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

Center Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Erection, moving, addition to, or structural alteration of buildings and structures, and establishment or changed use of buildings, structures, or land in unincorporated Center Township, Mercer County, Ohio.

  • This is a zoning-permit requirement administered by the Center Township Zoning Inspector, not a finding about a separate state residential-building-code permit.
  • Agricultural buildings or structures are exempt except in a platted subdivision consisting of 15 or more lots of one acre or less.
  • A zoning permit application expires and may be revoked if work has not begun within six months or substantially completed within two years.
  • The permit may be issued only in conformity with the zoning code unless the inspector receives the specified written order from the Board of Zoning Appeals, Zoning Commission, or County Commissioners.

  work commencement deadline: <= 6 months (Permit application may expire and be revoked if work has not begun.) · work substantial-completion deadline: <= 2 years (Permit application may expire and be revoked if work has not been substantially completed.)

  “No building or other structure, unless it is exempt as agricultural (see definition), shall be erected, moved, added to, or structurally altered; nor shall any building, structure, or land be established or changed in use; nor shall any accessory structure, fence, sign, or swimming pool be installed without a permit issued by the Zoning Inspector.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land in unincorporated Center Township, Mercer County, Ohio, subject to Center Township zoning administration.

  • The cited county emergency-information sheet identifies a Center Township Zoning Inspector; incorporated land within the township may instead be subject to the applicable municipality's zoning.
  • The county zoning code was adopted by the Mercer County Commissioners and establishes zoning districts and land-use controls.

  “TOWNSHIP ZONING INSPECTORS MERCER COUNTY [...] CENTER Dave Stoner 419-305-4079”

Rules another office applies inside Center Township

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

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  Household sewage treatment systems serving land inside Center Township, Mercer County, Ohio.

  • The Mercer County Health District program covers septic-system siting, building-lot approvals, permitting, operations-and-maintenance review, and nuisance investigations.
  • Ohio Administrative Code Chapter 3701-29 requires an approved board-of-health permit before a sewage treatment system or gray-water recycling system is installed, altered, or operated.
  • Mercer County HSTS rules are identified by the district as effective May 1, 2021.

  “This program covers septic system siting, building lot approvals, septic system permitting, review of system operation and maintenance, and nuisance investigations.”

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.