What do these permits involve in Warren County?

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County Vendor's License (Regular Vendor's License)

A business in Warren County that makes taxable retail sales or taxable services from a fixed place of business gets a regular vendor's license from the Warren County Auditor, 406 Justice Dr., Lebanon. The Auditor's page states that the regular license is 'Issued by the County Auditor to vendors with a fixed place of business in Ohio' and that 'Vendors must have one regular vendor's license for each sales location,' with an 'Application Fee $50'; its application page states 'The application fee is $50.00, and checks should be made payable to the Warren County Treasurer.' The amount is set by statute: ORC 5739.17(A) requires 'a license fee in the sum of fifty dollars for each fixed place of business in the county,' sends $25 to the state organized crime commission fund and credits the remaining $25 to the county general fund. The Auditor's page also states that 'The license must be prominently displayed where sales are made.' A vendor that carries goods to temporary places of business, as many food trucks do, uses the transient vendor's license, which the Auditor's page states is 'Issued by the Department of Taxation'; that is a state registration and is not priced here.

Plumbing Permit, Commercial Plumbing Plan Review and Plumbing Registration

Plumbing work in a new building, a build-out or a remodel goes through the Plumbing Division of the Warren County Health District, whose page states that its State of Ohio Certified Plumbing Inspectors are 'responsible for plan review and inspection of all residential commercial plumbing work whether it is a remodel or new construction in Warren County,' with final approval of the plumbing before occupancy. The figures are as published on the Warren County Health District's Environmental Health Fee Schedules page, which states that a reinspection fee applies to each inspection after the initial six, allowing two inspections for each stage of the permit (first rough, second rough and final), and that 'Plumbing permit fees are doubled if any work has been completed prior to submitting permit application.' The same page lists a Contractor's Registration Fee of $100.00 and an Installer's Registration Fee of $50.00. For a new food facility, the district's food plan review packet states that a plumbing permit cannot be obtained until the food plans are approved. The page itself states: 'Fees are subject to change at any time. We will do our best to keep these fees updated. Please verify the fee when calling in or during your visit.'

Commercial Building, Electrical, HVAC and Fire-Protection Permits

New construction, a tenant build-out or a remodel of a commercial building permitted by the Warren County Building & Zoning Department is priced on the county's 'BUILDING FEES - COMMERCIAL' schedule, linked from the department's Building and Zoning Fees page, whose heading reads 'PLUS 3% STATE SURCHARGE'. Which jurisdictions this covers is set out on the county's contact sheet, which states that 'Building & Zoning permits must be obtained from the following CITIES: Blanchester/Clarksville, City of Mason, Village of Harveysburg, City of Middletown, City of Franklin, City of Monroe, City of Loveland, City of Springboro, Village of Carlisle'. The department's pages list Clinton County, the City of Wilmington and the City of Franklin under 'Provided services to other Counties/Cities' and state that 'The Warren County Building Department reviews plans and performs inspections for the above jurisdictions ONLY. All building permits are to be applied for through those jurisdictions.' The county's September 2026 permit report lists county-issued permits in the 'Village of South Lebanon'. The department's home page states that 'All commercial projects in Hamilton Township need to be submitted to Hamilton Township for zoning and fire review PRIOR to being submitted to Warren County for building permit review.' The FAQ states that drawings are needed for sprinkler systems, fire alarms and hoods, and answers 'Do I have to be registered as a general contractor?' with 'No.'

County Zoning Permit (Franklin, Harlan, Turtlecreek, Union and Washington Townships)

A business building, expanding or changing a site in the five townships where the county administers zoning needs a county zoning permit. The Zoning Department page states 'our office only does Zoning for the following: Franklin, Harlan, Turtlecreek, Union, and Washington Townships,' and the county contact sheet states that 'The Warren County Zoning Office has jurisdiction in the following townships: Franklin, Harlan, Turtle Creek, Union and Washington.' The same contact sheet lists Clearcreek, Deerfield, Hamilton, Massie, Salem and Wayne Townships as 'not under the Warren County jurisdiction' and names the villages and cities from which zoning permits must be obtained, so a business there applies to that township or municipality instead. The figures are from the county Zoning Fees schedule linked as 'View our Fees' on the Zoning Department page, whose footer reads 'Revised for Comm. Meeting 3-16-10 Res. 10-0379, 7-14-15 Res. 15-1106 Res. 17-1170, Res. 22-0931.' The Zoning Office is at 406 Justice Drive, Lebanon, 513-695-1294.

Permit	Issuing agency	Fee	Renews	Last checked
County Vendor's License (Regular Vendor's License)	Warren County Auditor	$50 per fixed place of business in the county; a statutory amount under ORC 5739.17(A), of which $25 goes to the state organized crime commission fund and $25 to the Warren County general fund	not stated on the Auditor's vendor pages or in ORC 5739.17	2026-10-20
Plumbing Permit, Commercial Plumbing Plan Review and Plumbing Registration	Warren County Health District	As published on the Warren County Health District's Environmental Health Fee Schedules page: Contractor's Registration Fee $100.00; Installer's Registration Fee $50.00; permit fee $60.00 (includes 1 fixture) plus $20.00 per additional fixture; water heater only $50.00; reinspection $75.00; commercial plan review 1-10 fixtures $55.00, 11-25 fixtures $70.00, 26-50 fixtures $95.00, 51-200 fixtures $150.00, 200+ fixtures $150.00 plus $1.00 per additional fixture. 'Plumbing permit fees are doubled if any work has been completed prior to submitting permit application.'	permits and plan reviews are per project; the term of a registration is not stated on the fees page	2026-10-20
Commercial Building, Electrical, HVAC and Fire-Protection Permits	Warren County Building & Zoning Department	As published on the county's 'BUILDING FEES - COMMERCIAL' schedule, 'PLUS 3% STATE SURCHARGE': Processing Fee $200.00; Building $200.00 base fee plus $7.5 per 100 sq ft; Electric $200.00 base fee plus $4.50 per 100 sq ft; HVAC $200.00 base fee plus $4.50 per 100 sq ft; Sprinkler $200.00 plus $4.50 per 100 sq ft; Fire Alarm $200.00 plus $4.50 per 100 sq ft; Hoods with Suppression $400.00; Hoods without Suppression $200.00; Signs with electric $200.00 each; Signs without electric $200.00; Awnings $200.00; Tents $200.00; Public Pools $400.00; Sales Trailer $400.00.	per project	2026-10-20
County Zoning Permit (Franklin, Harlan, Turtlecreek, Union and Washington Townships)	Warren County Building & Zoning Department	As published on the county Zoning Fees schedule: Commercial/Industrial minimum $300.00 ('.10 sq. ft. over 3000 sq. ft.'); Site Plan Review $500.00; Conditional Use/Site Plan Review $500.00; Signs (one or multiple) $200.00; Sign Face Change $200.00; Temporary Signs $50.00; Tenant Finish $0.00; applications received after commercial work has started $100.00; Variance/Commercial $750.00; Rezoning/Commercial $750.00; Home Occupation Class 1 $100.00; Home Occupation Class 2 $500.00; Tents (Commercial), one or multiple tents on the same permit, flat fee $100.00.	per project	2026-10-20

Business licenses and permits in Warren County, Ohio

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Permits that apply to every type of business in Warren County