Building permits across most of Licking County, including the cities of Newark, Heath and Pataskala and the village of Granville, come from the Licking County Building Code Department at 675 Price Road in Newark, which handles both residential and commercial work. The county had 185,564 people in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate, 4.0 percent more than in 2020.
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 areas of Licking County served by the county Building Code Department, which include its cities and villages. The Licking County parts of Reynoldsburg and New Albany have their own city departments.
The office opens at 7:00am. The Licking County Building Code Department is open 7:00am to 4:00pm, Monday to Friday, and closed on holidays. It is in the lower east wing of 675 Price Road, Newark (740-349-6671).
What requires a building permit in Licking County?
Under the Ohio Building Code and the Residential Code of Ohio, a permit is required for most construction activity.
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.
Which code edition applies
The county department enforces the statewide Ohio codes, so the technical standard is the same across its area. What differs at the Reynoldsburg and New Albany boundaries is the fee schedule, the submittal process, the zoning framework, inspection scheduling and any additional local regulations.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →Permits in Licking 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 Licking County?
The Ohio Board of Building Standards certifies the Licking County Building Code Department for residential and commercial work. The county serves the unincorporated townships and the cities and villages that have no department of their own, including Newark, Heath, Pataskala, Granville, Alexandria, Buckeye Lake, Hartford, Hebron, Johnstown, Kirkersville and Utica. The Board’s records do not list the county for residential work in the village of Hanover, or for any work in St. Louisville or Gratiot, so check those addresses with the Board’s lookup. Zoning is administered separately by the city, village or township.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Authority | Licking County Building Code Department |
| Offices | 675 Price Road (lower east wing), Newark, Ohio 43055 |
| Phone | 740-349-6671 |
| Counter hours | Monday to Friday, 7:00am to 4:00pm |
| Serves | Unincorporated townships and most cities and villages, including Newark, Heath, Pataskala and Granville; not the Reynoldsburg or New Albany parts of the county |
| Separate departments | Reynoldsburg (7232 East Main Street, 614-322-6802) and New Albany (99 West Main Street, 614-939-2254) |
| Confirm the department | Use the BBS building-department lookup before filing |
| 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 | OCILB licence for commercial electrical, HVAC, hydronics, plumbing and refrigeration work; any local licence or registration the department requires |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →To apply, the department asks for a completed application, a copy of the zoning certificate (or health department approval where there is no zoning) and two complete sets of construction plans and specifications. Some fire departments also require construction documents for commercial projects, so contact the fire department for the project area.
In 2025, building permits issued in unincorporated Licking County authorized 149 new privately owned housing units, all of them single-family homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey.
Zoning comes before the building application
The county department requires a zoning certificate from the local zoning inspector before it approves a project. In a township that does not enforce zoning, approval from the Licking County Health Department is needed instead. Newark’s zoning is handled by the city engineer’s office (740-670-7729), and Granville issues its own zoning permits.
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. The county department publishes a summary of residential work that does or does not need approval with its application forms; ask the department if you are unsure.
Commercial permits
Commercial buildings and multifamily buildings of four or more units follow the Ohio Building Code. The county reviews commercial plans for the cities and villages it serves as well as the townships.
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
Licking 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).
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →| Fee component | How it works |
|---|---|
| Plan review | Charged under the issuing department’s adopted schedule |
| Building permit | Set by the issuing certified department's adopted fee schedule |
| 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 | A separate fee where applicable |
| Work without a permit | Orders, including stop-work orders, and prosecution (OBC and RCO Section 109) |
Need a real number for a specific Licking County 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
Rather not deal with the Licking County building department?
Get a free quote →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 Licking County building permit
Or health department approval in a township without zoning.
Reynoldsburg and New Albany have their own; the county serves the rest.
Some require construction documents for commercial projects.
Application, zoning approval and two sets of plans.
The department is not holding pre-submittal meetings and answers by email.
The state half and the local half are separate, and neither substitutes for the other.
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 Licking County
Schedule inspections with the department that issued the permit. The building official lists the required inspections when the plans are approved (OBC and RCO 108.2), and a certificate of occupancy is required before a new or changed-use building is occupied (OBC 111, RCO 111.1).
Confirm the work is complete and observable before booking an inspection.
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
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Licking 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 Licking County Building Code Department what it holds for the parcel 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.
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.
- Licking County Building Code 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
What are the counter hours?
Monday to Friday, 7:00am to 4:00pm, closed on holidays.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Does the county serve Newark and the other cities?
Yes. The county Building Code Department issues building permits in Newark, Heath, Pataskala, Granville and most other cities and villages in the county. The Licking County parts of Reynoldsburg and New Albany have their own departments. Zoning stays with each city, village or township.
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.
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.
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In Licking County one department serves most addresses, and the zoning certificate comes before the building application.
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- We obtain the zoning certificate, or health department approval, before filing.
- We confirm whether the address is under the county, Reynoldsburg or New Albany.
- We submit complete plan sets and handle the department’s written questions.
- We clear zoning with the township or municipality 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.
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More Ohio permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Licking County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.