18 published records
Business licenses and permits in Franklin County, Ohio
The Franklin County Auditor's own Licensing Types page lists four licenses — kennel, junk yard, retail cigarette dealer and vendor's — and names no general business license among them. The county's food, body-art, pool/spa and rabies-control programs run through Franklin County Public Health (FCPH), the county general health district — but FCPH's territory excludes the City of Columbus and the City of Worthington, both of which are served instead by Columbus Public Health (CPH), an independent city agency rather than a county one. The Franklin County Auditor administers the state-mandated vendor's license, the junk yard/salvage dealer license (ORC Chapter 4737, only for businesses operating an actual salvage yard) and the kennel license (ORC 955.04/955.14, only for commercial dog breeding). The county's Residential Building Permits page states that the Building Department issues building permits for 1-, 2- and 3-family residential structures and that the State of Ohio issues commercial building permits; the Building Department and the Zoning Division serve 10 of the county's 17 unincorporated townships, and incorporated cities and villages — including Columbus and every suburb — run their own building and zoning. Salon/cosmetology licensure (Ohio State Cosmetology and Barber Board), veterinary licensure (Ohio Veterinary Medical Licensing Board), childcare center licensure (Ohio Department of Children and Youth), trade-contractor licensure (Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board) and liquor permits are state functions; the records below set out what each body's own page says and where a county touchpoint exists.
What are you opening in Franklin County?
- RestaurantsFull-service restaurants carry the densest permit load of any small business: food, fire, occupancy, waste, and usually alcohol.See the full permit list
- Coffee shopsCafés are permitted as food service establishments even where no cooking happens, and the plan review step catches most operators by surprise.See the full permit list
- Retail storesRetail is the lightest common permit load, but the sales tax permit and the certificate of occupancy are non-negotiable in every jurisdiction.See the full permit list
- Salons and barbersPersonal care is licensed at state board level as well as locally, so the shop license and the practitioner licenses are separate obligations.See the full permit list
- Food trucksMobile food is the one category with no certificate of occupancy — but it gains a commissary agreement, and the unit itself is inspected rather than the premises.See the full permit list
- Fitness studiosPrepaid memberships trigger state registration and often a surety bond, which catches operators who budgeted only for the fit-out.See the full permit list
- Childcare centresThe heaviest permit load of any small business: state agency licensing, per-person background checks, and a stricter fire standard than ordinary commercial use.See the full permit list
- Contractors and tradesLicensed at state board level rather than locally, and the only common category with no premises permits at all — the bond is usually the long pole.See the full permit list
- Auto repair shopsOrdinary commercial permitting plus an environmental layer: waste oil, solvents and stormwater are each registered separately.See the full permit list
- Veterinary clinicsA state facility permit, controlled substances registration at both state and federal level, and a medical waste manifest — none of which a general business license covers.See the full permit list
Permits that apply to every type of business in Franklin County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Building Permit — State of Ohio Issues (Franklin County)only if it applies to you | Franklin County Building Department | No fee | not applicable — per the county's Residential Building Permits page, the State of Ohio issues commercial building permits | 2026-09-28 |
| Zoning Compliance Certificate (residential or commercial)only if it applies to you | Franklin County Economic Development & Planning, Planning & Zoning Division | The Commercial Zoning Compliance Application & Submittal Instructions packet (revised 03.07.25) carries a 'Fee Paid' line on its cover but prints no fee amount; the fee is not published in that packet. Contact Planning & Zoning (614-525-3904 / Planning@franklincountyohio.gov) for the amount currently charged before applying. | one-time, per project; typically obtained before or alongside a building permit application | 2026-09-28 |
| General Business License — Franklin County Auditor positiononly if it applies to you | Franklin County Auditor, Licensing Section | No fee | not applicable — the Auditor's Licensing Types page lists no general business license | 2026-09-28 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
What do these permits involve in Franklin County?
Commercial Building Permit — State of Ohio Issues (Franklin County)
The Franklin County Building Department's Residential Building Permits and Information page states that the department 'is responsible for issuing building permits for 1-, 2- and 3-family residential structures and associated development' and that 'The State of Ohio issues commercial building permits', so this record carries no fee. The same page directs projects in Brown, Clinton, Franklin, Hamilton, Madison, Mifflin, Norwich, Pleasant, Sharon and Truro townships to the county for zoning compliance, while the other unincorporated townships (Blendon, Jackson, Jefferson, Perry, Plain, Prairie, Washington) handle their own zoning. Commercial buildings — restaurants, retail stores, salons, fitness studios, auto-repair shops, veterinary clinics, childcare centers — therefore go to the State of Ohio for building permits. A business physically located in Columbus or any incorporated suburb (the great majority of addresses) is outside the county Building Department's area, and building permitting there is a city or village function instead. The county's Building FAQs page adds that electrical, heating, plumbing, well and septic work each require separate permits, with plumbing, well and septic permits issued by Franklin County Public Health.
Zoning Compliance Certificate (residential or commercial)
Franklin County's Planning & Zoning Division issues Zoning Compliance Certificates — both residential and commercial — for property in unincorporated Franklin County, in the same 10 townships the Building Department reaches (Brown, Clinton, Franklin, Hamilton, Madison, Mifflin, Norwich, Pleasant, Sharon, Truro); the 7 self-administering townships (Blendon, Jackson, Jefferson, Perry, Plain, Prairie, Washington) handle their own zoning instead, and incorporated cities and villages in the county — including Columbus and every suburb — handle zoning themselves. Where it does apply, a zoning certificate is required before most construction: any disturbance of land or change in use typically triggers the requirement, and anything needing a building permit will also need a zoning permit. The fee amount is not printed in the commercial application packet, which carries only a 'Fee Paid' line; contact the Division for the current fee. Applications go through the county's online SmartGov portal or in person at 150 S. Front St., FSL Suite 10, Columbus, with questions to the project coordinator at 614-525-3904 or Planning@franklincountyohio.gov.
General Business License — Franklin County Auditor position
The Franklin County Auditor's Licensing Types page — the county's licensing page — lists four licenses (kennel, junk yard, retail cigarette dealer and vendor's) and names no general or occupational business license, so this record carries no fee. Article XVIII, Section 3 of the Ohio Constitution, in the article on municipal corporations, gives municipalities 'all powers of local self-government', which is the basis on which Ohio cities license local businesses; a business inside a city or village should check that municipality's own requirements. What Franklin County licenses instead is a short, specifically-named list: the state-mandated vendor's license administered by the Auditor, the junk yard/salvage dealer license, the kennel license, and Franklin County Public Health's food, body-art and pool/spa programs — each listed separately, each backed by its own statute or state delegation rather than a general county ordinance. A business's universal Ohio-level registration and any state professional licenses are recorded at the state layer.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Building FAQs — the Building Department's own FAQ page, stating that commercial building permits are issued by the State of Ohio and that the county verifies rather than issues state OCILB contractor licensesFranklin County Building Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Residential Building Permits and Information — confirms 1-, 2- and 3-family residential scope and the 10-of-17-townships jurisdictionFranklin County Building Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Commercial Zoning Compliance Application & Submittal Instructions (revised 03.07.25) — carries a 'Fee Paid' line but states no fee schedule amount anywhere in the documentFranklin County Economic Development & Planning · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Planning & Zoning — the Zoning Division's own page naming its 10-township jurisdiction and the Zoning Compliance Certificate processFranklin County Economic Development & Planning · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Franklin County Auditor — vendor's license, $50 filing feeFranklin County Auditor · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- Following the Law — the county's Food Business Portal page describing FCPH's licensing role and the state Uniform Food Safety Code (ORC Chapter 3717, OAC Chapter 3701-21) it administersFranklin County, Ohio · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
Who issues business permits in Franklin County?
Permitting in Franklin County is split across 6 agencies we hold records for, with tax registration handled at state level. No single office issues everything, which is why an opening usually means filing in several places rather than one.
Franklin County issuing agencies
- Franklin County Public HealthFood Safety Program — Permanent Food Facility, Mobile Food, Vending and Temporary Food licenses, outside Columbus and Worthington · Body Art establishment licensing, outside Columbus and Worthington · Water Recreation (public pool, spa, special-use pool) licensing, outside Columbus and Worthington · Rabies control administration (dog-bite quarantine, rabies-tag recordkeeping), outside Columbus and Worthington7 permits
- Franklin County Auditor, Licensing SectionVendor's License and Transient Vendor's License (ORC 5739.17) · Junk Yard / Secondhand Dealer License (ORC Chapter 4737), outside the City of Columbus · Kennel License and individual dog registration (ORC Chapter 955), through the Dog License Section6 permits
- Franklin County Building Department1-, 2- and 3-family residential construction permits, in 10 of the county's 17 unincorporated townships only · Verification (not issuance) of an applicant's existing state OCILB trade license at permit time · No jurisdiction over commercial buildings (a State of Ohio function) or over any incorporated city or village2 permits
- Franklin County Board of ElectionsAdministers precinct-level local-option 'wet/dry' alcohol ballot questions · No liquor-licensing authority of any kind — Ohio liquor permits are issued exclusively by the state1 permit
- Franklin County Department of Job and Family Services, Child Care Licensing UnitIntermediary application intake, background checks and home inspection for Type B Family Child Care Homes only · Forwards a licensure recommendation to the state, which retains final licensing authority · No role in licensed child care center licensure — a different category, licensed directly by the state1 permit
- Franklin County Economic Development & Planning, Planning & Zoning DivisionZoning Compliance Certificates, residential and commercial, in unincorporated Franklin County · Excludes the same 7 self-administering townships as the Building Department, and every incorporated city or village1 permit
Other Ohio jurisdictions we cover
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.