The City of Pickerington Building Department serves as a watchdog for responsible building in the City to protect residents from unsafe and bad practices.
The building department meets with property owners and businesses to help them understand the requirements of Ohio building codes. It also issues permits, reviews construction plans and provides the required inspections to make sure that work is done correctly and safely.
These permits are designed to protect residents, said City Manager Bill Vance.
“These customer-friendly and responsibly provided City of Pickerington building permit approvals and inspections serve as unofficial insurance policies that protect our public’s safety and eliminate potentially dangerous and unpermitted construction activities completed by unlicensed and uninsured contractors,” Vance said.
Contractors are required to register their current state license with the City and provide proof of liability insurance, workers’ compensation and a copy of their current state license.
Vance said a building permit is required for most work that involves new construction or remodeling, such as sunrooms, basement finishes, decks, roofs and window and door replacements. Though most storage sheds and fences don’t require building permits, they do require quick approval from the City Zoning Department located at 51 E. Columbus St.
Most interior replacement work and finishes – paint, carpet, countertops, cabinets – do not require permits.
Residential plan reviews and permits usually take five to seven business days to obtain. Commercial plan review is about two weeks. If a contractor tells you the City has delayed the project, the City recommends you check to see that the permit application has actually been submitted.
“When City property owners ensure that their contractors successfully attain a City building permit, City property owners are guaranteeing that they are dealing with a certified and licensed contractor responsibly registered with the City of Pickerington,” Vance said. “Property owners making sure their individual or contracted projects are legally permitted will provide City building inspectors the opportunity to inspect on their behalf and make sure building related efforts are safely done, in accordance with state building codes, and Pickerington’s property owners are getting their money’s worth.”
“The City of Pickerington’s Building Department provides some of our City’s most timely and essential services to City residents and outside investors coordinating annual construction improvements of many varieties,” Vance said.
