Barnesville, OH Building Permits, Zoning & Septic Rules

The Village of Barnesville, Ohio, in Belmont County, has not enacted a zoning ordinance or subdivision regulations¹. Building, enlarging or remodeling inside village limits still needs a village building permit: council must consent, and the fiscal officer issues it for a flat $25²³. Septic permits and private wells are handled by the Belmont County Health Department, not the village⁴⁵.

At a glance

Building permit: Required inside village limits; council must consent²
Permit fee: Flat $25 per permit; demolition projects no cost³
Permit expires: 6 months after issuance²
Zoning: No zoning ordinance or subdivision regulations¹
Septic: Belmont County Health Department permit⁶
Private wells: Health department permit before constructing, altering or sealing⁵
Who issues the permit: Village fiscal officer, after council approval²

Who to call

Building permits

Village of Barnesville Fiscal & Tax Office

Village building permit applications; the fiscal officer issues the permit after council approves it and the fee is paid

740-425-3444

132 North Arch Street, P.O. Box 190, Barnesville, OH 43713

Codes & inspections

Village of Barnesville Village Administrator

First call for questions about village ordinances that we could not confirm online, such as building inspections, utilities and parking of recreational vehicles

740-425-1880

126 East Church Street, Barnesville, OH 43713

Septic permits

Belmont County Health Department, Environmental Health

Household sewage treatment system (septic) permits and inspections, and private water system (well) permits

740-695-1202

68501 Bannock Rd., St. Clairsville, OH 43950

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

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Village of Barnesville means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Does Barnesville, Ohio have zoning?

No. The Village of Barnesville's codified ordinances state that the village has not enacted a zoning ordinance or subdivision regulations¹. The Planning and Zoning part of the code is reserved for future legislation¹.

Because no village zoning exists, Barnesville sets no minimum lot size, no minimum dwelling size, no lot coverage limit and no building height limit through zoning⁷⁸⁹¹⁰. Barnesville also has no zoning districts¹¹.

That is not the same as no rules: the building permit, county health department rules and state codes still apply, and other village ordinances may touch things like parking an RV. We could not confirm those from the village code, so ask the Village Administrator before you plan around it¹².

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

Yes. Barnesville's ordinance says no person or business may erect, enlarge or remodel any building or other structure within village limits without first obtaining the written consent of council². Consent is granted only on a majority vote of council, and if council approves, the fiscal officer issues the permit once the fee is paid¹³³.

The fee is a flat $25 per permit, and demolition projects carry no fee³. A permit expires 6 months after issuance².

The application asks for estimated cost, a rough outline of the building on the lot, and whether the property is in the Barnesville Historic District; the village may also require completed cost records after the work is done¹³. Apply through the Fiscal & Tax Office¹⁴.

How do septic permits and wells work in Barnesville?

Septic is a county matter, not a village one. The Belmont County Health Department regulates household sewage treatment systems for one-, two- and three-family dwellings, and a permit is required to install, alter or replace one⁴. The process starts with a site and soil evaluation and a system design, and the department does a final inspection¹⁵. Ask the department for current permit fees¹⁶.

Private wells and other private water systems also need a permit from the health department before they are constructed, altered or sealed⁵.

Belmont County rules allow a private sewage system only where a public sanitary sewer is not available, so a lot with sewer access is generally expected to connect¹⁷. We could not confirm whether a given Barnesville lot is on village sewer; ask the Village Administrator¹². County health contact details are in¹⁸.

Who inspects building work inside Barnesville?

We could not confirm from the village code who inspects residential construction inside Barnesville. The Mid-East Ohio Building Department that covers Belmont County is a state-certified commercial department and has no authority over one-, two- or three-family homes¹⁹. Five Belmont County municipalities are excluded from that department's jurisdiction¹⁹.

Ohio's state building codes are adopted by the Board of Building Standards and enforced by certified municipal, township and county building departments²⁰. Where a certified department has jurisdiction, a new residential building cannot be occupied until it issues a certificate of occupancy²¹.

Before you build, ask the Village Administrator which department reviews plans and inspects work for a home inside Barnesville¹².

Building a home in Barnesville: the steps, in order

Confirm with the Village Administrator how plans are reviewed and inspected and whether your lot is on village water and sewer¹².
If the lot has no public sewer, start the septic site and soil evaluation with the Belmont County Health Department¹⁵; get a well permit there too if you need one⁵.
Submit the village building permit application to the Fiscal & Tax Office and wait for council's vote¹³.
Pay the flat $25 fee and collect the permit from the fiscal officer³.
Start work within the 6 months before the permit expires².

What stays with Belmont County, and what to check before you buy

Septic, private wells and the county health district's rules stay with the Belmont County Health Department, whether a lot is inside the village or outside it⁶⁵. Floodplain development permits are issued by the county's Floodplain Administrator for mapped flood hazard areas; we could not confirm which village lots fall inside one²².

For land outside village limits, the county's rules differ; see the Belmont County page. Ohio's recreational vehicle rule for flood zones and campground rules do not answer whether you can live in an RV on a village lot²³.

Belmont County's effective property tax rate is about 1% and the median property tax bill is $1,420 a year²⁴²⁵.

Watch-outs

A village building permit needs a council vote, so allow for the council's meeting schedule before you plan a start date¹³.
No village zoning does not mean no restrictions; other village ordinances, county health rules and state codes still apply¹.
We could not confirm who inspects one-, two- or three-family homes inside the village, so ask the Village Administrator before you start¹².

Sources

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Village of Barnesville publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Belmont County’s page lists the county offices to call.

Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Barnesville, Ohio