Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Loudonville, Ohio

At a glance

Zoning

Yes: village zoning chapters 1246, 1248 and 1250 plus a zoning map¹

Zoning districts

Published, with a district map³

Lot splits

Regulated by the village subdivision chapters⁴

Septic permits

Ashland County Health Department for Ashland County addresses²

County zoning

None; townships and some villages zone for themselves⁵

Owner-builder

Ohio requires plan approval where a certified building department has jurisdiction⁶

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 14, 2026.

Does Loudonville, Ohio have zoning?

Yes. The Village of Loudonville publishes zoning chapters 1246 (districts), 1248 (use regulations) and 1250 (lot and yard requirements), plus a zoning map¹⁷. Those chapters decide what can be built where inside village limits, so lot size, setbacks and what a parcel may be used for depend on the district it sits in³.

We have not read the district tables, so we cannot state minimum lot sizes, setbacks, minimum home size or whether an RV or tiny home may be lived in on a lot. Ask the village office, or read the use-regulation and lot-and-yard chapters on the village's building and zoning page, before you commit to a parcel⁷.

The village's flood plain regulations are a separate chapter, so check the map if a lot sits near a creek¹.

Do you need a building permit in Loudonville, and who issues it?

The village's building and zoning page lists a building and zoning permit application, a driveway permit application and a building permits chapter⁷. Start with the Village of Loudonville office, not the Ashland County Planning Department, because the county does not zone inside the village: Ashland County has no countywide zoning, and each township adopts its own⁵.

We could not read the building permits chapter or confirm which inspector reviews residential plans inside the village. Ohio's state residential building code is enforced by certified municipal, township and county building departments⁸, and an owner-builder must have plans approved before starting where such a department has jurisdiction⁶. Ask the village office who is certified for residential review.

How do septic permits work for a Loudonville address?

Septic is not decided by the village zoning code. In Ashland County, a new or replacement household sewage treatment system needs a permit from the Ashland County Health Department before work begins, and the finished installation is inspected before approval⁹¹⁰. The site-review application carries a $110 fee¹¹.

Loudonville sits in both Ashland and Holmes counties, and we could not confirm which health department serves a particular parcel or whether the village sewer is available there. If the lot is sewered, ask the village utilities office; if not, call the health department for the county the parcel is in.

How do you build a home in Loudonville? The steps, in order

1. Confirm the parcel is inside village limits and note its zoning district on the village zoning map¹.
2. Ask the village office whether your use is allowed in that district and which chapters apply⁷.
3. Check flood plain regulations (chapter 1252) if the lot is low or near water¹.
4. If you are splitting a lot, review the village subdivision chapters 1222, 1226 and 1228⁴.
5. For septic, apply to the health department for the county the parcel is in; in Ashland County that starts with a site-review application¹¹.
6. Submit the village building and zoning permit application and, if needed, a driveway permit application⁷.

What stays with Ashland County, and what should you check before buying in Loudonville?

Land outside the village follows different rules: Ashland County has no countywide zoning, and each township sets its own⁵. The county page covers unincorporated Ashland County.

County-level numbers describe the whole county, not the village. Ashland County's effective property tax rate is 1%¹², and the typical home value is about $247,488¹³. Soils matter for septic: the share of soils rated not limited for a conventional drain field is 0%¹⁴, so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system if the lot is not on sewer.

Watch-outs

• We could not confirm the village's building-permit review process, RV or tiny-home rules, setbacks or fees; call the Village of Loudonville office at (419) 994-3214⁷.
• Loudonville lies in more than one county, so the health department that issues septic permits depends on the parcel's county; confirm before you design a system².
• Floodplain construction in Ohio requires permits where the community participates in the flood insurance program, so check the zoning map for flood plain areas¹⁵.

Sources

1. Building/Zoning - Village of Loudonville (Village of Loudonville), quoted and re-checked
2. Procedure to Obtain Approval to Permit and Install a Household Sewage Treatment System, quoted and re-checked
3. Building/Zoning - Village of Loudonville (Village of Loudonville), quoted and re-checked
4. Building/Zoning - Village of Loudonville (Village of Loudonville), quoted and re-checked
5. Building and Zoning, quoted and re-checked
6. Section 3791.04 | Submission of plan - approvals - prohibition - fine (2026 county census)
7. Village of Loudonville (building and zoning) (loudonville-oh.us)
8. Section 3781.10 | Board of building standards - powers and duties (Ohio statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
9. Sewage Treatment Systems, quoted and re-checked
10. Ashland County Health Department Environmental Health Division (health-ashlandcounty-oh.gov)
11. Household Sewage Treatment System Site Review Application, quoted and re-checked
12. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
13. Typical home value (Zillow): Bolthole Index county data
14. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
15. Rule 1501:22-1-04 | Floodplain management criteria, quoted and re-checked

Written October 14, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.