Franklin County, Ohio Building Permit Guide

Franklin County is Ohio’s most populous county, with 1,361,536 people in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate, and it contains Columbus. Building permits come from whichever BBS-certified building department holds authority over the address. The Franklin County Building Department is certified for one-, two- and three-family homes only. In the unincorporated townships the State of Ohio issues commercial permits, except in seven townships that hold their own commercial-only certification. Columbus and most other cities and villages run their own departments.

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 the unincorporated townships of Franklin County and the six villages whose house permits come from the county department. Columbus and the other cities and villages with their own certified departments issue their own permits.

What requires a building permit in Franklin County?

Under the Ohio Building Code and the Residential Code of Ohio, a permit is required for most construction activity.

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.

Which code edition applies

Franklin County's certified departments enforce the statewide Ohio codes. Because the technical standard comes from the state, the code answer does not change as you move between the county department and a municipal one. What changes is the fee schedule, the submittal process, the zoning framework, inspection scheduling and any additional local regulations.

Permits in Franklin County 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 Franklin County?

Permits are issued by the certified department with authority over the address, and in Franklin County the answer is different for houses and for commercial work (ORC 3781.10(E)). The Franklin County Building Department, part of Economic Development & Planning, issues permits for one-, two- and three-family homes and associated development in the unincorporated townships and six villages. Its permit counter is at 142 S. Front Street, Columbus (Monday to Thursday 9:00 to 1:00, Friday 8:00 to 12:00, appointments preferred), its main office is at 150 S. Front Street, FSL Suite 10 (by appointment), and its phone is 614-525-3166. Applications go through the county’s online Permit Portal, by email to Building@FranklinCountyOhio.gov, or on paper at the permit counter, and fees are paid at submittal. Commercial permits in the unincorporated areas come from the State Division of Industrial Compliance (ORC 3791.04), except in Blendon, Clinton, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Madison and Prairie townships, which hold commercial-only certification; Jackson Township’s commercial work goes to Grove City’s department.

Columbus, the other cities and most villages hold their own certification for both commercial and residential work, while the county department covers houses in the unincorporated townships and in Harrisburg, Lockbourne, Minerva Park, Riverlea, Urbancrest and Valleyview. A builder working across the county can therefore deal with several departments and several fee schedules under one technical code.

In 2025, building permits issued in unincorporated Franklin County authorized 108 new privately owned housing units, all of them single-family homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey.

Zoning compliance comes before the county application

For a house in unincorporated Franklin County, zoning compliance comes first. In Brown, Clinton, Franklin, Hamilton, Madison, Mifflin, Norwich, Pleasant, Sharon and Truro townships the county’s Economic Development & Planning Department issues the Certificate of Zoning Compliance. In Blendon, Jackson, Jefferson, Perry, Plain, Prairie and Washington townships it comes from the township, and in the six villages the county serves it comes from the village. Groveport and Obetz issue both zoning compliance and building permits themselves.

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

The county lists the work that needs a building permit, including new and modular houses, detached garages and pole barns, decks, pools, sunrooms and porches, accessory structures over 200 square feet, interior alterations, replacement doors, windows, roofing or siding, and moving or demolishing a structure. Electrical, heating, plumbing, well and septic work need separate permits; plumbing, well and septic go to Franklin County Public Health at 280 East Broad Street (614-525-3160). A homeowner, contractor or owner’s agent may apply.

Commercial permits

Commercial buildings, and residential buildings of four or more units, follow the Ohio Building Code, and the county department does not review them. In the unincorporated townships and in the six villages the county serves, the State Division of Industrial Compliance reviews and permits them (ORC 3791.04), except in the seven townships certified for commercial work. A Board of Building Standards assessment of 3 percent is added to nonresidential fees (ORC 3781.102).

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

Franklin County permit costs and fees

Fees are set by whichever certified department issues the permit, and a Board of Building Standards assessment of 3 percent of nonresidential and 1 percent of residential fees is added (ORC 3781.102).

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

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

How to apply for a Franklin County building permit

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 Franklin County

Schedule inspections with whichever certified department issued the permit. The building official lists the required inspections when the plans are approved (OBC and RCO 108.2); they include foundation, framing, rough-in electrical, plumbing and mechanical, insulation and energy, and final, with a Certificate of Occupancy required before legal occupancy of new or changed-use space.

Address correction notices before requesting a re-inspection, and keep the issued permit, approved plans and correction responses available on site. Where a project spans departments, keep the records separated by issuing authority rather than merged.

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

Franklin County 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 the issuing department what it holds for the parcel — the Franklin County Building Department for houses in the areas it serves — and whether earlier records may sit elsewhere.

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.

These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and portal procedures change. Confirm the position for your filing date.

• Franklin County Building Department
• 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

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 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.

What if no certified department serves the area?

The Division of Industrial Compliance performs commercial plan review and inspection where no certified department serves. Residential code enforcement, however, is carried out only by certified local departments, so the fallback is commercial-only.

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.

Does the county issue permits inside Columbus?

No. Columbus has its own department, certified for commercial and residential work. The county department issues house permits only, in the unincorporated townships and six villages, and the other cities and villages issue their own permits where they hold certification.

Simplify Franklin County permitting with Alliance Permitting

In Franklin County the first question is who has authority: the county for houses outside the cities, the State or a certified township for commercial work there, or a city or village department.

Trusted by leading builders, developers, and national contractors — 21+ years of filing in the jurisdictions we write about.

Contractors and builders choose Alliance for Franklin County because the work is done by people who have stood at the counter:

• We confirm the certified department by address, using the Board's lookup.
• We establish whether the OBC or the RCO governs before drawings develop.
• We clear zoning ahead of the building application.
• We re-confirm jurisdiction phase by phase on multi-phase developments.
• We check OCILB commercial licences and local registration separately.

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.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Franklin County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.