Contact Us
Building and Zoning Services
111 North Front Street
Columbus, OH 43215
Office: (614) 645-7433
Fax: (614) 645-0082
Weekdays: 9:00AM to 4:00PM
Additional Contacts
Directions to our office
Parking Map for BZS
Citizen Access Portal
2021 Observed Holidays
January 1 New Year's Day
January 18 MLK Jr Day
February 15 President's Day
May 31 Memorial Day
July 5 Independence Day
September 6 Labor Day
November 11 Veterans Day
November 25 Thanksgiving Day
December 25 Christmas Day
BZS
UPDATE: Please Read Carefully
To
all of our customers,
Due
to the continuing COVID-19 situation BZS will be modifying some of our services
and activities to limit our staff’s and customers’ potential exposure. With
that in mind please read the information below carefully
We
have had customers trying to email applications in that cannot be accepted by
email. If this happens, due to limited
staff availability your application will likely be delayed.
Per the COVID-19
Governor’s Emergency Order, Click here to determine your space’s maximum
capacity.
The following services and activities have been modified
to protect our staff and customers:
- The permit intake counter,
at 111 N. Front St., will be closed to in-person customers until further
notice.
-
New building permits can be shipped by US Mail, UPS, FedEx or other courier service to our
office (FYI, no receipt signature is available)
- New site plans can only be shipped by US Mail, UPS, FedEx or other courier service to our
office (FYI, no receipt signature is available), or submitted online through
the “Citizen Access Portal”
Meetings for the
following boards and commissions will be held by WebEx teleconferencing for the
foreseeable future. To join a particular board or commission meeting
click on the board or commission link below and open up that month’s agenda for
instructions. You can also monitor any board or
commission meeting by going to the city of Columbus YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/cityofcolumbus
- Zoning applications can be
emailed to zoninginfo@columbus.gov
- Variance and rezoning applications may be submitted by email and will be processed.
- No BZS licenses or
registrations will expire during this time
The following services and activities remain open and
available:
- All online services,
including building permits, Final Site Compliance Plans, scheduling
inspections, and inspection trip purchases
- All
permit inspection services
-
Inspections can be
scheduled online by clicking the “Citizen Access Portal” button or by phone at
(614) 645-8235
- An inspection supervisor
will contact the applicant to determine how the inspection can move forward.
Thank you for your understanding and patience during these
unprecedented times.
Scott Messer
Director
Building A Better City
The Department of Building and Zoning Services supports the safety and quality of life for City of Columbus residents and visitors alike.
The processes of plan reviews, permitting, inspections, zoning and engineering ensures proper land development and promotes high-quality design standards through the enforcement of state and local building and zoning codes.
We've organized this site into the following sections to help you quickly find information and resources that are relevant to your project or line of work.
To view and download the fee schedule visit Columbus.gov/bzsdocs
Thank you to everyone who attended our 2020 Winter School! To download a PDF of the Powerpoint Slides, please click here. Individual FSCP flow charts can be found in the Training and Documentation section of our Document Library.
How Do I?
Get answers to the most frequently asked questions by private homeowners, business owners, contractors and others.
- learn more
Plan Review, Permits & Inspections
Within this section, you'll find information about forms, plan review, permits and inspections.
- learn more
Zoning
Zoning is the delineation of districts and the establishment of regulations governing the use, placement, spacing, and size of land and buildings. Zoning provides guidelines for setbacks, height of structures, lot sizes, lot coverage, parking and other requirements.
- learn more
Document Library
In this section, you'll find a listing of various documents related to the functions of the Department of Building and Zoning Services.
- learn more
Online Services
Get on-demand, online access to many services-24 hours a day, 7 days a week-right here.
- learn more
Contractor Licensing Registration
Contractor licensing & registration
In accordance with the Columbus City Code, the Department of Building and Zoning Services issues licenses and registrations to individual contractors who wish to perform work within the City of Columbus.
- learn more
Engineering Site Plan Review
The Engineering group is responsible for the coordination of plan reviews across multiple city departments. Plans may be required to be submitted and reviewed, depending on the nature of the project.
- learn more
Boards and Commissions
These links provide more detailed information for various public meeting groups for the City of Columbus. For more information related to each board or commission, simply click on the link.
- learn more
Map Room
Information about Addressing and the Map Room
- learn more