Building permits inside the City of Akron are issued by Summit County Building Standards at 1030 East Tallmadge Avenue; the city’s own building department was combined with the county department in 2009. The City of Akron’s Plans and Permits office, in the same building, reviews every project for the city’s own requirements. Akron is Summit County’s seat and Ohio’s fifth-largest city, with 189,691 people in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate, and was once known as the “Rubber Capital of the World”.
This guide covers the department and how to reach it, the local conditions that shape a filing here, what permits cost and who may pull them, and how inspections are booked. Rules that apply everywhere in Ohio are summarized in each section, with a link to the full statewide explanation.
This guide covers work inside the City of Akron limits. Summit County Building Standards also serves other communities in the county, while some Summit County municipalities have their own building departments.
Two offices share 1030 East Tallmadge Avenue, and an Akron project needs both. Summit County Building Standards issues the building permit. The City of Akron’s Plans and Permits office reviews the same project for zoning, fire prevention, engineering and other city requirements, and the county cannot issue an Akron building permit until the city has given its approval. Plans go to both at the same time.
What requires a building permit in Akron?
Under the Ohio Building Code and the Residential Code of Ohio, a permit is required for most construction activity inside the city limits.
Permit required
- New residential and commercial construction, additions, alterations and conversions
- Structural and load-bearing work, foundations, decks, porches, ramps and stairs
- Finishing basements and attics, and any change of occupancy or use
- Electrical service changes, panel work, new circuits, solar and EV charging equipment
- Plumbing alterations, repipes, water heaters, backflow and sewer or gas connections
- HVAC installation and change-out, ductwork and venting; reroofing, siding, windows, pools and signs
Typically exempt
- Painting, wallpapering, tiling, carpeting and cabinet installation
- Minor repairs that do not cut away walls, touch structural supports or change the means of egress
- Fences up to 6 feet at houses (7 feet under the Ohio Building Code) and retaining walls up to 4 feet that support no surcharge
- One-story detached sheds and playhouses up to 200 square feet at houses (120 square feet under the Ohio Building Code)
The exempt list is set statewide in Section 102.10 of the Ohio Building Code and the Residential Code of Ohio, and an exemption from a building permit is not an exemption from zoning, setbacks, floodplain rules, utility approval or a fire authority review. Confirm scope with the department before work starts rather than after.
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Get a free quote →Which code edition applies
In Akron the statewide Ohio codes are enforced by Summit County Building Standards, which reviews and issues permits for projects under the Ohio Building Code and the Residential Code of Ohio. The City of Akron reviews every project for its own requirements: zoning, fire prevention, grading and paving, right-of-way, sewer, water, storm-water pollution prevention and traffic.
Permits in Akron are governed by Ohio’s statewide codes: the Ohio Building Code for commercial and other nonresidential buildings, and the Residential Code of Ohio for detached one-, two- and three-family dwellings. The Ohio Building, Mechanical and Plumbing Codes in force since 1 March 2024 are based on the 2021 International Codes; the Residential Code of Ohio is the 2019 edition, based on the 2018 International Residential Code; both use the 2023 National Electrical Code. Only departments certified by the Ohio Board of Building Standards may approve plans, and residential rules are uniform statewide. How Ohio’s statewide code works
Who handles permitting in Akron?
Summit County Building Standards reviews plans, issues building permits and carries out the building, electrical, HVAC and plumbing inspections inside the city limits. The city’s Plans and Permits office, in the same building, runs a separate review of every project at the same time, and issues city permits such as sewer, pool, grading and paving, razing and right-of-way permits.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Authority | Summit County Division of Building Standards (building permits and inspections) |
| Offices | 1030 East Tallmadge Avenue, Akron, Ohio 44310 |
| Phone | County: (330) 630-7280. City Plans and Permits: 330-375-2010 |
| Counter hours | Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 4:00pm at both offices; county inspections and application drop-off 8:00am to 3:00pm |
| City review | City of Akron Plans and Permits, same building: zoning, fire prevention, engineering and city permits |
| Jurisdiction | The county department serves Akron and other Summit County communities |
| Code | Ohio Building Code on the 2021 International Codes (since 1 March 2024); Residential Code of Ohio, 2019 edition on the 2018 IRC; 2023 NEC |
| Contractor credentials | City of Akron registration for every contractor whose work needs a permit; OCILB licence for commercial electrical, HVAC, hydronics, plumbing and refrigeration work |
The city allows its plan reviewers about 14 business days to review a project, and longer for a large or complex one.
Zoning is part of the city’s Akron Approval
Zoning review sits with the City of Akron, inside its review of the project, and the county cannot issue the building permit without the city’s approval. If the Zoning Department rejects a project, the owner may file a zoning appeal; if the appeal is not approved, the city does not give its approval and the permits are not issued.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →The Ohio Board of Building Standards certifies which departments may enforce the code, and for which buildings; the certified department’s political subdivision sets fees, and zoning is a separate approval. Where no certified department has jurisdiction, nonresidential plans go to the state, while houses need no plan submission. The Board’s building-department look-up shows which department has authority over an address. Who has authority in Ohio
Permit types
Residential permits
One-, two- and three-family dwellings follow the Residential Code of Ohio, and Summit County Building Standards issues those permits in Akron. A homeowner may pull a county permit for a home in their own name, except for gas lines, with a signed and notarized homeowner’s affidavit; the county asks owners to call first about electrical work. Under the Summit County Building Code, work on a home the owner does not or will not occupy must have a qualified contractor responsible for it.
Commercial permits
Commercial buildings follow the Ohio Building Code, and commercial plans must be drawn and stamped by a state-licensed designer. For a certificate of occupancy, the application and floor plans go to both the city and the county; the city’s Fire Prevention charges a $100 hazard inspection fee, and Summit County Building Standards issues the certificate.
Two statewide topics shape most Ohio submittals: energy compliance (the 2021 IECC or ASHRAE 90.1-2019 for commercial buildings, Chapter 11 of the Residential Code of Ohio for houses) and work on existing buildings, where alteration, repair, addition and change of occupancy each carry their own requirements. Energy and existing buildings in Ohio
Akron permit costs and fees
Building permit fees in Akron are Summit County Building Standards fees, set in the Summit County Building Code. The City of Akron charges its own fees for the permits and reviews it handles. A Board of Building Standards assessment of 3 percent of nonresidential and 1 percent of residential fees is added (ORC 3781.102).
| Fee component | How it works |
|---|---|
| Plan review | Charged under the issuing department’s adopted schedule |
| Building permit | Charged by Summit County Building Standards under the Summit County Building Code |
| Trade permits | Electrical, plumbing and mechanical work is charged under the issuing department’s schedule |
| State BBS assessment | Collected on top of local fees for the Board of Building Standards: 3% of nonresidential and 1% of residential fees (ORC 3781.102) |
| Certificate of Occupancy | Issued by Summit County Building Standards; the city’s Fire Prevention charges a $100 hazard inspection fee |
| Work without a permit | Orders, including stop-work orders, and prosecution (OBC and RCO Section 109) |
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Need a real number for a specific Akron project? Send us the scope, address and valuation and we will identify the filing path, the reviews it will trigger and the fee categories that will apply.
Fee schedules are revised on each jurisdiction’s own cycle, so ask the issuing department for the schedule in force on your filing date, and ask separately about plan review, trade, re-inspection and revision charges. A Board of Building Standards assessment of 3 percent (nonresidential) or 1 percent (residential) is added to local fees. How Ohio permit fees work
Trade permits and who may pull them
Permit required
- Service installations, panel upgrades, new circuits, solar PV and EV chargers
- New plumbing, repipes, water heater change-outs, fixtures, backflow and gas piping
- HVAC installation and change-out, ductwork, venting and commercial kitchen exhaust
- Sprinkler, standpipe and fire alarm work under the OBC fire-protection provisions
Typically exempt
- Replacing lamps, reinstalling plug receptacles and replacing circuit breakers of the same capacity and type in the same location
- Clearing stoppages and repairing leaks, where no more than one fixture is replaced and no pipes are rearranged
- Replacing a mechanical-equipment part that does not alter the equipment’s approval or make it unsafe
- Replacing a minor gas-appliance part that does not alter the equipment’s approval or make it unsafe
Ohio licenses five commercial trades statewide through the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board: electrical, HVAC, hydronics, plumbing and refrigeration. The state does not license general or residential contractors, so those are licensed or registered locally, if at all. Home construction contracts of $25,000 or more must be in writing under ORC 4722. Contractor licensing in Ohio
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →How to apply for an Akron building permit
New county permit requests go through the county’s GovWell portal; city plans go through Akron’s Plan Review and Permit portal, in PDF.
The city allows about 14 business days for its plan review.
For existing buildings the Ohio Building Code applies the International Existing Building Code as modified by its Chapter 34 (OBC 102.7).
The county cannot issue an Akron building permit until the city has approved the project.
Ohio's residential code reaches three-family dwellings, not two.
Akron requires every contractor whose work needs a permit to register with the city.
Approved plans become invalid if work has not started within twelve months, with one twelve-month extension available. Before filing, confirm the department has authority over the address for the work, whether the Ohio Building Code or the Residential Code of Ohio governs, and which approvals must be in hand first. Review and corrections in Ohio
Inspections in Akron
The building official lists the required inspections when the plans are approved (OBC and RCO 108.2); they include foundation, framing, rough-in trades, insulation and energy, and final, with a Certificate of Occupancy required before legal occupancy of new or changed-use space.
Summit County Building Standards inspects the permits it issues, including building, electrical, HVAC and plumbing work, and inspections are requested through its portal. City inspections, such as right-of-way, grading and paving, zoning and storm-water work, are booked with Plans and Permits 48 hours before work begins, on 330-375-2055.
No building may be occupied until a certificate of occupancy or completion is issued, and a change of occupancy needs approved construction documents even without other work. Address correction notices before requesting a re-inspection, and do not cover work before it has been inspected and approved. Inspections and occupancy in Ohio
Akron permit search and official resources
Permit records sit with the department that issued them, which in Ohio makes record research a certification question first. A property may have records with a municipal department, a county department, a township department or the state, depending on who held authority at the time the work was done — and that can have changed if a department gained or gave up certification, or if the property was annexed. If you are buying, refinancing or renovating, ask Summit County Building Standards what it holds for the parcel; the county takes records requests online and has a separate request form for records from before 2021.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →The Board's building-department lookup helps here too: it establishes who has authority today, which is the right starting point even when the history is more complicated.
Confirm two things before you file: the code, and the department. The Ohio Building Code has been based on the 2021 International Codes since 1 March 2024, the Residential Code of Ohio is the 2019 edition based on the 2018 International Residential Code, and both use the 2023 National Electrical Code — but the department with authority over your address, and the scope of its certification, is the answer that changes from parcel to parcel. Use the Board's building-department lookup, then confirm fees, submittal requirements and review turnaround with that department for your filing date.
These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and portal procedures change. Confirm the position for your filing date.
- Summit County Building Standards
- City of Akron Plans and Permits
- Ohio Board of Building Standards
- BBS — find the building department for your address
- Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board
- ORC Chapter 4722, home construction service contracts
Frequently asked questions
Who issues building permits in Akron?
Summit County Building Standards. The City of Akron combined its building department with the county department in 2009. Every project also needs the city’s own approval from Plans and Permits, which covers zoning, fire prevention and engineering, and the county cannot issue the permit without it.
Do contractors need to register?
With the City of Akron, yes: every contractor whose work needs a permit registers through the city’s portal, with an Akron tax registration number, a certificate of liability insurance, any state licence the trade requires and, for contractors with employees, workers’ compensation. Summit County dropped annual registration in March 2024; it now asks for a certificate of insurance, a federal ID number and any state licence with each permit application.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Does my project fall under the OBC or the RCO?
Commercial, industrial and public buildings follow the Ohio Building Code. One-, two- and three-family dwellings follow the Residential Code of Ohio. Ohio’s residential code reaches three-family dwellings, where the International Residential Code stops at two.
How do I know which department issues my permit?
Use the Board of Building Standards building-department lookup, which maps an address to the department with authority over it. Only a BBS-certified department, or the state, may approve plans and issue permits, and certification does not follow automatically from being a city, county or township.
Does my general contractor need an Ohio licence?
There is no statewide general-contractor licence in Ohio. The state licenses five commercial trades through the OCILB — electrical, HVAC, hydronics, plumbing and refrigeration — while general contractors, and trade contractors on residential work, are licensed or registered only where a local government requires it. Home construction and improvement contracts of $25,000 or more on one-, two- and three-family dwellings must be in writing under ORC 4722, and the supplier must carry at least $250,000 of general liability insurance.
How long is my approval good for?
Approved construction documents are valid where work commences within 12 months, with one 12-month extension available under Section 105 of the Ohio Building Code and the Residential Code of Ohio. Confirm the position with the issuing department before an approval is allowed to age.
Simplify Akron permitting with Alliance Permitting
In Akron every building project runs through two reviews: Summit County Building Standards for the building permit, and the City of Akron for its own approval. We file both and keep them moving together.
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Contractors and builders choose Alliance for Akron because the work is done by people who have stood at the counter:
- We file with Summit County and the City of Akron at the same time.
- We track the city’s approval so the county permit is not held up.
- We agree the existing-building compliance path before design develops.
- We clear zoning ahead of the building application.
Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Ohio. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the building department through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.
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More Ohio permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Akron permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.