the approved minor-work list, including 1 inspection, is $140. Roof, siding, windows, and doors, with 1 inspection, are $140. An above-ground swimming pool, including 1 inspection, is $100. An in-ground pool, including 2 inspections, is $300.

A deck, including 3 inspections, is $350. A fence, including 2 inspections, is $300. An advanced construction start is $125. Demolition, including 1 inspection, is $275. The multi-family table and the commercial table sit on the next pages. Do not use them on a one-family house because a line looked familiar. A deck on the commercial table is $600 and includes 2 inspections. The house deck line is the $350 line.

The deck handout still in the library does not match that $350. It lists "PERMIT FEE: (as of January 2019)" and "$200 – Includes 3 inspections for footers, framing, and final." The 2026 schedule also includes 3 inspections, and the amount is $350. Don't pay the 2019 figure just because the drawing packet still shows it. Ask which line is on the invoice.

An additional inspection trip, on the miscellaneous building table, is $225. The frequently asked questions page says each visit debits a trip, whether the result is approved, disapproved, or partial, and that trips are not refunded and are not transferred between permits. After-hours inspection is $650 for the first 2 hours and $225 for each additional hour. That is the fee table. The inspection sheet says an after-hours inspection may be charged a premium.

A few amounts are easy to attach to the wrong job. The $140 minor-work line applies only to work on the approved list. The list, revised March 2019, marks these items for a 1-, 2-, or 3-family dwelling. Interior perimeter drainage tile. Electric for a solar photovoltaic system. A temporary or freestanding service up to 200 amps during construction. Secondary service distribution.

A new or replacement backflow preventer or backwater valve. Water-heater replacement. Replacement of a single furnace, air conditioner, and/or heat pump that is not located on the roof and that has no smoke detector. A furnace on the roof, or one that involves a smoke detector, is not that row. "Modify or update electrical box" is on the typical-projects sheet as a permit without plan review. Those words are not on the minor-work list. Ask which line they are using.

Zoning clearance has its own lines, and they are not the building-permit fee. Preliminary zoning clearance review is $200. Zoning clearance only, with no associated building permit, is $100 for 1 to 4 dwelling units and $600 for all others. The schedule does not list a separate zoning fee for a clearance that is routed inside a building-permit review. The frequently asked questions page says that when zoning clearance is not granted as part of the building permit, it is typically part of final site-compliance review.

A certificate of occupancy for an existing building that is not associated with a building permit is $300 for a 1-, 2-, or 3-family dwelling. Occupying without a certificate of occupancy is $2,500. A partial occupancy for residential is $250. Those certificate lines are not a finding that every water-heater permit ends in a certificate. Plan revisions and plan-review-only for a 1-, 2-, or 3-family dwelling are $225 for the first hour and $125 for each additional hour or portion of an hour.

A permit extension, cited on the schedule as Ohio Building Code 105.3, is $100 per permit. Working without a permit is charged in addition to the permit, at four printed levels: level 1 is $200, level 2 is $750, level 3 is $1,750, and level 4 is $4,000. The schedule does not define the levels.

The frequently asked questions page says the city does have impact fees, that they depend on the scope, and that a free preliminary site-plan review is how you ask what they might be. It says to email a PDF to engineeringinfo@columbus.gov. It does not list a dollar amount. The engineering table in the fee schedule is for site plans, plats, and lot splits. It is not a house-permit surcharge we are adding to the $1,100.

Columbus zoning code setbacks and easements

A building permit is not the zoning decision. Zoning is a section inside the same department. The frequently asked questions page says zoning clearance is generally required for alterations to a site and for changes of use, and that other projects may trigger it depending on the district. When it is part of the building permit, the plans are routed.

The general-development-standards sheet says it is only information for 1- to 3-unit residential lot layout, and it lists these figures. No more than 50 percent of the lot may be covered by buildings and structures, under the section it cites, 3332.18(D). Minimum lot width is 50 feet for R-1, R-2, R-2F, R-3, and R-4, with an exception it points at and does not list, section 3332.16, for older lots.

The combined side yard is 20 percent of lot width, under 3332.25.B, except the maximum required total is 32 feet in R, LRR, RRR, and RR districts, and the maximum required total on a lot 40 feet wide or less, in any district, is 6 feet. Minimum side yards, under 3332.25.A, are 7.5 feet for R, LRR, RRR, and RR.

They are 5 feet for a lot over 40 feet wide in SR, R-1, R-2, R-2F, R-3, and R-4. They are 3 feet on a lot 40 feet wide or less in any district. Exactly 40 feet is inside "40 feet wide or less." It is not inside "over 40 feet wide." The rear yard must be at least 25 percent of the total lot area, under 3332.27.

The shed section says that 25 percent is an area behind the rear plane of the house, not a setback distance, and that the shape is often an odd polygon. There is no single front-yard number on that sheet. Call zoning with the address before you order posts. The help line on the sheet is 614-645-8637, zoninginfo@columbus.gov. The map is gis.columbus.gov/zoning/.

The same sheet lists parking and driveway numbers that the driveway answers repeat in slightly different words. Two off-street parking spaces are required for each dwelling unit, under 3312.49. A parking space is a rectangle of not less than 9 by 18 feet, under 3312.29. Parking spaces shall not be located in the required side yard, under 3332.28.

A hard surface is required for driveways and parking pads. The examples are concrete and asphalt. Driveway width is 10 feet minimum and 20 feet maximum, measured at the street right-of-way line. The driveway answers say the maximum width is 20 feet for a 2-car garage, under 3312.13(A) for the 10-foot minimum. "At the right-of-way" and "for a 2-car garage" are not the same place.

Maneuvering, the standards sheet says, is in most cases 20 feet, and street and alley right-of-way can count. It points at chapter 3312. The driveway answers say 20 feet of maneuvering can be accommodated by the street or the alley, under 3312.25. Gravel is not an approved surface for a new driveway or parking pad. The driveway answers say a residential property that had gravel before 1985 can continue to maintain that gravel surface. They do not define "maintain."

A new paved driveway is not the sidewalk exemption. The building-permit exemption list includes sidewalks and driveways not more than 30 inches above grade, not over a basement or a story below, and not part of an accessible route. Exactly 30 inches is inside "not more than." The driveway answers say zoning clearance is required to expand a driveway or a parking pad, and to pave a new one. Zoning clearance is not required to repave a previously approved driveway or pad.

A building-permit exemption and a zoning clearance are different filings. The answers also say a parking pad cannot sit in the parking setback, which is generally the same as the building setback, and that a corner lot has a second setback. They do not list the distance. A curb cut, and any paving in the right-of-way, needs a right-of-way permit from Public Service, at 614-645-7497 or ColsPermits@Columbus.gov. That is not a Building and Zoning Services building permit. The answers say some districts are stricter, so the map still comes first.

Fences are the clearest height rule that does match across the sheets, and the placement rule is not a permit. The fence sheet, footer BA 4/26, says fences 6 feet or less are not regulated as a structure and can be placed in the rear yard with no setback from the property lines. A fence 6 feet or less does not require a building permit.

The zoning code still regulates placement for visibility, including a fence under 6 feet. Exactly 6 feet is inside "6 feet or less" and inside "not over six feet" on the exemption list. Privacy fences over 6 feet are regulated as a structure, take setbacks including side yards, and require a building permit. The sheet says to call zoning at 645-8637 before you build over 6 feet.

The typical-projects sheet puts a fence greater than 6 feet on the sealed-plans list. The fee line, if a fence permit is the one being issued, is $300 and includes 2 inspections. The city does not regulate which face of the fence points out. The city does not locate your property line and does not mediate a line dispute. Deed restrictions are not enforced by the city. The sheet says that.

Where a fence may stand, when a car has to see past it, is listed even though a 6-foot rear-yard fence needs no permit. The fence sheet says no portion of a fence or wall exceeding 2.5 feet above finished lot grade shall exceed 25 percent opacity when it is in a required yard that has vehicular access to a street, or that abuts that access.

Mature plantings with foliage between 2.5 feet and 6 feet above finished grade shall extend no closer than 12 feet to the street right-of-way line. The sheet tells you to call before any fence in a front yard, and before a fence on a corner lot. It says bring a site plan to the customer-service center, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. weekdays, or email ZoningInfo@columbus.gov. Review is over the counter. No appointment.

The department does not keep the easement file. The preliminary-zoning instructions for a 1-, 2-, or 3-unit new house or addition say zoning does not administer or enforce easements, and that the applicant locates them and shows them on the site plan. The garage sheet says a garage cannot be located in an easement, and the frequently asked questions page says a proposed garage in an easement shall not be approved. A Franklin County Auditor map, or a mortgage survey, is something the deck packet allows as the base of a site plan. That is a drawing underlay. It is not a Franklin County building permit.

Floodplain lots are named and not explained. The standards sheet says floodplain standards apply inside the 100-year floodplain and lists the contact 614-645-5642. A historic district or a commission area still wants the certificate of appropriateness before the permit. Accessory dwelling units are a news item, not a chapter. The news page says accessory dwelling units are allowed by right in all residential and apartment residential districts, effective December 24, 2025, under changes to chapters 3332 and 3333, and it sends questions to zoninginfo@columbus.gov. The department homepage links a handbook. This guide does not say how large an accessory dwelling may be, or which permit it uses.

Room additions and finished basements in Columbus

An addition is construction. The typical-projects sheet lists a room addition under permit and plan review, with no size cutoff. The building application has its own check box for an addition, separate from alteration. An alteration, on that form, uses the examples renovation, porch, and 3-season room, or an accessory structure such as a garage. A porch is in the alteration example. It is also, on the typical-projects sheet, its own "build a porch" line under permit and plan review.

The city pages linked here don't include a porch handout, or a distance a porch may project into a yard. The preliminary-zoning instructions say that on a corner lot you dimension the setback from the street right-of-way to the dwelling, not to the open covered porch. That sentence tells you which point to measure. It does not list the setback. Do not invent one from the side-yard numbers above.

The fee, if the 1-, 2-, and 3-family table is the invoice, puts new construction and additions on the $1,100 line, with 6 inspections included. An alteration or an accessory structure is the $385 line, with 2 inspections. A room addition is not labeled an alteration on the fee table. A porch is in the alteration example on the application. Ask which box they want checked, and which line is on the invoice, before you write the check. The drawings are the two plan sets, the site plan, and the scope of work described above. One- and two- and three-family plan review is the "approximately one week" sentence, and it is also the twenty-business-day sentence. Both are still in force.

If you want zoning looked at before you file the building permit, the preliminary-zoning sheet is for a new build or an addition on a 1-, 2-, or 3-unit dwelling. The fee line for a preliminary zoning clearance review is $200. The instruction says to email the zoning-review application and the site plan to tzoninginfo@columbus.gov. That is the spelling on the sheet.

The contact line at the bottom of the same sheet is zoninginfo@columbus.gov and (614) 645-8637. The address line on that sheet lists "Columbus, Ohi43215." The site plan they describe is oriented north, readable on 11-by-17 paper, with parcel lines, alley width if there is an alley, the full right-of-way width, maneuvering width, side-yard widths in feet with no inches, structure footprints, and a data table.

The table includes lot area, living area of the existing house and of the addition, building-footprint area including porches and steps, percent lot coverage for buildings only, percent rear yard, and parking required and provided. Pavement does not count toward the building-coverage percentage. That matches the shed section, which counts the building, porch, deck, and shed, and not the pavement, toward the 50 percent cap, and which says you may include 50 percent of a rear or side alley in that calculation.

The sheet has no row for a garage turned into living space. Finishing a basement or an attic is the habitable-space line on the typical-projects sheet. The city pages linked here don't include a conversion handout that lists insulation values, window area, or an emergency-escape size. Those numbers are not in this guide. If the new space is a second dwelling, the news item on accessory dwellings is the sentence above, and the handbook was not opened.

Columbus deck packet: site plan to footing

A wooden deck and a covered front porch on a Columbus house

Use Construction Industry Communication 23 before you decide a low platform is free, and then read the typical-projects sheet, because they do not say the same thing. The memo, from the chief building official, is dated July 17, 2017, and the file says revised April 3, 2026. It says plan approval and building permits are required for alterations to the means of egress between the exit door and the level of exit discharge, including landings, decks, ramps, and stairs.

The only exception it lists is a deck that does not exceed 200 square feet, is not more than 30 inches above grade at any point, is not attached to the dwelling, and does not serve the required exit door. All four have to be true. Exactly 200 square feet is inside "not exceeding 200."

Exactly 30 inches is inside "not more than 30 inches." A deck that is attached, or that serves the required exit door, is not in the exception even if it is small and low. The same memo says a zoning approval is required for all decks exceeding 169 square feet, regardless of location or height.

Exactly 169 square feet is not "exceeding 169." The typical-projects sheet says "build a deck" requires a permit and plan review, and it does not list the 200-square-foot exception or the 30-inch exception. The short sheet and the memo both apply, and neither cancels the other. Call 614-645-7562 before you build the platform the memo might exempt.

A porch is not that exception. The memo's exception is written for decks. The typical-projects sheet lists "build a porch" as its own permit-and-plan-review item, with no size and no height. The application uses a porch as an example of an alteration. No city page linked here says a porch under 200 square feet, or under 30 inches, is exempt. Do not paste the deck exception onto a covered porch because this section sits nearby.

Landings, stairs, or temporary ramps 30 inches or less above grade at any point may, the memo says, be issued as a minor limited-scope permit and need a final inspection when the work is done. Exactly 30 inches is inside "30 inches or less" on that landing sentence. A patio, on the typical-projects sheet, is in the no-permit block. A patio is not a deck. The patio line doesn't apply to a deck, and the deck memo doesn't apply to a patio.

The zoning line on the memo is only the 169-square-foot trigger. It does not list a rear-yard distance for a deck. The standards sheet's side yards, the 25 percent rear-yard area, and the 50 percent coverage cap still sit on the lot. A deck counts toward coverage on the shed section's list. The city pages linked here don't include a reduced rear setback listed for an uncovered deck.

When a deck permit is the path, the deck packet and the frequently asked questions page ask for one building-permit application and two sets of a site plan, a footing plan, a framing plan, an elevation with connection details, a guard and handrail detail, and a stair detail. The site plan shows property lines with dimensions, setback lines if any, and the house, garage, and other buildings.

A mortgage survey or a Franklin County Auditor map may be the base. You draw the deck on it with a pen and a ruler. The inspections on that packet are three. Footing, after the holes are dug and cleaned of loose debris and water, and before concrete. Framing, after posts, beams, joist hangers, and the bolts or lags are in, with fasteners exposed.

Final, after stairs, handrails, and guardrails are done. If a ledger is used, access to the house is required so the inspector can see that at least two connections extend past the inside face of the band joist. The permit and the approved drawings stay on site. The 2026 fee line is $350, including those 3 inspections. The packet still lists $200 as of January 2019. Both are department paper.

The guard height is two sentences, and they do not measure the same way. The deck packet says guardrails are required when the deck-floor height is 30 inches from grade or higher, that the guard is no less than 36 inches, and that openings do not pass a 4-inch sphere. Exactly 30 inches is inside "30 inches or higher."

Communication 23 says a 36-inch guard is provided where the grade is more than 30 inches below the deck surface, measured 3 feet out from the edge of the deck, along the edge and along perimeter fixed seating. Exactly 30 inches is not "more than 30 inches." "From grade" and "3 feet out" are not the same point.

Handrails, on both, are on at least one side when there are 4 or more risers, not less than 34 inches and not more than 38 inches. The memo also lists risers no more than 8 and 1/4 inches and treads not less than 9 inches, and it says the step from the house down to the deck shall not exceed 8 and 1/4 inches from the top of the door threshold to the deck, if the door does not swing out over the deck.

The packet says the work complies with the 2019 Residential Code of Ohio, section 507, and it points at the joist, beam, and footing tables in that section. Those table numbers did not come through as text in the file. One example footing detail on the packet is labeled 32 inches minimum depth. It is labeled as an example.

It is not a sentence that every footing in the city is 32 inches. Skirting, if you use it, is not more than 70 percent opaque, or, if it is more than 70 percent opaque, it is held 18 inches above grade or built with a rat wall. The packet cites Columbus Building Code sections 4123.49 and 4525.10.

Attachment rules that are listed are short. The memo says a deck attached to the house is designed to resist vertical and horizontal movement, and that the attachment is not made with toenails or with nails subject to withdrawal. It requires approved corrosion-resistant flashing where a porch, deck, or stair is attached to a wood-frame wall or floor. The packet says a ledger on masonry veneer will not be permitted, and that a ledger on concrete has to be through-bolted. A design professional's seal may be required for that fastening, and it is required for expansion bolts. The packet says you may attach its ledger page if you are using a ledger.

Columbus sheds and the 200-square-foot line

A small backyard shed behind a Columbus house

Count the floor, then notice which sentence you are in. On the typical-projects sheet, a shed of less than 200 square feet is in the no-permit block, with the zoning-limitation sentence above those bullets, and a shed of 200 square feet or larger needs a permit and plan review. On the storage-shed section, a building permit is required over 200 square feet, and the page says that is also the Residential Code of Ohio rule for a 1-, 2-, or 3-unit dwelling.

Exactly 200 is inside "or larger" and outside "over." The exemption list at the top of the homeowner steps uses a third number: floor area that does not exceed 120 square feet, for a one-story detached tool or storage shed, playhouse, or similar use. Exactly 120 is inside "does not exceed 120." A shed of 150 square feet is not. The same page's storage-shed section ties the 120-square-foot figure to the Ohio Building Code for 4 or more units, and uses over 200 square feet for a house.

The page says the applicable code for a 1-, 2-, or 3-unit dwelling is the Residential Code of Ohio, and it limits those sheds to one story, unheated, and accessory. The glossary's definition adds "open on one or more sides." A closed shed is not obviously inside that definition. Call.

Height and the second shed are zoning, and they are not a permit waiver. No shed may exceed 15 feet, measured from finished grade at the structure to the highest point. The page does not say that crossing 15 feet is what creates the building permit. It says the shed may not exceed 15 feet. The cumulative area of all sheds is subject to the district's lot coverage.

Zoning clearance for a shed under 200 square feet is required only if the cumulative area of multiple sheds is greater than 200 square feet of shed space. Exactly 200 square feet of combined sheds is not "greater than 200." One shed of less than 169 square feet is not the rule on the page. The shed section doesn't mention 169 square feet. The 169-square-foot line comes from the deck memo, and it is about decks.

A shed of 169 square feet is the wrong test for another reason. The side-yard and coverage numbers are the ones in the zoning section above. The shed section points side yards at 3332.25.A, which is the 3-foot, 5-foot, and 7.5-foot sheet, depending on district and on whether the lot is over 40 feet or 40 feet or less. It points the rear yard at the 25 percent area, not at a 3-foot rear setback.

The city pages linked here don't include a 3-foot rear setback for a Columbus shed. Coverage is 50 percent, counting the building, porch, deck, and shed, not the pavement, with the alley fraction the shed section lists. A greenhouse is held to the same standards as a shed. The 120-square-foot permit line for a building of 4 units or more is the Ohio Building Code threshold on that page. Do not use it on a house.

A detached garage is not a shed with a door. The garage sheet and the frequently asked questions page list the same zoning limits. Maximum area is 720 square feet, or one-third of the living area of the house, whichever is greater. The frequently asked questions page cites 3332.38(F) for that area. Maximum height is 15 feet, and it can vary if architectural review or the Board of Zoning Adjustment approves something else.

A garage in an easement is not approved. A detached garage can take up no more than 45 percent of the rear yard. The sheet cites 3332.38(e). The standards sheet cites 3332.38(E) for the same 45 percent, and it says the maximum height is 15 feet and points at 3303.08 and 3332.38 for more. The driveway has to be a hard surface, not gravel, at least 10 feet wide, with 20 feet of maneuvering.

The drawing set is the footprint, the distances to property lines, the height, the 20 feet of maneuvering, the full alley width if there is an alley, two copies of structural drawings, the application, and a certificate of appropriateness if the house is in a historic area. A corner lot is sent to 3332.21, 3332.22, and 3321.05. The numbers in those sections are not on the sheet. The phone listed on the garage sheet is 614-645-4522. The contact sheet uses that number for public hearings. Zoning clearance on the contact sheet is 614-645-8637.

The fee table does not list the word "shed." It lists alterations and accessory structures at $385, including 2 inspections, for a 1-, 2-, or 3-family dwelling. A shed is an accessory structure on the department's own shed section. A garage is the accessory-structure example on the application. The invoice may not say $385, because the table does not name the shed. Ask. Power and water are not decided by the building-permit size. The procedures for a trade permit are the electrical and plumbing sections below. The minor-work list does not exempt a new circuit because the shed might be under 200 square feet.

Columbus electrical permits

The Department of Building and Zoning Services issues the electrical permit. No city page linked here sends house wiring to another city, or to the state, for the permit itself. The state shows up as the Residential Code of Ohio and as the 2023 National Electrical Code on the adopted-codes page. The step-by-step guide says an owner who lives in the single-family house may take an electrical permit for addition, alteration, repair, or replacement.

The homeowner trade affidavit says that permit is not available for new construction of a single-family residence, and that the house is an R-4 use group the owner occupies or will occupy. The fee answer says a registered contractor pulls the trade permit after the building permit. The solar answer says the electrical contractor, not the homeowner, pulls the connection permit. All four sentences are the department's. The portal will take an application when the category list includes it. The affidavit email is bzslicensing@columbus.gov. The intake email on the building application is BZS-intake@columbus.gov.

What needs a permit is narrower on some rows than the opening sentence. Minor electrical repair, including lamps and plugging approved portable equipment into an approved permanent receptacle, is on the exemption list. The typical-projects sheet says modifying or updating an electrical box needs a permit and does not need plan review. Replacing a furnace or an air conditioner, and replacing a hot water tank, are on that same no-plan-review list.

The minor-work list puts water-heater replacement, and a single furnace, air conditioner, and/or heat pump that is not on the roof and has no smoke detector, on the list that can skip plan review. Electric for a solar photovoltaic system is also on that list for a 1-, 2-, or 3-family dwelling. The solar instructions still require stamped structural drawings and a building application marked plan review only, with the words "install rooftop solar panels" in the description, plus the name of a city-registered photovoltaic inspector.

The minor-work row does not erase the stamped drawings. A temporary or freestanding service up to 200 amps during construction is on the minor-work list. Exactly 200 amps is inside "up to 200." The fee, when the work is actually on that list, is the $140 minor-work line, with 1 inspection. The ordinary trade line is $275, with 2 inspections. Starting the work before the permit is the working-without-a-permit table, and the level is not defined.

The electrical inspection phone on the contact sheet is (614) 645-6076, electricinfo@columbus.gov. The pool section says to call 645-6076 for a pool with lights or with metal parts. Scheduling is not that number. Scheduling is the section below. No city page linked here says a homeowner schedules an electrical inspection on a different line from a building inspection. The solar answer lists a phone, 624-645-7562, and the email BuildingPlanReview@Columbus.gov. The plan-review number on every other page is 614-645-7562. The rooftop photovoltaic PDF in the same library lists the department's main number, 614-645-7433, on its header, and it still says the electrical permit is obtained by a registered electrical contractor.

Columbus plumbing (Franklin County health) and mechanical permits

Plumbing and mechanical permits are department permits, with the same split between the homeowner affidavit and the contractor sentence. The contact sheet lists plumbing at (614) 645-6340, plumbinginfo@columbus.gov, and HVAC and mechanical at (614) 645-3044, mechanicalinfo@columbus.gov. The leak-repair exemption is on the frequently asked questions page. Replacing a concealed trap or a concealed drain, water, soil, waste, or vent pipe with new material is new work and needs an approval and an inspection.

A water-heater replacement is on the minor-work list and on the typical-projects sheet. A furnace or air-conditioner replacement is on both, with the roof and smoke-detector limits on the minor-work list only. A kitchen or bath remodel, which is where new fixtures usually appear, needs a permit and plan review on the typical-projects sheet. The plan sheet says the plumbing drawing has to show the new fixtures and, except in new construction, the tie-in. A new shower is not the cabinet row.

A water service is a different office for the plan, and the same department for the inspection permit. A news item effective August 28, 2024, says inspections of water service lines, domestic and fire, from the meter to the building's water distribution system, are performed by Building and Zoning Services. Plan review stays with Public Utilities and site compliance, which issue a water-service plan number.

The water-service installation permit is issued by Building and Zoning Services, at the counter, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., or online. The news item says the permits will only be issued to registered contractors approved for this work. That is a contractor permit, not the homeowner affidavit. The permit includes two inspection trips, with a maximum of one hour each. Questions on that item go to plumbinginfo@columbus.gov. The city pages linked here don't include a connection fee.

Pools are building permits when the water can be more than 24 inches deep. The frequently asked questions page and the pool sheet say the permit covers installation, repair, maintenance, or location of a swimming or wading pool capable of a water depth of more than 24 inches. Exactly 24 inches is not "more than 24." The fee is $100 above ground, with 1 inspection, or $300 in ground, with 2 inspections.

The barrier is not less than 48 inches, measured from the ground. Gates open outward, are self-closing and self-latching, and can take a lock. The release is at least 54 inches from the bottom of the gate, or more than 3 inches below the top on the inside, with no opening greater than 1/2 inch within 18 inches of the release.

A house wall that is part of the barrier needs an alarm or a self-closing, self-latching door, with the heights the sheet lists. A pool at least 48 inches above grade, with a removable ladder or a barrier at the ladder, is exempt from the 48-inch barrier. A power safety cover, or a spa or hot-tub cover complying with ASTM F 1346, is exempt from the barrier.

Zoning, on that page, starts earlier than the building permit. A pool capable of a depth greater than 12 inches has to meet zoning, cannot be in a front yard or a required side yard, and is checked at 645-8637. Exactly 12 inches is not "greater than 12." Drainage goes to a sanitary sewer, or onto the owner's own lawn or garden without leaving the property except through the sanitary sewer.

The electrical rules split at 42 inches of pool height, and at metal parts. We are not summarizing Article 680. The page says in-ground pools, and above-ground pools greater than 42 inches, comply with that article, and it says no outlet may be closer than 6 feet to the pool. The application wants two site plans. In-ground pools, indoor pools, and pools greater than 42 inches also want two sets of structural drawings sealed by an architect or engineer.

A wood deck that is part of the pool follows the city code section the page cites, 4113, and does not require a seal. A metal deck that is part of the pool does. The sanitary-sewer blank on the site plan says to call 645-5825 for in-ground pools.

No city page linked here hands a house septic permit to the county health department. If the house is outside the city, this guide is the wrong page. If the zoning map says the house is in the city, ask the examiner which sewer or septic sign-off is on your checklist.

After you file with BZS: review and inspections

Building plans spread on a desk next to a laptop, ready for a Columbus, Ohio building permit application

File in the portal if the category list includes the job, or take the application to 111 North Front Street during the weekday window. Use the first floor if you are following the homepage, and use ZIP 43215. The step-by-step guide's 4321 is the digit that does not match. Pay when the record is submitted.

The reviewer assignment is the twenty-business-day sentence. The residential timeline the plan-review page actually lists is approximately one week, and it says "generally" and "approximately." Then the permit exists, separate from the approval letter. The approval letter tells you how to retrieve the letter, the permit, and the stamped plans, by email, on the step-by-step guide.

A news item says inspection sign-off sheets are no longer the second page of the permit, and that results are in the portal. The heading on that item says June 1st and does not list a year. It says permits issued before June 1 may keep using the paper sheet or a hybrid, and to coordinate with the inspector. Questions on that item are listed at 614-645-8445. The March 2026 contact sheet lists the building-inspections manager at (614) 645-7433 and bzsinspectionmanager@columbus.gov.

The only full inspection order for a house, other than the three-step deck list, is the basic inspection sheet, footer BA 3/26. Footing, after excavation and any required bars, before concrete. Foundation, after the wall, anchor bolts, and any reinforcement, waterproofing, and drainage tile, before backfill. Slab, after underground mechanical, electrical, and plumbing are approved, and after insulation, vapor barrier, and any reinforcement, before concrete.

Rough mechanical, electrical, and plumbing, after the addition is watertight, in any order. Rough structural, after those rough trades are approved. Insulation, after walls and ceilings are insulated, the vapor barrier is in, and fire blocking is done. Fire-resistance-rated assemblies, where they are required between units or because of the location on the lot, before the drywall joints are taped. Final mechanical, electrical, and plumbing, in any order.

Final structural, after the work required by the plan approval is complete. A deck uses the deck packet's three inspections, not this whole list, unless the permit says otherwise. A roof, siding, window, and door permit uses one inspection, and Communication 11 says nobody has to stand with the inspector, the gate has to be unlocked, and a failed inspection is an extra fee paid before the next one is scheduled. The extra trip on the 2026 schedule is $225.

Scheduling for the next business day, or a later business day, is open until midnight, on the portal or on the automated line (614) 645-8235. The frequently asked questions page says inspectors are in the field from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., and that the inspection can happen any time in that window.

You may ask for morning, afternoon, or a call ahead. The page says the request is not guaranteed. The basic inspection sheet says inspections during business hours run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and it gives the same midnight cutoff and the same phone. It also lists www.columbus.gov/inspection. After-hours inspections, on that sheet, run from 5:00 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. between business days, have to be requested on the portal before 2:00 p.m. on the business day before, and may be charged a premium.

The glossary says after-hours inspections are performed from 5:00 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. The "and" is the glossary's word. Cancel a regular inspection any time before the inspector arrives. Cancel an after-hours inspection by 3:00 p.m. on the business day of the inspection, or by 3:00 p.m. the business day before if the inspection is on a day the office is closed.

Missing that cancelation costs the trip. General questions on the inspection sheet go to (614) 645-5698. Have the permit number. A plumbing inspection is scheduled on the plumbing permit, and it debits a plumbing trip. The sheet says separate permits are required for mechanical, electric, and plumbing.

The step-by-step guide says that after the final inspection, the permit closes on its own. It does not say every house job receives a certificate of occupancy. The owner affidavit says additional permits may be required for occupancy. The $300 certificate line is for an existing 1-, 2-, or 3-family building when no building permit is associated with it. Ask, when the permit is issued, whether your job needs a letter or only the final inspection.

Expiration is two clocks. The plan-review page says the plan approval is valid for 1 year from the plan-approval letter, and that an extension may be requested if construction has not commenced in that 12 months. The glossary says a permit expires if work does not commence within 12 months of plan approval, and that once work has commenced there can be no delay or suspension of more than 6 months.

The frequently asked questions page, answering a time-limit question, says that once the permit is issued you have 12 months to start, that once construction starts the permit expires in 6 months unless inspections are performed, and that the date extends 6 months from the last inspection. It says an inspection on a related plumbing permit extends all related permits. "From the plan-approval letter" and "once the permit is issued" are not the same day.

Extensions, on that answer, are a one-year extension if the permit is near expiration, requested from the expired-permit team, and, for work that has started and then stopped for more than 6 months, two extensions of 6 months each. The glossary says one 12-month extension to start work, and two 6-month extensions for delays, "approved, as allowed by code." The answer page says the two 6-month extensions "shall be granted." The email both point at is expiredpermits@columbus.gov. The fee is $100 per permit. Write the date they give you on the permit.

If you see work without a permit, the contact sheet sends code enforcement to (614) 645-2202, 311@columbus.gov, or https://311.columbus.gov/. The working-without-a-permit affidavit is a different form. It is an acknowledgment that work covered by Columbus Building Code chapter 4113 was done without a permit, and that signing it waives a board appearance and pleads guilty. The phone on that form is 614-645-6416. It is not a homeowner how-to. The fee levels are the four amounts above, and they are not defined on the schedule.

A Columbus pre-filing checklist

  1. Confirm the house is inside the City of Columbus on the zoning map at gis.columbus.gov/zoning/. The permit office is the Department of Building and Zoning Services, 111 North Front Street. The homepage lists the 1st floor and ZIP 43215. The step-by-step guide lists ZIP 4321. No city page linked here sends a house building permit to Franklin County. A Franklin County Auditor map is only a base for a deck site plan.
  2. Ordinary repair is not one list. Flooring, painting, cabinets, countertops, an overhead garage door, a patio, and an unattached open-roof pergola are on the typical-projects no-permit block. The asterisk after exterior painting has no footnote on that sheet. The frequently asked questions page uses a 120-square-foot shed exemption and points at Ohio Building Code 102.10; its own shed section gives 120 square feet as the threshold for 4 or more units. The same site's shed section and the typical-projects sheet argue between 200 square feet and "over 200." Do not pick the sentence that lets you start.
  3. A shed of exactly 200 square feet is inside "200 square feet or larger" on the typical-projects sheet and outside "over 200" on the shed section. A shed of exactly 120 square feet is inside "does not exceed 120" on the exemption list. Zoning for the lot is a separate test, including the 50 percent coverage cap, the 25 percent rear-yard area, and the side yards on the standards sheet. The city pages linked here don't include a 3-foot rear setback for a shed. Power to the shed is not decided by the building-permit size. A detached garage is the 720-square-foot or one-third rule, 15 feet, and 45 percent of the rear yard.
  4. A deck is not one rule. Communication 23, revised April 3, 2026, exempts a deck only when it does not exceed 200 square feet, is not more than 30 inches above grade at any point, is not attached, and does not serve the required exit door, and it still wants zoning approval over 169 square feet. The typical-projects sheet says build a deck, with no exception printed. Guards are "30 inches or higher" on the deck packet and "more than 30 inches," measured 3 feet out, on the memo. A porch has no size exemption. A patio is on the no-permit list. Do not trade those words.
  5. An owner who lives in the single-family house, or will, may apply for listed work the owner will do. The owner affidavit and the trade affidavit are stricter, and they disagree with the sentence that says every trade permit is pulled by a registered contractor. A solar electrical permit, on the solar answer, is the contractor, not the homeowner. Exactly those limits are why a friend with a truck is not automatically your electrician.
  6. Do not email a sketch and start demolition. File the application, pay, and wait for the issued permit. Plan approval is not the permit, except that the solar email path says construction may begin when that approval email arrives. The residential review lines are approximately one week and twenty business days. Drawings for a house plan are two sets, dimensioned, with a site plan and a four-part scope. Freehand is not accepted.
  7. The 2026 house fee lines include $1,100 for new construction and additions with 6 inspections, $385 for alterations and accessory structures with 2 inspections, $350 for a deck with 3 inspections, and $140 for a roof, siding, window, and door permit with 1 inspection. The deck packet still lists $200 as of January 2019. The foundation cell lists both $275 and $300. Working without a permit adds a level the schedule does not define. Do not write the check from this page.

Columbus commission areas: the review before the permit

This guide mentions that a historic district or commission area needs a certificate of appropriateness before the permit. Here's how that works in practice, because Columbus doesn't have one historic board. It has several, and each one has its own calendar.

Find out which board covers your address

The Planning Division staffs 11 separate boards, commissions, and panels, and the city's page links a map where you can search an address to see whether it falls in one of their areas. The same page says owners making changes in these areas may need a Certificate of Appropriateness or Approval, a Letter of Recommendation, or, for the advisory panels, a Record of Action. It lists exterior alterations, landscaping, demolition, new construction, signs, change of use, rezoning or variances, and lot combinations as examples of changes that can need review (City of Columbus: Historic Preservation and Design Review boards). The Victorian Village Commission and Italian Village Commission each have their own page off that list.

German Village

The German Village Commission and the German Village Historic District date to 1960, created by Ordinances 976-60 and 1221-60. The commission has seven mayoral appointees and issues Certificates of Appropriateness for exterior alterations inside the district under City Code chapters 3116 and 3119 and the German Village guidelines. Applications go through the Citizens Access Portal. Hearings are generally the first Wednesday of the month at 4:00 p.m. at 111 N. Front St., Room 204 (City of Columbus: German Village Commission).

Pay attention to the application deadline. On the commission's 2026 calendar, the November 4 hearing has an application deadline of October 8, and the December 2 hearing has a deadline of November 5. The same page links a staff approval list, so check it before you assume your project needs a hearing at all.

Brewery District and Columbus Register properties

The Historic Resources Commission handles properties individually listed on the Columbus Register of Historic Properties and the Columbus Register districts, under City Code chapters 3116 and 3117. The city's page says the Brewery District was incorporated into the Historic Resources Commission effective February 1, 2024. Its hearings are generally the third Thursday of the month at 4:00 p.m. On the 2026 calendar, the November 19 hearing has an application deadline of October 23 (City of Columbus: Historic Resources Commission).

How this changes your schedule

  • Look up the address on the boards map before you order windows, doors, siding, or a fence for a house in one of these areas.
  • Check the staff approval list for your commission. If your work isn't on it, count back from the hearing date to the application deadline. It's roughly four weeks earlier on the calendars above.
  • A missed deadline usually means waiting for the next monthly hearing.
  • Apply for the building permit after the certificate is in hand. The commission pages describe the certificate as the review of exterior changes. It isn't the building permit.

Last checked: October 2026.

Columbus basement backups: Project Dry Basement

A lot of Columbus basement work starts after a storm, with sewage coming up through the floor drain. Before you hire a plumber for a backwater valve, check the city's own program. Project Dry Basement started in July 2004. It covers the cost of an approved backflow prevention device for single- and two-family homes in Columbus that have had sewer backups when the public sewer surcharged in wet weather or was blocked (City of Columbus: Project Dry Basement).

The order matters here. You have to report the backup to the 24-hour Sewer Maintenance Operations Center at 614-645-7102 and keep the service request number they give you. The city's fact sheet says a backup has to be reported within 24 hours so staff can work out the cause. A home qualifies only if city staff decide the backup was caused by excess rainwater in the sanitary sewer, and in that case the city mails you an application (Columbus: What is Project Dry Basement? (PDF)). If the phone lines are busy during a storm, the city also takes an online basement flooding questionnaire.

Once the device is in, maintaining it is your job. The program page says to inspect and clean the valve every month and to tighten the lid fully, or the alarm may not go off when water backs up. For a pump instead of a valve, see the site's sump pump permit guide.

Official sources

Next steps for a Columbus project

If you're not sure the job needs a permit, start with do I need a building permit, in plain English or the permit checker. Guides for other cities are on building permits by city.

The general versions of the deck and shed questions are in our deck permit guide and shed size limits, and how much a building permit costs compares fees in other places. For a house in Columbus, the BZS sheets above are what you go by.

PermitCove is separate from the City of Columbus and the Department of Building and Zoning Services. Permits, fees, and plan approvals come from the department, not from this page.

Edited by Ahmed Khalifa, founder of PermitCove. Sources are linked inline; see our Editorial Policy.

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Written by PermitCove Editorial

We research every guide from public city, county, and state building-department pages and model codes, then translate them into plain-English checklists. We are not a government agency and this is not legal advice. How we research · Disclaimer · Report an error

Check locally: permit rules vary by city and county. Confirm requirements with your local building department (AHJ) before starting work.

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