Ohio · Penalties if you skip one

What you can build without a permit in Ohio

By Mario Bailey Last checked · 30 official sources

Quick answer

Across the 4 Ohio jurisdictions we have verified, 1 of 39 project rules need no permit at all, 11 turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes, and 27 require a permit regardless. Electrical work is where the answer most often comes with a published condition rather than a flat yes: 2 of the 4 jurisdictions that answer publish one. The numbers are not statewide: shed thresholds alone run from 100 to 200 sq ft depending on the jurisdiction.

How to read this page

"No permit" means the jurisdiction publishes that the work needs no building permit. "Depends" means it publishes a size, height, depth, cost or scope condition that decides the answer, quoted in its own words in the last column; the number beside it is the figure that condition turns on, and which side of the number is exempt is stated by the condition, not by us. Exempt from a building permit is not exempt from zoning, setbacks, height limits, flood rules, an HOA, or a separate electrical, plumbing or mechanical permit, and several of the conditions below say exactly that.

Electrical

2 of 4 make the electrical answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes. Columbus and Franklin County require a permit for electrical work regardless of size.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Cincinnati Depends Cincinnati does not issue electrical permits itself.
Cleveland Depends Cleveland requires a separate electrical permit, and its Electrical Permits page says permits are required for electrical work and electrical fixtures along with electrical equipment and devices, both new and temporary.
Columbus Permit required An electrical permit is required for residential electrical work including modifying or updating an electrical panel in Columbus.
Franklin County Permit required An electrical permit is required, and it is a separate permit from the structural building permit, but the issuing body has changed.

Fence

2 of 4 make the fence answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes. Cincinnati and Franklin County require a permit for fence work regardless of size.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Cleveland Depends 50 percent share of an existing fence repaired or replaced within any twelve month period, where foundations and footers are unchanged.
Columbus Depends 6 feet fence over 6 ft in height requires a permit; fence 6 ft or under does not.
Cincinnati Permit required AUTHORITY: residential permits inside the city limits come from the City of Cincinnati Department of Buildings and Inspections, not from Hamilton County.
Franklin County Permit required Authority first: residential building permits come from the Franklin County Building Department, a division of the county's Economic Development and Planning Department, which handles one-, two- and three-family dwellings only.

Pool

2 of 4 make the pool answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes. Columbus and Franklin County require a permit for pool work regardless of size.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Cincinnati Depends 24 inches depth of a constructed pool serving a one-, two- or three-family dwelling.
Cleveland Depends 1,500 gallons water capacity of a private swimming pool; a depth of more than two feet also triggers the permit.
Columbus Permit required A building permit and plan review are required for installing or replacing a residential swimming pool or hot tub in Columbus.
Franklin County Permit required Every pool needs a permit in unincorporated Franklin County; the type of pool decides which one.

Roof Replacement

2 of 4 make the roof replacement answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes. Columbus and Franklin County require a permit for roof replacement work regardless of size.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Cincinnati Depends 2 layers number of roof coverings remaining in place after the work on a one-, two- or three-family dwelling.
Cleveland Depends 10 percent share of the roof whose shingles are replaced, where the replacement is in the same material.
Columbus Permit required A building permit is required for roof replacement in Columbus.
Franklin County Permit required Franklin County requires a building permit to replace roofing, and groups it with doors, windows and siding in a single line on its permit list.

Shed

2 of 4 make the shed answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes, and the 2 that state a number publish figures from 100 to 200 sq ft. Cleveland and Franklin County require a permit for shed work regardless of size.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Cincinnati Depends 100 sq ft total floor area of a shed accessory to a one-, two- or three-family dwelling.
Columbus Depends 200 sq ft shed under 200 sq ft does not require a permit; shed 200 sq ft or larger requires a permit and plan review.
Cleveland Permit required Cleveland's Permit Requirements sheet lists sheds by name among the installations that need a permit, and the Division of Construction Permitting repeats sheds under Accessory Structures and Outdoor Installations on its Projects That Require Permits list.
Franklin County Permit required A permit is always required for a shed in unincorporated Franklin County, and the size only decides which one.

Plumbing

1 of 4 makes the plumbing answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes. Cincinnati, Columbus and Franklin County require a permit for plumbing work regardless of size.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Cleveland Depends Cleveland requires a separate plumbing permit, with a codified exemption for minor repairs only.
Cincinnati Permit required A plumbing permit and inspections are required for all new and replacement plumbing installations in Cincinnati, and the department states explicitly that replacing an existing fixture also requires a permit.
Columbus Permit required A plumbing permit is required for residential plumbing work in Columbus.
Franklin County Permit required Plumbing is not a Franklin County Building Department permit.

Patio

Columbus requires no patio permit at all. Cincinnati and Franklin County require a permit for patio work regardless of size. 1 publishes no answer we could verify.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Columbus No permit Installing a patio does not require a building permit in Columbus.
Cincinnati Permit required A patio installed on grade is one of the projects Cincinnati handles through zoning rather than through the building department: the approval needed is a Zoning Certificate of Compliance, or a Certificate of Appropriateness where the property sits in a historic district, and it has to be in hand before work starts.
Franklin County Permit required A patio needs a Certificate of Zoning Compliance in unincorporated Franklin County.

Jurisdictions not in the tables

Franklin County publishes no exemption for any project we checked: every answered rule there requires a permit.

If the work is already built

Ohio state law (R.C. 3791.04) requires an owner to submit construction plans and obtain approval from the certified local building department before starting construction, alteration, or repair of any building covered by R.C. 3781.06, which includes one-, two-, and three-family dwellings. Proceeding with construction before that approval is issued is punishable by a fine of up to $500 under R.C. 3791.04(J).

Ohio penalties, the after-the-fact path, and what the statute actually says

1 of the 40 rules we hold for Ohio are unresolved because the jurisdiction publishes no answer; they are counted nowhere above. The 39 answered rules come from 30 official sources, each linked from the permit page behind every jurisdiction name. See the full picture for the state on the Ohio permit requirements page, or the national view of which projects need a permit at all on Do you need a building permit?

This page compiles what each Ohio jurisdiction publishes, with a last checked date. It is not legal advice, and a project that is exempt from a building permit can still need zoning approval or a trade permit. Confirm with the office linked from the jurisdiction's page before you build.