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7 permits · verified 2026-09-28

What permits do you need to open a contractor or trade in Franklin County?

In short

No permit applies to every contractor or trade in Franklin County, OH. All 7 depend on your premises, the work you do or how you are set up. Ohio Secretary of State, Business Services Division charges $99 one-time filing for the articles of organization (llc). 1 of the 7 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-28 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a contractor or trade in Franklin County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Contractor Licensing — State Trade Licenses and County Building FAQ (Franklin County)only if it applies to youFranklin County Building DepartmentNo feenot applicable — the county's Building FAQs page states that no contractor's license is needed for a structural building permit2026-09-28
Commercial Trade Contractor Licenseonly if it applies to youOhio Construction Industry Licensing Board, Division of Industrial Compliance$25 application, per trade; a further $25 on issue and $60 a year to renew1 or 3 years, licensee's choice2026-09-03

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

Local permits that apply to every type of business in Franklin County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Commercial Building Permit — State of Ohio Issues (Franklin County)only if it applies to youFranklin County Building DepartmentNo feenot applicable — per the county's Residential Building Permits page, the State of Ohio issues commercial building permits2026-09-28
Zoning Compliance Certificate (residential or commercial)only if it applies to youFranklin County Economic Development & Planning, Planning & Zoning DivisionVaries — formula on the Franklin County pageone-time, per project; typically obtained before or alongside a building permit application2026-09-28
General Business License — Franklin County Auditor positiononly if it applies to youFranklin County Auditor, Licensing SectionNo feenot applicable — the Auditor's Licensing Types page lists no general business license2026-09-28

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

OH registrations that apply to every type of business

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youOhio Secretary of State, Business Services Division$99 one-time filingno expiry — Ohio requires no annual report2026-09-03
Initial Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youOhio Secretary of State, Business Services Division$99 one-time filing, minimum — see notes on authorised sharesno expiry — Ohio requires no annual report2026-09-03

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

How much does it actually cost to permit a contractor or trade in Franklin County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 7 records listed for a contractor or trade in Franklin County, OH, 0 apply to every business of this type and 7 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

1 of the 7 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 3 have no fee published at all.

The other 1 variable fee belongs to permits that apply to every type of business here; its formula is set out on the Franklin County permits page and the OH state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Franklin County?

Permits for a contractor or trade in Franklin County, OH come from 5 separate offices: Franklin County Building Department, Franklin County Economic Development & Planning, Planning & Zoning Division, Franklin County Auditor, Licensing Section, Ohio Secretary of State, Business Services Division, Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board, Division of Industrial Compliance. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.

What does a contractor or trade need in Franklin County that other businesses do not?

2 of the 2 permits particular to a contractor or trade here apply to no other business type we cover in Franklin County: Contractor Licensing — State Trade Licenses and County Building FAQ (Franklin County) and Commercial Trade Contractor License.

Contractor Licensing — State Trade Licenses and County Building FAQ (Franklin County)

The Franklin County Building Department's Building FAQs page states: 'You do not need a Contractor's License to obtain a structural building permit to work in unincorporated Franklin County, however to perform electrical, heating, or plumbing work you must possess a valid license.' The same page states that heating and electrical permits 'are required to be obtained by a contractor licensed with the Franklin County Development Department or by the homeowner', and that the contractor generally applies as the owner's agent so the department can verify the validity of the contractor's license; this record carries no fee. At state level, the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board's own page states that OCILB 'issues licenses to qualified electrical, Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC), plumbing, hydronics and refrigeration contractors' — it names no general-contractor license — and cities such as Columbus run their own contractor licensing and registration. The Building Department's work is confined to residential construction in its township area; commercial building permits are issued by the State of Ohio, per the county's Residential Building Permits page.

Commercial Trade Contractor License

Ohio does not license general contractors. The state board covers five commercial trades only — electrical, HVAC, hydronics, plumbing and refrigeration — and everything else, including residential and general contracting, is regulated by the local building department, which may nonetheless insist on this state license for residential work. The license is a master license held by a person, not a company: it must be assigned to one contracting company, cannot be used under a trading name, and requires $500,000 of liability cover plus five years' trade experience and a passing exam. Fees are per trade, so a contractor holding two pays twice. Continuing education is eight hours a year, or twenty-four across a three-year cycle, and half the electrical hours must be code courses. Let it lapse more than a year and you reapply and retest.

The other 3 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Franklin County, OH; what each one involves is set out on the Franklin County permits page. The 2 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across OH and are covered on the OH state page.

How does a contractor or trade compare with other businesses in Franklin County?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A contractor or trade also needs Contractor Licensing — State Trade Licenses and County Building FAQ (Franklin County) and Commercial Trade Contractor License. A auto repair shop needs Vendor's License (County Vendor's License), Junk Yard / Secondhand Dealer License, Auto Repair Shop Licensing — State Registration for Collision and Glass Shops (Franklin County) and Vendor's License, which a contractor or trade does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Franklin County, OH, compared with a contractor or trade
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a contractor or tradeOnly a contractor or trade needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops4024
Childcare centres3023
Coffee shops6026
Fitness studios3023
Food trucks6026
Restaurants6026
Retail stores5025
Salons and barbers5025
Veterinary clinics5025

Sources

Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Franklin County permits page and the OH state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board — licenses only five specialty trades (electrical, HVAC, refrigeration, plumbing, hydronics); Ohio has no state general-contractor licenseOhio Department of Commerce · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
  2. 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
  3. Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board — contractors and contracting companiesOhio Department of Commerce · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03

Related

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