Akron building department

Akron has not run its own building department since 2009, when the City of Akron Building Department was combined with the Summit County Division of Building Standards. Today a single Akron project often needs two sets of approvals: the county handles Ohio Building Code and Residential Code of Ohio review, permits, and inspections, while the city’s Plans & Permits Center (part of the Engineering Bureau) handles zoning, right-of-way, utilities, and other municipal reviews. Akron’s own guidance says projects inside city limits may need permits from both agencies. Conveniently, both offices are in the same building at 1030 East Tallmadge Avenue.

Who reviews what

Agency	What it reviews and permits
Summit County Division of Building Standards	Building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical work under the Ohio Building Code and Residential Code of Ohio; inspections; certificates of occupancy
City of Akron Plans & Permits Center	Fire prevention, grading/paving, public right-of-way work, public utility conflicts, sewer, storm water pollution prevention plans (SWPPP/SWP3), maintenance of traffic (MOT), water, and zoning code

The county’s services booklet lists Akron among the communities it serves, along with Cuyahoga Falls, Fairlawn, Green, Hudson, Tallmadge, and a number of other villages and townships.

Applying with the City of Akron

Akron requires all plans to be submitted through its Plan Review and Permit Portal, which runs on Cityworks Public Access (agis.akronohio.gov). All plans must be PDFs. You can continue as a guest to start an application, but the city recommends creating an account to get every feature. The city’s old plan review portal has been retired. If you had an account on it, reset your password with “forgot password” by entering your username (not your email).

The city gives its plan reviewers about 14 business days to review a project, and large or complex projects can take longer. For commercial work, Akron publishes a commercial plan review form, a sample plan-review invoice, and a commercial certificate-of-occupancy application on its Plans and Permits page. If you have questions before you submit, the city lists a Plans and Permits inspector line at (330) 375-2055.

Common city permits for homeowners

• Sidewalk and drive apron replacement: replacing the public sidewalk or drive apron in front of a house requires a city right-of-way permit. The owner or the contractor applies through the Cityworks portal. For a residential right-of-way opening covering curb and drive-apron repair, the city’s FAQ lists a $500 deposit plus a performance bond equal to the cost of the right-of-way work or $10,000, whichever is larger.
• Fences: Akron’s FAQ says a fence 7 feet or less does not need a permit. A fence over 7 feet needs a permit from Summit County Building Standards. See also fence permit basics.
• Pools, garages, grading and paving: the city’s FAQ sends these to Plans & Permits for zoning, pool, and grading/paving permits. You still need the county’s building permit wherever the Ohio codes apply.

Summit County Building Standards: permits, fees and inspections

Online portal changed in 2026. Starting Monday, September 28, the county moved its online permit and inspection services to GovWell (app.govwell.com/summit-oh). All new permit and inspection requests must go through GovWell. The county’s older CityWorks portal is now only for permits and inspections that already existed before the switch. The daily inspection schedule and results are posted at permitsearch.summitoh.net, where you can also look up permit records. The county also offers remote video inspections.

Hours: the office is open Monday–Friday, 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Inspections and application drop-off run Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. Phone (330) 630-7280, fax (330) 630-7296.

Codes: the county lists the 2024 Ohio Building Code (effective March 1, 2024), the Residential Code of Ohio, and the Summit County Building Code (Chapter 13 of the county’s codified ordinances) as the codes it enforces.

Residential fees (from the county’s 2024 building permit application; fees are paid in advance and are non-refundable):

Item	Fee
New home or addition	$145 application fee + $6 per 100 sq. ft.; plus $175 site plan review for new homes
Alterations or accessory building	$60 application fee + $6 per 100 sq. ft.
Re-roof	$40
Siding	$55
Demolition	$65
Foundation dampproofing	$30
State OBBS fee	1% residential / 3% commercial, added to the subtotal

You pay a re-inspection fee for each failed inspection. The form lists $30 for the first, $60 for the third, and $80 for the fourth. Separate electrical, plumbing, and mechanical applications are on the county’s Residential Forms page, along with a residential deck construction guide and a residential plan submittal form.

Contractors and homeowners

Summit County dropped annual contractor registration, including the $145 yearly fee and the $10,000 bond. Contractors now register one permit at a time. With each application they submit a certificate of insurance, a federal tax ID number, and a state license if their trade requires one. The county no longer keeps a contractor list.

Owners of a single-family home they live in can get building, electrical, HVAC, or plumbing permits to do the work themselves under Summit County Code §1305.06. To qualify, the owner signs a notarized Single-Family Homeowner’s Affidavit, and the building official must find that the owner has the skill to do the work to code. More background: owner-builder permits.

Zoning and appeals

Akron’s Zoning Division is at the Municipal Building, Room 400, 166 S. High Street, Akron, OH 44308. Contact it at (330) 375-2350 or [email protected]. The Planning and Urban Development office is open Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. You can get an official zoning certification letter, often used for financing or licensing, with the Application for Zoning Certification and a $50 fee payable to the City of Akron. Variances go to the Akron Board of Zoning Appeals, which charges a non-refundable $250 filing fee. The board meets on scheduled Wednesdays at 9:00 a.m. in City Council Chambers, on the 3rd floor of the Municipal Building.

Certificates of occupancy

Summit County Building Standards issues certificates of occupancy after the required final inspections for new buildings, additions, alterations, and changes of occupancy. Akron also publishes its own commercial certificate-of-occupancy application, so a commercial change of use inside the city can involve both city and county paperwork.