City Partners With Residents to Ensure Home Project Safety, Compliance

The City is reminding residents to contact Planning & Development staff before beginning any major home renovation project to ensure the proper permits and inspections are obtained.

“The City is here to partner with residents making improvements to their homes to ensure they meet existing zoning, building and safety standards that fall within our purview,” said Karl Craven, Planning and Development Director.

Staff carefully evaluates project plans to ensure conformance with the Residential Code of Ohio and City ordinances to ensure compliance with applicable regulations. Understanding the impact of a private project on your own property and surrounding private properties is the responsibility of the homeowner.

“It is important to understand that, when it comes to projects contained to private property, our involvement is generally limited to ensuring the plans meet local, state and national standards,” Craven said. “I would always recommend consulting closely with your contractor and neighbors to ensure any project on your property would not have a negative impact on others.”

Residents and contractors can always call the City’s Planning and Development staff for suggestions and consultation as appropriate.

Not every project requires a permit. Visit www.westerville.org/building and review the “Residential Permits” resource section to see a list of applicable projects.