Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Chardon, Ohio

Chardon’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Erection, construction, enlargement, structural alteration, movement, or commencement of a change of use of a building or land inside Chardon city limits.

  • This claim concerns the City's required Zoning Certificate, issued by the Community Development Administrator.
  • A certificate is also required for construction, reconstruction, relocation, alteration, specified expansions, certain exterior alterations, occupancy or use, major subdivisions, planned residential developments, condominium developments, parcel divisions, and parcel consolidations.
  • The Community Development Administrator issues the certificate after compliance with municipal construction requirements, including filing performance guarantees and liability insurance.

  “A Zoning Certificate is a document issued by the Community Development Administrator which shall be required before a building or structure is erected, constructed, enlarged, structurally altered, or moved, in whole or in part, or the change of use of land or a building is commenced.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Use or occupancy of a structure, building, or land inside Chardon city limits after covered construction or change.

  • The Zoning Compliance Certificate certifies occupancy only after all inspections and approvals authorizing use or occupancy have been secured.
  • The building and site may only be used or occupied for uses authorized in the Zoning Certificate.

  “The Zoning Compliance Certificate certifies that the building may be occupied and/or the property used when the applicant has submitted documentation that all inspections and approvals authorizing the use and/or occupancy of the building and/or property have been secured and that the building and site will only be used and/or occupied for the use or uses authorized in the Zoning Certificate.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Chardon city limits.

  • The City maintains the zoning map, administers the Planning and Zoning Code, and provides Planning Commission support.
  • Every City lot, parcel, or property has an assigned zoning district.

  “The Zoning and Development Department is responsible for the administration of the City's Planning and Zoning Code. Duties include maintaining the City's Zoning map, development plan reviews, and administrative support for the Planning Commission.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Construction or other development activity wholly within, partially within, or in contact with an identified special flood hazard area inside Chardon city limits.

  • A floodplain development permit must be obtained from the Floodplain Administrator before covered activity begins.
  • The Floodplain Administrator is the City Manager.
  • Applications are required for all development activity in contact with an identified special flood hazard area and must be made by the owner or authorized agent before construction commences.
  • Exemptions from filing apply to maintenance such as roofing, painting, basement sealing, or small nonstructural development except filling and grading valued below $5,000; certain manufactured-home-park activities under Ohio Department of Health authority; major utility facilities permitted by the Ohio Power Siting Board; hazardous-waste disposal facilities permitted by the Hazardous Waste Siting Board; and qualifying federal-agency activities.
  • Exempt actions are also exempt from the standards of the flood regulations.

  permit expiration: 1 year (Unless construction has begun and is diligently pursued to completion.)

  “It shall be unlawful for any person to begin construction or other development activity including but not limited to filling; grading; construction; alteration, remodeling, or expanding any structure; or alteration of any watercourse wholly within, partially within or in contact with any identified special flood hazard area, as established in Section 1323.01 (f), until a floodplain development permit is obtained from the Floodplain Administrator.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  City Zoning Certificate and Zoning Compliance Certificate process for covered development inside Chardon city limits.

  • The certificate is issued by the Community Development Administrator.
  • Issuance follows compliance with municipal construction requirements, including filing performance guarantees and liability insurance.
  • A Zoning Compliance Certificate requires documentation that all inspections and approvals authorizing use or occupancy have been secured.

  “The Community Development Administrator shall issue a Zoning Certificate when the applicant has complied with all municipal requirements for the construction project including, but not limited to, the filing of performance guarantees, and liability insurance.”

Rules another office applies inside Chardon

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

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings in the R-1 Single-Family Residence District inside Chardon city limits.

  • The standard is for single-family and two-family dwellings and associated structures in the listed residential districts.
  • On curved streets, lot width is the arc length of the building setback line.

  minimum lot area, single-family dwelling: 25000 square feet · minimum lot width at building setback line: 110 feet (On curved streets, the lot width is the arc length of the building setback line.)

  “A. Single-family dwelling | 25,000 sq. ft. | 15,000 sq. ft. | 12,800 sq. ft. | 11,000 sq. ft.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Single-family dwellings and associated structures in the R-1 Single-Family Residence District inside Chardon city limits.

  • On curved streets, lot width is the arc length of the building setback line.
  • For corner lots, the special corner-side setback requirements in Section 1133.05(c) apply.
  • The table's height standards are subject to exceptions in Section 1147.13.

  front building setback from right-of-way: 50 feet · front building setback on non-dedicated street from centerline: 80 feet · minimum setback for one side: 12 feet · combined minimum side setbacks: 30 feet · rear setback: 40 feet

  “(5) Front building setback (from right-of-way) | 50 feet | 50 feet | 40 feet | 40 feet”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Single-family dwellings and associated structures in the R-1 Single-Family Residence District inside Chardon city limits.

  • The standard is for single-family and two-family dwellings and associated structures in the listed residential districts.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 25 percent

  “(4) Maximum lot coverage | 25% | 30% | 30% | 30%”

• Building heightSpecified

  Single-family dwellings and associated structures in the R-1 Single-Family Residence District inside Chardon city limits.

  • Section 1147.13 provides exceptions to the height standards.

  maximum height of principal building: <= 35 feet (See Section 1147.13 for exceptions to height standards.) · maximum height of accessory structures: <= 20 feet (See Section 1147.13 for exceptions to height standards.)

  “(9) Maximum height of principal building (b) | 35 feet | 35 feet | 35 feet | 35 feet (10) Maximum height of accessory structures | 20 feet | 20 feet | 20 feet | 20 feet”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Chardon or Geauga County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemptions for construction inside Chardon city limits.
• Building code adopted — Building-code adoption for land inside Chardon city limits.
• Inspections — Building inspections for residential construction inside Chardon city limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings in the R-1 Single-Family Residence District inside Chardon city limits.
• Living in an RV — Long-term recreational-vehicle occupancy on private land inside Chardon city limits.

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.