Commercial Compliance Hub
Check requirements

Delaware County

Delaware County Department of Building Safety

In short

Delaware County Department of Building Safety issues 5 permits we publish for Delaware County, last verified 2026-10-20. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.

What this agency issues

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Commercial Building Permit and Plan ExaminationDelaware County Department of Building SafetyCommercial Fee Schedule (effective January 1, 2017). Building permit: new building $150 + $7/100 sq ft; addition or alteration $125 + $6/100 sq ft; shell only building $75 + $4/100 sq ft; sign $150 (plus an electric permit if applicable). Plan examination: new, addition, alteration, tenant finish or change of use $50 + $4/100 sq ft; resubmittal $100. Application (non refundable) $25; re-inspection $75. Building Safety also collects for the Ohio Board of Building Standards an assessment equal to 3% of fees, a state pass-through. Fees are doubled for work started without the required permits (Building Code DC 407).a permit is invalid if work has not commenced within twelve months of issuance; one twelve-month extension is granted if the owner requests it at least ten days before expiration and pays any required fee2026-10-20
Commercial Electrical, HVAC, Gas Piping and Fire Protection Permitsonly if it applies to youDelaware County Department of Building SafetyCommercial Fee Schedule (effective January 1, 2017). Electric: new installation, addition or alteration $75 + $6/100 sq ft. HVAC: new installation, addition or alteration $75 + $6/100 sq ft; kitchen exhaust hood $150; refrigeration $125/unit. Gas piping: new installation, addition or alteration $50 + $1/100 sq ft. Fire suppression $75 + $3/100 sq ft; fire hood suppression $200, with fire hood suppression plan examination $100; fire alarm system $75 + $3/100 sq ft. Plus the $25 non-refundable application fee and the 3% Ohio Board of Building Standards assessment.per project; the Building Code's twelve-month permit validity and single twelve-month extension apply2026-10-20
Certificate of Use and OccupancyDelaware County Department of Building SafetyCommercial Fee Schedule (effective January 1, 2017): occupancy certificate for a permitted building $60; for a non-permitted building $100 + $75 per inspection; temporary occupancy certificate $150.issued once all required inspections are approved; a temporary or time-limited certificate runs for the period the building official sets2026-10-20
Tent Permitonly if it applies to youDelaware County Department of Building SafetyCommercial Fee Schedule (effective January 1, 2017): tent $75; tent with electric $150; tent plan examination $50 + $1/100 sq ft. Plus the $25 non-refundable application fee and the 3% Ohio Board of Building Standards assessment.per event or installation2026-10-20
County Zoning Certificate (Marlboro, Radnor and Thompson Townships)only if it applies to youDelaware County Department of Building SafetyDelaware County Zoning Fee Schedule (Effective 9/1/2013). Commercial, industrial, institutional, recreational: new construction $300; addition $250; temporary office/storage trailer $150. Other: change of use $100; signs requiring a zoning certificate $100; variance $350; conditional use $350; rezoning/zoning amendment $350 + $50/acre (minimum $400).per project2026-10-20

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

About each permit

Commercial Building Permit and Plan Examination

A new commercial building, addition, alteration or tenant finish permitted by the Delaware County Department of Building Safety is priced on the department's Commercial Fee Schedule, which prints 'Effective January 1, 2017' and is the schedule the current Commercial Information page links under 'Fees'. The schedule charges a $25 non-refundable application fee, the building permit ($150 + $7 per 100 sq ft for a new building; $125 + $6 per 100 sq ft for an addition or alteration) and plan examination ($50 + $4 per 100 sq ft), and notes that Building Safety 'is required to collect on behalf of the Ohio Board of Building Standards an assessment equal to 3% of fees' and that fees 'will not be refunded on permits that have expired.' The Delaware County Building Code was adopted by the Board of County Commissioners under ORC 307.37 (effective July 27, 2006, revised October 2, 2023); its DC 407 provides that 'fees shall be doubled for work that is started without the required permits.' The code's permit-validity section makes a permit invalid if work has not commenced within twelve months and provides that 'one extension shall be granted for an additional twelve-month period if requested by the owner at least ten days in advance of the expiration of the permit and upon payment of any required fee(s).' Trade permits (electric, HVAC, gas, fire protection) are separate lines of the same schedule.

Commercial Electrical, HVAC, Gas Piping and Fire Protection Permits

A commercial fit-out normally needs trade permits from the Delaware County Department of Building Safety alongside the building permit, each priced on its own line of the department's Commercial Fee Schedule, effective January 1, 2017, which the current Commercial Information page links under 'Fees'. Restaurants and coffee shops meet the kitchen lines in particular: a kitchen exhaust hood is $150 on the HVAC schedule and a fire hood suppression system is $200 on the fire suppression schedule, with a separate $100 plan examination for the hood suppression system. Electric and HVAC work in new space, additions and alterations is $75 + $6 per 100 sq ft each; gas piping is $50 + $1 per 100 sq ft; fire suppression and fire alarm systems are each $75 + $3 per 100 sq ft; refrigeration is $125 per unit. The schedule's note that Building Safety collects a 3% assessment for the Ohio Board of Building Standards applies to these permits too, and DC 407 of the Delaware County Building Code doubles fees for work started without the required permits. Plumbing is permitted separately by the Delaware Public Health District.

Certificate of Use and Occupancy

Before a commercial space is occupied, the Delaware County Department of Building Safety issues a certificate of use and occupancy. Its Certificate of Use and Occupancy Instructions (posted April 2026) quote Ohio Building Code Section 111.1, that 'no building or structure, in whole or in part, shall be used or occupied until the building official has issued an approval in the form of a certificate of occupancy.' For new construction the certificate issues at the end of the required inspections without a separate application. For an existing building, the owner may request one in writing under Section 111.2, 'the local fire jurisdiction will be included in the inspection and investigation process,' and 'this category includes occupancy certificate requirements for daycares in existing buildings'; a day care application adds a scaled floor plan showing each room's name, the ages of children, exits and toilet fixtures. The amounts are from the department's Commercial Fee Schedule, effective January 1, 2017: $60 for a permitted building, $100 plus $75 per inspection for a non-permitted building and $150 for a temporary occupancy certificate.

Tent Permit

A restaurant, shop or event vendor putting up a large tent at a commercial establishment needs approval from the Delaware County Department of Building Safety. The department's Tent Permit Approval Policy states that 'tents and membrane structures, for temporary or permanent use, having an area larger than 400 square feet and canopies (open on all sides (no sidewalls)), larger than 700 square feet require approvals from the building official,' citing Ohio Building Code Section 3102 and Ohio Fire Code 1301:7-7-24. The policy exempts tents used exclusively for recreational purposes and open-sided tents within the 700 sq ft and 12-foot clearance limits it sets out. The application needs a copy of zoning approval and PDF drawings showing tent sizes and distances to property lines, buildings and other tents, plus electrical, cooking equipment and fire suppression details where the tent will have lighting, cooking or dining. The amounts are from the Commercial Fee Schedule, effective January 1, 2017.

County Zoning Certificate (Marlboro, Radnor and Thompson Townships)

This record applies only to a site in Marlboro, Radnor or Thompson Township. The Delaware County Zoning Resolution, prepared by the Delaware County Zoning Commission (effective October 11, 2000, amended July 17, 2023), names those three townships on its cover, and the department's Zoning Fee Schedule is headed 'Marlboro, Radnor & Thompson Townships'. A business building, adding to, changing the use of or putting a sign on a property there obtains a county zoning certificate from the Delaware County Department of Building Safety. The amounts are from that Zoning Fee Schedule, 'Effective 9/1/2013', which the department's current Zoning & Floodplain page links as 'Zoning Fees'. The county's Zoning Inspectors list, updated 9/18/26, gives Greg Miller at 1610 State Route 521 as the zoning inspector for Marlboro, Radnor and Thompson and lists other zoning inspectors for other townships and villages.

Contact

Jurisdiction
Delaware County
Phone
(740) 833-2200

Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.

Sources

Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.

  1. Certificate of Use and Occupancy InstructionsDelaware County Department of Building Safety · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-20
  2. Commercial Fee Schedule, Effective January 1, 2017Delaware County Department of Building Safety · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-20
  3. Commercial Information — Delaware County Department of Building SafetyDelaware County Department of Building Safety · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-20
  4. Delaware County Building Code (effective July 27, 2006; revised October 2, 2023)Delaware County Board of Commissioners · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-20
  5. Delaware County Zoning Fee Schedule, Marlboro, Radnor & Thompson Townships (Effective 9/1/2013)Delaware County Department of Building Safety · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-20
  6. Delaware County Zoning Inspectors (Updated 9/18/26)Delaware County Department of Building Safety · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-20
  7. Delaware County Zoning Resolution, Marlboro Township, Radnor Township, Thompson Township (effective October 11, 2000; amended July 17, 2023)Delaware County Zoning Commission · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-20
  8. Tent Permit Approval PolicyDelaware County Department of Building Safety · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-20
  9. Zoning & Floodplain — Delaware County Department of Building SafetyDelaware County Department of Building Safety · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-20

Other offices serving Delaware County

The full permit list for this jurisdiction

Industry permit lists that include this agency

Ohio jurisdictions

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.