Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Westfield Center, Ohio

At a glance

Zoning

Yes: the Village has its own zoning code and districts⁴¹

Building code

Residential Code of Ohio and Ohio Building Code adopted²

Residential building fee

$75 on the Village fee schedule⁵

Minimum dwelling size

1,800 sq ft one-floor in Residence A; 1,600 sq ft in Residence B⁶⁷

Septic permits

Medina County Health Department (county-wide); village-specific rules unconfirmed³

RV and tiny homes

Not addressed in the Village code we reviewed; ask Village Hall⁴

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 24, 2026.

Does Westfield Center, Ohio have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs, tiny homes, lot size and setbacks?

Yes. The Village of Westfield Center administers land use under its own Planning and Zoning Code⁴. The code publishes Residence A, Residence B and Commercial C districts plus a zoning map¹. The Village Planning Commission reviews development plans and zoning matters and makes recommendations to village council⁸.

Rules change by district. In Residence A, the minimum lot area is 17,500 square feet with an average lot width of 100 feet, plus the lot definition in the subdivision chapter⁹. Residence A dwellings need a front yard of 50 feet and side yards of 15 feet each¹⁰. Residence B dwellings have the same 50-foot front yard and 15-foot side yards¹¹. The Residence A rear yard is 50 feet or 30% of lot depth, whichever is larger, up to 75 feet¹⁰.

Minimum home size also depends on the district: a one-floor house needs 1,800 square feet in Residence A⁶ and 1,600 square feet in Residence B⁷. That excludes porches, garages, breezeways and terraces. Because of those floor-area minimums, a tiny home would have a hard time qualifying as a dwelling in either residence district, though we could not find a tiny-home rule written out in the Village code, so ask the Planning Commission.

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

Westfield Center has adopted both the Residential Code of Ohio and the Ohio Building Code for buildings inside village limits². The Village fee schedule lists a residential building fee of $75 and a nonresidential building fee of $175⁵. Separately, the Village code has a section titled Zoning Permit Required, which covers construction, alteration and changes of use¹².

What we could not confirm is which office inspects and issues the state-code building permit inside the village, or whether the Village applies an owner-builder exemption. Ohio lets certified municipal, township or county building departments enforce the state building codes¹³. Call Village Hall¹⁴ and the Medina County Building Department¹⁵ before you plan on a start date.

Outside village limits, the county rules differ: Medina County requires its building permit for construction, repair and occupancy changes in its jurisdiction¹⁶. Do not assume the county's unincorporated-area answer applies to a lot inside Westfield Center.

How do septic permits work inside Westfield Center?

Septic permits in Medina County come from the Medina County Health Department, which states that it permits and inspects all new and replacement household sewage treatment systems in the county¹⁷. Under Ohio law, the local board of health approves, permits and inspects septic systems in its health district¹⁸.

We could not confirm a rule written specifically for land inside the village. Westfield Center operates its own wastewater treatment plant¹⁴, so the first question is whether your lot can connect to sanitary sewer. In Medina County, a house on property that can reach sanitary sewer must connect and abandon its septic system under a permit¹⁹. Ask Village Hall and the Health Department whether sewer is available at your address before you pay for a soil evaluation.

If a septic system is allowed, Ohio requires a site review with a soil evaluation and system design before the board of health accepts a permit application²⁰.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Westfield Center?

We could not confirm a Village rule on long-term RV living, temporary camping or tiny homes; the residential-use provisions we reviewed did not address them. Treat the answer as unconfirmed and ask the Planning Commission⁸ before you buy or park anything on a lot.

Two nearby facts do not answer the question. Medina County has no county zoning of its own²¹, but that limit covers county land-use zoning only and does not reach a village that zones itself⁴. Ohio's campground rules cover licensed campgrounds, not a private residential lot²².

Because the Residence A and Residence B districts set minimum floor areas for dwellings⁶, a tiny home meant as a primary residence is the likelier problem. A written answer from the Village is worth more than any assumption.

Building a home in Westfield Center: the steps, in order

1. Confirm the zoning district of your lot and read its lot, yard and dwelling-size rules with the Planning Commission⁸; the code publishes separate rules for Residence A, Residence B and Commercial C¹.
2. Check subdivision rules if you are splitting or platting land, since the Village code has separate chapters on plans, design standards and improvements²³.
3. Get a zoning permit, which the Village code requires for construction, alteration and changes of use¹².
4. Confirm with Village Hall¹⁴ and the Medina County Building Department¹⁵ who issues and inspects the building permit.
5. Settle sewer or septic with the Medina County Health Department¹⁷ before you design the house.
6. If you need a well, Ohio requires a board of health permit before construction²⁴.
7. Check for a FEMA flood zone: inside a village, Medina County sends builders to the village floodplain manager instead of the county²⁵.

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

Septic permits and well permits run through the Medina County Health Department and Ohio's board of health system, not through the Village's zoning office¹⁷²⁴. Water service in Westfield Center is listed with the Medina County Sanitary Engineers on the Village contact page¹⁴.

For land outside village limits, use the county page for Medina County: the county's building department and its driveway permit rules apply there, not here²⁶. Medina County's zoning is administered township by township, village by village and city by city²⁷.

Money matters are county-level figures: Medina County's effective property tax rate is 1.3%²⁸, and the median property tax bill is $3,448 a year²⁹. Ask the Medina County Auditor for the tax bill on the specific parcel before you close.

Watch-outs

• We could not confirm which office issues and inspects building permits inside Westfield Center, so call Village Hall and the Medina County Building Department before you start work¹⁴¹⁵.
• The Village code sets minimum dwelling sizes by district, so a small cabin or tiny home may not qualify as a dwelling in Residence A or Residence B⁶⁷.
• Septic and well rules written for land inside the village were not located; ask the Medina County Health Department and confirm sewer availability first¹⁷.

Sources

1. Part Twelve - Planning and Zoning Code (Village of Westfield Center), quoted and re-checked
2. Chapter 1420 Residential Code; Building Code (Village of Westfield Center), quoted and re-checked
3. Sewage Treatment Systems, quoted and re-checked
4. Part Twelve - Planning and Zoning Code (Village of Westfield Center), quoted and re-checked
5. Exhibit V: Village of Westfield Center Fee Schedule (Village of Westfield Center), quoted and re-checked
6. 1266.04 Required Minimum Lot Area, Lot Width and Yards; Distances From Lot Lines and Dwellings; Minimum Size of Dwellings (Village of Westfield Center), quoted and re-checked
7. 1268.03 Required Minimum Lot Area, Lot Width and Yards; Minimum Size of Dwellings (Village of Westfield Center), quoted and re-checked
8. Village of Westfield Center Planning Commission (Village Hall) (westfieldcenter.org)
9. 1266.04 Required Minimum Lot Area, Lot Width and Yards; Distances From Lot Lines and Dwellings; Minimum Size of Dwellings (Village of Westfield Center), quoted and re-checked
10. 1266.04 Required Minimum Lot Area, Lot Width and Yards; Distances From Lot Lines and Dwellings; Minimum Size of Dwellings (Village of Westfield Center), quoted and re-checked
11. 1268.03 Required Minimum Lot Area, Lot Width and Yards; Minimum Size of Dwellings (Village of Westfield Center), quoted and re-checked
12. 1260.05 Zoning Permit Required (Village of Westfield Center), quoted and re-checked
13. Section 3781.10 | Board of building standards - powers and duties (Ohio statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
14. Village of Westfield Center Village Hall (westfieldcenter.org)
15. Medina County Building Department (medinaco.org)
16. Medina County Building Regulations, quoted and re-checked
17. Medina County Health Department (medinahealth.org)
18. Section 3718.023 | Approval of installation, operation or alteration of sewage treatment systems (Ohio statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
19. Sewage Treatment Systems, quoted and re-checked
20. Rule 3701-29-09 | Site review and permits for STS installation and operation (Ohio statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
21. Medina County Planning Commission Minutes, January 2, 2019, quoted and re-checked
22. Rule 3701-26-04 | Campground requirements (Ohio statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
23. Part Twelve - Planning and Zoning Code (Village of Westfield Center), quoted and re-checked
24. Chapter 3701-28 | Private water systems (Ohio statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
25. FEMA Flood Zones, quoted and re-checked
26. Guide for Commercial Builders - Driveway and Flood Requirements, quoted and re-checked
27. Zoning - Medina County, Ohio, quoted and re-checked
28. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
29. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 24, 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.