As all of us look forward to warmer weather, many remodeling and construction projects are being planned. In order to clarify the building permit process, we kindly submit the following information for public reference:
1) Ohio Revised Code 5713.17 states that written notice shall be given to the county auditor by any person making structural improvements to their property or buildings costing more than $2,000. The county auditor is authorized to appraise any building or improvement that is discovered and was not previously notified of construction by the owner. The auditor will place the new valuation upon the tax list and duplicate at its taxable value for all the years from the date of completion to the date of discovery, together with a penalty equal to fifty percent (50%) of the taxes that would have been collected had the county auditor been notified of its construction as required.
2) In Williams County, a building permit is required for all new construction including renovation of existing structures, regardless of value, as established by resolution of the Williams County Commissioners. Persons living within a city or village of Williams County must obtain their building permits through their city or village office (except for Blakeslee and Holiday City). Persons living outside of a municipality, plus the villages of Blakeslee and Holiday City, will be required to obtain a county building permit from the Auditor’s office, located on the second floor of the courthouse. (Office hours are 8:30 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday).
3) The cost of building permits obtained from a city or village office may vary. The cost of a county building permit obtained at the Auditor’s office is $25 if the construction value is $2,000 or more. There is no fee for the county building permit if the construction value is under $2,000, however the building permit is still required. A penalty of $100 may be assessed, along with the permit fee, for any permit not obtained before the start of construction. These fees and penalties may be added to the real estate taxes of those who fail to acquire a building permit.
A BUILDING PERMIT AND A ZONING PERMIT ARE TWO ENTIRELY DIFFERENT DOCUMENTS WITH SEPARATE PURPOSES.
•Center, Pulaski, and Springfield Townships are zoned townships.
•Residents of Center Township must obtain a zoning permit, prior to construction, from the township zoning inspector (phone 419-636-5522). The Center Township zoning permit must be presented when applying for the county building permit.
•Residents of Springfield Township must obtain a zoning permit, prior to construction, from Springfield Township zoning inspector, Phil Short (phone 419-682-6421). The Springfield Township zoning permit must be presented when applying for the county building permit.
•Pulaski Township is “County Zoned” and residents must contact the chairman of the zoning board, Gerald Boynton (419-633-3384) prior to construction.
Also, residents of Lake Seneca must contact Carol Swiatkowski of the Lake Seneca Property Owners Association at 419-485-5995 prior to construction to obtain a permit. The Lake Seneca permit must be presented when applying for the county building permit.
FLOOD PLAIN DEVELOPMENT PERMIT
If your property has any federally regulated flood plain on it, a Williams County Flood Plain Development Permit is required before obtaining a building permit. Since Williams County participates in the FEMA Flood Insurance Program, the county is required to monitor development in the flood plain and this permit provides the information necessary for Williams County to comply with the FEMA requirements.
The current 100 year flood zones can be viewed on the mapping portion of the Williams County Auditor’s web page.
The flood plain development permit is free and the forms and other requirements are available at the Williams County Engineer’s Office located at 12953 County Road G, Bryan, Ohio, or by contacting the Engineer at 419-636-2454.
Should you have any questions regarding the building permit process, please contact the Williams County Auditor’s office at 419-636-5639.