Cuyahoga County building department

The Cuyahoga County Division of Building Standards is a new county building department, founded in 2025 and run under the county Fiscal Officer. It will handle contractor registration, plan review, permits, and inspections, but only in “partner communities” that sign on with the county. It is not a county-wide permit office. Cleveland, for example, issues permits through its own Department of Building & Housing. As of October 2026, the county had not yet published its list of partner communities, its permit rules, or its fee schedule. Until your community is announced as a partner, keep using the building department that already has authority over your address.

Launch status

The division’s page says contractor registration will open first, through a secure online portal on the county website. All other services (plan review, permits, and inspections) are to be available in partner communities by January 1. The county says it will announce partner communities “soon.” It also says it will publish full rules on what needs a permit, plan review, or inspection before services launch.

On fees, the county says an approved fee schedule will be released by December 1, 2026. Until then, no county permit fees have been published.

What the division will do

The county lists four services for residential and non-residential (commercial and industrial) work in partner communities:

Service	What the county says
Contractor registration	Registration to work in partner communities, done through a secure online portal
Plan review	Formal Building Standards plan review
Permits	New construction, repairs, and alterations
Inspections	Code enforcement and examination services

The division says it will enforce the codes required by the Ohio Board of Building Standards (BBS). The BBS adopts Ohio’s building, mechanical, plumbing, elevator, boiler, and pressure piping codes. It also certifies local building departments before they may approve plans and do inspections. Under the Ohio Administrative Code, the current Residential Code of Ohio rules (Chapter 4101:8) took effect July 1, 2019. The Ohio Building Code administration rule (4101:1-1-01) was last amended effective October 15, 2025.

Leadership

In May 2026, County Executive Chris Ronayne named David Molnar as interim Chief Building Official to lead the division. He started May 4, 2026, pending confirmation by County Council. The county’s release says he previously was Master Plans Examiner for Summit County and chief building official in Aurora, Medina County, and Canton. The position is funded through the Real Estate Assessment Fund.

What the division does not handle

The county says Building Standards does not deal with property maintenance or zoning. Take those questions to your city, village, or township. The county’s service-contacts table also points to these offices:

• Sewer permits and inspection: Cuyahoga County Public Works, (216) 443-8209
• Housing services and municipal utilities: your local municipality or utility company
• Real estate valuation complaints: Cuyahoga County Board of Revision, (216) 443-7195
• Transfer and recording: Fiscal Office, (216) 443-2060

The county also states that it does not endorse, evaluate, or recommend contractors.

Finding your building department

Not sure who issues permits for your address? The county points to the state’s Building Department Look Up tool. It lists the entity with residential or commercial code authority for a given address, based on BBS records. The state asks owners to confirm with the listed office. BBS questions go to [email protected] or (614) 644-2613. See also city or county: who issues your building permit.

Hours, contact, and scam warning

The division is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It publishes an email address, [email protected], and an online contact form, but no direct phone line. The phone listed on this page is the county headquarters main number. In-person service will start once registration and permitting launch.

The county warns that Building Standards will never ask for personal or payment details by phone or email. All formal business will go through the secure portal linked from its page. If you get a suspicious message claiming to be from the division, email the division or call Consumer Affairs at 216-443-SCAM (7226).