Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Mount Orab, Ohio

Village of Mount Orab’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Residential construction inside Mount Orab village; per the village page, permits are issued by the Brown County Building Department

  • Zoning permit must come first
  • Commercial/industrial building permits are issued by the village building department instead

  “building permits are required for all new construction, renovations, installations, and additions to manufactured homes, electrical work, plumbing and sewer changes.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Residential construction and remodeling inside Mount Orab village; conducted by Brown County Building Department per the village page

  • Plumbing inspections are conducted by the health department
  • Page states who inspects; it does not separately state an inspection mandate

  “inspections for construction and remodeling are conducted by the brown county building department, while plumbing inspections are conducted by the health department.”

• Local zoningPresent

  All land inside Mount Orab village limits (Brown County)

  • Zoning permit handled by the village zoning administrator, 211 South High Street

  “the village of mt. orab is a zoned village. zoning permits are required for building, improving and altering property located inside the village limits.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Mount Orab village

  • Districts include R-1, R-2, R-3, business, industrial, hi-tech overlay and PUD districts

  “r-1 single-family residential district 44 r-2 two-family residential district 46 r-3 multi-family residential district 48 nb- neighborhood business district 50 cb- central business district 51 i1: i/nb- industrial/neighborhood business district 52 i2- industrial district 54 hto: high-tech overlay district 56”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  R-2 Two Family Residential district, inside Mount Orab village

  • Summary table lists 1,300 sq ft for a single-family dwelling in R-2

  minimum living area: >= 900 sq ft

  “minimum lot width minimum front yard setback minimum side yard setback minimum rear yard setback maximum height minimum living area 50 feet 25 feet 5 feet each 30 feet 45 feet or 3 stories 900 sq. ft.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 Single Family Residential district, inside Mount Orab village

    “minimum rear yard setback maximum height minimum living area 30 feet 30 feet or 2½ stories 1,300 sq. ft.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-2 Two Family Residential district, inside Mount Orab village

  minimum lot area, single family: >= 8000 sq ft · minimum lot area, two family: >= 10000 sq ft (5,000 sq ft per unit) · minimum lot width: >= 50 ft

  “minimum lot area 5,000 square feet per unit, 10,000 sq. ft. total (8,000 for single family)”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 Single Family Residential district, inside Mount Orab village

    “minimum lot area minimum lot width minimum front yard setback minimum side yard setback 12,000 square feet 75 feet 25 feet 15 feet each”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 Single Family Residential district, inside Mount Orab village

  • Village also posts a Minimum Property Setbacks sheet, not opened

  front yard: >= 25 ft · side yard (each side): >= 15 ft · rear yard: >= 30 ft

  “minimum lot area minimum lot width minimum front yard setback minimum side yard setback 12,000 square feet 75 feet 25 feet 15 feet each”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-2 Two Family Residential district, inside Mount Orab village

    “minimum lot width minimum front yard setback minimum side yard setback minimum rear yard setback maximum height minimum living area 50 feet 25 feet 5 feet each 30 feet 45 feet or 3 stories 900 sq. ft.”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-1 Single Family Residential district, inside Mount Orab village

  maximum height: <= 30 ft (or 2.5 stories)

  “minimum rear yard setback maximum height minimum living area 30 feet 30 feet or 2½ stories 1,300 sq. ft.”

• Living in an RVTemporary only (with conditions)

  RVs, motor homes and campers in residential districts inside Mount Orab village

  • Section 508: not in front yard or right-of-way; driveway parking up to 72 hours
  • Section 535: no connection to utilities beyond 48 hours and never used for living purposes (the two sections differ)
  • Guests and visitors are subject to the time limit

  occupancy limit: <= 72 hours (Section 535 says equipment may never be used for living purposes)

  “shall not be connected for a period of more than forty-eight (48) hours to electricity, water, gas, or sanitary sewer facilities, and at no time shall this equipment be used for living purposes.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile/manufactured homes on individual lots inside Mount Orab village

  • Existing mobile homes may continue if conditions are met; replacement allowed if setbacks are kept
  • Parcel reverts to district use if the home is removed for 3 months
  • The code's single-family dwelling definition includes permanently-sited manufactured homes; how that interacts with section 534 was not resolved

  “it is the intent of this ordinance that no mobile home shall be permitted in any zoning district other than in r-3 as a conditional use in a manufactured home park, except those which exist in other districts prior to the enactment of this ordinance.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Driveway widening and additions inside Mount Orab village

  • Driveway additions and culverts $30.00 zoning permit fee
  • Culvert/driveway tile inspected by zoning department

  “is a zoning permit required for a driveway tile? yes, and it cannot be smaller than 12" in diameter.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Flood plains mapped by the Brown County engineer inside Mount Orab village

  • Only listed uses such as parking, yards and temporary uses may occur in flood plains

  “structures where human habitation may be provided, for either a place of residence or employment, shall not be permitted on a flood plain.”

• Permit feesPublished

  Village zoning permit fees inside Mount Orab village

  • Zoning permit fees only; Brown County building permit fees not reviewed
  • Fee schedule carries no stated date

  residential single family home zoning permit: 200 USD · detached garage / accessory structure: 50 USD

  “zoning permit / application fees residential single family home $200.00 residential fence $40.00 decks / porches / patios $40.00 detached garage / acc. structure $50.00”

• Permit processPartial

  Residential zoning and building permit sequence inside Mount Orab village

  • Zoning permits valid up to six months from issue
  • Applications are on the village zoning page or at 211 South High Street

  zoning permit validity: <= 6 months

  “a zoning permit must be obtained prior to applying for a building permit from the brown county building department for”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Village of Mount Orab or Brown County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Mount Orab village
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Mount Orab village
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside Mount Orab village
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage inside Mount Orab village
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping inside Mount Orab village

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.