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Lake County

Lake County Building Department

In short

Lake County Building Department issues 2 permits we publish for Lake County, last verified 2026-10-27. 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, Electrical, Mechanical, Fire Protection and Plumbing Permitsonly if it applies to youLake County Building DepartmentCommercial review fee due at application: new building or structure $600 (includes up to 5 hours of review), additions/alterations $120, all others $60; further review at the plan review rate of $120 per hour. Building: basic permit fee $225; new buildings and additions of 5,000 sq ft or less and alterations $225 + $0.08 per sq ft; new buildings and additions over 5,000 sq ft priced by Building Valuation Data (no basic fee). Electrical: basic permit fee $115 plus itemized charges. Mechanical: basic permit fee $115 plus itemized charges; kitchen hoods $220. Fire protection: basic permit fee $225; sprinklers over 20 heads or fire alarm over 50 devices $225 + $0.06 per sq ft. Plumbing: basic permit fee $155; fixtures $15 each; water heater only $45. Reinspection $70. Failure to obtain approval or permit: twice the cost of the approval or permit.per permit2026-10-27
Contractor RegistrationLake County Building Department$130 per registration, a year — the same $130.00 on the general and the residential-only registration formsJanuary 1 to December 31 each year; per the 2026 form, applications received after November 1st are good for the remainder of the year and the following calendar year2026-10-27

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, Electrical, Mechanical, Fire Protection and Plumbing Permits

Building out or remodeling a restaurant, shop, salon, clinic, gym or childcare center in a community served by the Lake County Building Department takes commercial permits from the department, which states it is 'responsible for the administration and enforcement of the applicable State of Ohio Building codes for residential, commercial, and industrial construction in its Jurisdiction.' Its Jurisdictions handout (footer 'Updated 1-23') lists: Concord Township, Fairport Harbor Village, Grand River Village, Kirtland City, Kirtland Hills, Lakeline Village – Residential Only, Leroy Township, Madison Township, Madison Village, Mentor-on-the-Lake, Painesville City, Painesville Township, North Perry Village, Perry Township, Perry Village, Timberlake Village – Residential Only, Waite Hill – Residential Only, Wickliffe – All Commercial and Residential Electric Only, Willoughby Hills, Willowick. The figures are as published in the department's commercial fee schedule, linked from its 'New (2026) Fee Schedules' page as 'Updated Fee Schedule Commercial 2-19-2026'; the schedule also lists a card processing fee of the greater of 2.5% or $2.00 and a digital fee for plans not submitted digitally. The department page gives notice of a 'MANDATORY PLAN SUBMITTAL FEE DUE AT TIME OF SUBMISSION' and says it aims to finish plan review in three weeks, adding '(THE CODE ALLOWS US 30 BUSINESS DAYS)'. On plumbing, LCGHD's plumbing page states that 'As of January 1, 2020 the Lake County Building Department will have jurisdiction over plumbing code enforcement for most of Lake County.' Contact the department at 440-350-2636.

Contractor Registration

The Building Department's 2026 Contractor's Registration Application (revised 4/2026) states: 'REGISTRATION FEE: $130.00 PER EACH REGISTRATION. REGISTRATIONS ARE VALID FROM JANUARY 1st - DECEMBER 31st OF EACH YEAR.' It adds that 'All contractors doing work within Lake County Building Departments jurisdictions are required to register with the Lake County Building Department if they are performing Residential or Commercial / Non-Residential work', in categories from general, electrical, HVAC, hydronics and refrigeration to fire alarm, fire sprinkler, fire/hood suppression, plumbing and certified backflow tester. Trade categories need a copy of the matching State of Ohio license or certificate; the general category is marked 'No state license required.' Under Lake County Commissioners' Resolution 20060720 of July 20, 2006, residential electric, HVAC, gas piping, plumbing and hydronics contractors show a state of Ohio license on registration, and a department policy amendment of October 26, 2022 allows a residential-only specialty contractor test instead. The 2026 Residential Only Contractor's Registration Application prints the same fee, '$130.00 PER EACH REGISTRATION', and the commercial fee schedule lists '$130.00 for the 2026 registration year.' The form also states that 'Homeowners are not required to be registered' when doing the work on their own property themselves. The registration page notes: 'Registration with the County does not take the place of any local municipal requirements.'

Contact

Jurisdiction
Lake County
Phone
440-350-2636

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. 2026 Contractor's Registration Application (REVISED 4/2026)Lake County Building Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
  2. 2026 Residential Only Contractor's Registration Application (Revised 4-2026)Lake County Building Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
  3. Building Inspection - Lake County, OhioLake County Building Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
  4. Commercial Fee Schedule (Updated Fee Schedule Commercial 2-19-2026)Lake County Building Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
  5. Contractor Registration Applications - Building InspectionLake County Building Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
  6. Jurisdictions (Updated 1-23)Lake County Building Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
  7. New (2026) Fee Schedules - Building InspectionLake County Building Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
  8. Plumbing (Residential & Commercial) - Lake County General Health DistrictLake County General Health District · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27

Other offices serving Lake 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.