Ohio Building Code & Construction Permit Law
Ohio Code · 4 sections
The following is the full text of Ohio’s building code & construction permit law statutes as published in the Ohio Code. For the official version, see the Ohio Legislature.
Ohio Rev. Code § 4703.18
No person may practice architecture or hold forth as an architect without a certificate of qualification issued under Ohio Revised Code sections 4703.01 to 4703.19. The statute provides exemptions allowing non-architects to file building permit applications and prepare plans for residential buildings, replacement equipment installations, and certain modifications where building officials determine no plans are required. Registered professional engineers may engage in architectural practice incident to engineering, and architects may engage in engineering practice incident to architecture. Firms, partnerships, associations, limited liability companies, and corporations may provide architectural services only through registered natural persons and must comply with ownership and management requirements. More than fifty percent of partners, members, shareholders, directors, managers, or trustees must be licensed professionals who own more than fifty percent of interests. Each entity must designate trustees, partners, managers, or directors in responsible charge of professional activities, and corporations must obtain certificates of authorization from the architects board.
ORC § 4740.14
| Residential construction advisory committee - recommendation of residential building code. Effective: December 19, 2016 Latest Legislation: House Bill 471 - 131st General Assembly PDF: Download Authenticated PDF (A) There is hereby created within the department of commerce the residential construction advisory committee consisting of nine persons the director of commerce appoints. The advisory committee shall be made up of the following members: (1) Three shall be general contractors who have recognized ability and experience in the construction of residential buildings. (2) Two shall be building officials who have experience administering and enforcing a residential building code. (3) One, chosen from a list of three names the Ohio fire chief's association submits, shall be from the fire service certified as a fire safety inspector who has at least ten years of experience enforcing fire or building codes. (4) One shall be a residential contractor who has recognized ability and experience in the remodeling and construction of residential buildings. (5) One shall be an architect registered pursuant to Chapter 4703. of the Revised Code, with recognized ability and experience in the architecture of residential buildings. (6) One, chosen from a list of three names the Ohio municipal league submits to the director, shall be a mayor of a municipal corporation in which the Ohio residential building code is being enforced in the municipal corporation by a certified building department. (B) Terms of office shall be for three years, with each term ending on the date three years after the date of appointment. Each member shall hold office from the date of appointment until the end of the term for which the member was appointed. Vacancies shall be filled in the manner provided for initial appointments. Any member appointed to fill a vacancy in an unexpired term shall hold office for the remainder of that term. (C) The advisory committee shall do all of the following: (1) Recommend to the board of building standards a building code for residential buildings. The committee shall recommend a code that it may model on a residential building code a national model code organization issues, with adaptations necessary to implement the code in this state. If the board of building standards decides not to adopt a code the committee recommends, the committee shall revise the code and resubmit it until the board adopts a code the committee recommends as the state residential building code; (2) Advise the board regarding the establishment of standards for certification of building officials who enforce the state residential building code; (3) Assist the board in providing information and guidance to residential contractors and building officials who enforce the state residential building code; (4) Advise the board regarding the interpretation of the state residential building code; (5) Provide other assistance the committee considers necessary; (6) Provid
Ohio Rev. Code § 4740.14
This section establishes a nine-member residential construction advisory committee within Ohio's commerce department. Members include three general contractors, two building officials, one fire safety inspector, one residential remodeling contractor, one architect, and one municipal mayor. Terms last three years with vacancies filled using the same appointment process. The committee's responsibilities include recommending residential building codes to the board of building standards, potentially adapting national model codes for Ohio implementation. They advise on certification standards for building officials, provide guidance to contractors and officials, offer code interpretation assistance, and submit written findings on health, safety, welfare impacts, economic reasonableness, technical feasibility, and housing affordability implications. Committee members receive no salary but get reimbursed for actual expenses and per diem payments from the industrial compliance operating fund.
Ohio Rev. Code § 4764.03
Section 4764.02 does not apply to any person described as follows if the person is acting within the scope of practice of the person's respective profession: (A) A person employed by or whose services are retained by the state or a political subdivision for enforcing building codes; (B) A person holding a valid certificate to practice architecture issued under Chapter 4703; (C) A person registered as a professional engineer under Chapter 4733; (D) A heating, ventilating, and air conditioning contractor, refrigeration contractor, electrical contractor, plumbing contractor, or hydronics contractor who is licensed under Chapter 4740 or section 3781.102 or who is licensed or registered under section 715.27; (E) A real estate broker, salesperson, foreign real estate dealer, or foreign real estate salesperson licensed under Chapter 4735; (F) A real estate appraiser licensed under Chapter 4763; (G) A public insurance adjuster who holds a valid certificate of authority issued under Chapter 3951 or an employee or representative of an insurer conducting an inspection for purposes related to the business of insurance; (H) A commercial applicator of pesticide licensed under Chapter 921.
The law belongs to the people. Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 590 U.S. (2020)