Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Colebrook Township, Ohio

Colebrook Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Colebrook Township, Ashtabula County, Ohio.

  • The county planning page identifies zoning as under the authority of individual townships.
  • The county warns that township-level changes may have occurred since the code posted on the county site was updated and directs specific questions to the township zoning official.

  “Three townships, Monroe, Richmond and Windsor do not have township zoning resolutions. [...] 5. Colebrook Township Zoning”

Rules another office applies inside Colebrook Township

Colebrook Township does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Building permitRequired

  New residential structures exceeding 200 square feet inside Colebrook Township, an Ashtabula County township.

  • One-story detached accessory tool/storage sheds, playhouses, similar uses, and playground structures are excepted when their floor area does not exceed 200 square feet.
  • Before issuance, where applicable, copies of county health-department and zoning permits must be provided to the Ashtabula County Building Department.
  • No work may begin unless the local zoning official and building official authorize it in writing.
  • A building permit may be revoked if the authority having jurisdiction deems the zoning or health-department permit invalid in writing.

  new-structure area threshold: > 200 square feet (One-story detached accessory tool/storage sheds, playhouses and similar uses, and playground structures do not require a permit when floor area does not exceed 200 square feet.)

  “Any new structure which is unattached or attached to any other structure that exceeds 200 square feet in size, regardless of type of construction or intended usage. Exception: One-story detached accessory structures used as tool and storage sheds, playhouses and similar uses, provided the floor area does not exceed two hundred square feet and playground structures.”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  Household sewage treatment systems on land inside Colebrook Township, Ashtabula County, Ohio.

  • The applicant must demonstrate compliance with the Ashtabula County Health Department's minimum lot-size requirements and obtain site/soil evaluation and system-design review before applying for installation and operation permits.
  • Installation and operation permits are required under state law.
  • A variance may be needed where isolation distance from a water well or property line is insufficient; mechanically complex systems require mandatory service agreements under the Ohio Home Sewage Treatment System Rules.
  • A discharging system needs an Ohio EPA-NEDO NPDES permit before installation and is limited to replacement of a failed system on a lot too small for a non-discharging system.

  operation-permit validity: 10 years (Automatically renewed after ten years at no charge if the system operates properly and does not create a public-health nuisance.) · minimum inspection frequency: per 1 inspection per five years

  “If the Ashtabula County Health Department determines that the lot size requirements have been met, and the site/soil evaluation report and home sewage treatment system design reports are acceptable, you may apply for a home sewage treatment system installation and operation permit. Both of these permits are required under state law.”

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.