Columbus permits
By Mario Bailey Last checked 2026-06-18 · 2 official sources
Verified against official sourcesCity of Columbus Department of Building and Zoning Services
- 111 N Front Street, Columbus, OH 43215
- Phone: 614-645-7433
- Email: bzs-intake@columbus.gov
- Official permit page
- Permit portal
- Official fee schedule
Look up a permit in Columbus
Columbus lets you look up permit records and application status for a property online. The Citizen Access Building module offers anonymous building record search.
Look up Columbus permit records
Or search the Columbus permit portal
Planning a project in Columbus?
Hire it out
Before you sign, ask the contractor:
- Who pulls the permit, you or me, and is the permit fee included in the bid?
- Which inspections will this job need, and who meets the inspector on site?
- Is your contractor license active in this locality, and under which business name?
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Planning several things at once? Check your whole project
Schedule an inspection in Columbus
Permitted work is not finished until it passes inspection. The Building Inspections page covers scheduling through the city's Citizen Access portal.
Schedule or request a Columbus inspection
Checked 2026-07-12. If the office has changed its process, report it.
Permitting activity in Columbus
In 2024, Columbus authorized permits for 6,084 new residential housing units (828 single-family, 5,256 in multi-family buildings), valued at $923M , up from5,283 the year before. That works out to about 6.9 permits per 1,000 residents. It is a useful gauge of how busy the local permit office is.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual data · population 884,356.
About Columbus
Columbus has about 420,068 housing units. The median home is valued at $234,500, against a median household income of $65,327. About 44% of homes are owner-occupied, and the typical home was built around 1980. Older housing stock usually means more renovation, electrical, and plumbing permits.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 5-year.