Building permits, zoning and land rules in Perry County, Ohio

Ohio requires a homeowner to submit plans to the building department having jurisdiction before construction, but only where a certified municipal, township or county residential department exists for the parcel¹³. Where none has jurisdiction, the owner is not required to submit construction documents, seek approvals, request inspections or obtain a Residential Code certificate of occupancy¹. Where a certified department does cover the parcel, inspections are required and the home cannot be occupied until a certificate of occupancy or completion is issued¹⁴. We could not confirm which Perry County parcels, if any, fall under such a department, so ask the parcel's township trustees or village office. Zoning, septic, well, floodplain and driveway approvals remain separate¹³.

Mid-East Ohio Building Department is state certified for commercial work and has no authority over one-, two- or three-family homes². It issues plan approvals and inspections for Ohio Building Code work in Perry County, with applications submitted online and a 3% Board of Building Standards fee^2,5. It has no authority over zoning². Ohio certifies each local department for only the code type it enforces, so the commercial office cannot answer a residential question¹⁵. The Perry County Health Department separately handles septic and private-water permits^4,16, and the Perry County Engineer issues driveway permits for county roads¹².

Zoning in Perry County is set township by township and by villages, not by one county code³. Reading Township has its own zoning resolution⁷, Thorn Township's zoning inspector enforces its resolution⁶, and the Village of New Lexington has its own planning and zoning code⁸. We could not confirm a complete list of zoned townships; the County Engineer's office can supply one³. Where no zoning is in effect, county subdivision rules set a single-family lot at 150 feet of frontage and 1 acre (43,560 square feet) without public sewer, or 80 feet and 14,000 square feet with it³. Residential subdivisions outside zoning need setbacks of 100 feet from state and federal route centerlines and 75 feet from county and township road centerlines³. We could not confirm a minimum home size or height limit; ask the township³.

The Perry County Health Department approves individual sewage systems where public sewer is unavailable, including inside Reading Township's zoning^4,7,16. Off-grid sewage is not permit-free¹⁶. Complete a site evaluation, get a design from a registered installer or compliant designer, and use a Perry County registered installer⁹. The permit costs $307 and is valid for one year⁹; the department inspects the system 12 months after finalization⁹. Only 7.4% of Perry County soils are rated not limited for a conventional drain field, so expect an engineered system and make septic feasibility a purchase contingency¹⁷.

We could not confirm a Perry County rule allowing long-term RV or tiny-home living on a private parcel; ask the parcel's township zoning inspector. Ohio's campground rules cover licensed parks and camps, not an ordinary private lot¹¹. A temporary campground involves five or more units, no more than 21 days a year and no more than 7 consecutive days per stay, so it does not answer one family living on its own land¹⁸. A permanently sited manufactured home must be allowed where a township permits single-family homes, subject to uniform district requirements¹⁹. A homeowner may install one for personal occupancy on owned land outside a manufactured home park, within the state's installer conditions²⁰.

1. Identify the township or village and ask its trustees or office which zoning and which certified residential building authority, if any, applies^3,15.

1. If dividing land in unincorporated Perry County, take the plan to the Perry County Planning Commission before transferring lots³.

1. Check floodplain status; construction in mapped Zone A needs a permit²¹.

1. Get the Health Department site evaluation and septic design, then apply for the septic permit⁹.

1. Apply to the Health Department before developing or altering a private well¹⁰.

1. Get the County Engineer's driveway permit if access enters a county road¹².

1. If a certified residential department has jurisdiction, follow its plan approval, inspections and certificate of occupancy; otherwise those Residential Code steps do not apply¹.

Start with septic feasibility, since only 7.4% of soils are rated not limited for a conventional drain field¹⁷. Confirm the township or village, its current zoning, whether any certified residential department covers the parcel, and mapped flood hazard^3,21. A new private water system permit costs $490 and an alteration $190¹⁰. A barn or farm building may avoid the state building code only after a township or county zoning inspector issues a zoning certificate declaring agricultural use²². About 61.6% of the county is wooded and 55.3% has a slope of 15% or less, which shapes driveway and building-site layout¹⁷. The median property-tax bill is about $1,656 a year¹⁷.