Bolthole Index

Paulding County, Ohio

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in the Village of Paulding, Ohio

The Village of Paulding, Ohio requires a village building permit before work starts on a building or excavation inside village limits1. The village also sets its own zoning, with a residential schedule for lots, yards and dwelling size2. Septic permits are different: where public sewer is not available, the Paulding County Board of Health issues them3.

At a glance

Building permit
Required from the village Building Department before work starts1
Zoning
Village zoning with residential, mobile home, business, industrial and flood plain districts2
Septic
County Board of Health permit, only where public sewer is not within 125 feet3
RV living
Residential use limited to ten days in any six-month period4
Minimum home size (R-1)
900 sq ft ground floor for a one-story home with a basement5
R-1 lot
9,500 sq ft minimum, 70 ft wide6
Certificate of occupancy
Required before occupying a new or altered building7

Who to call

Building permits

Village of Paulding (zoning and building permits)

Zoning information, the zoning map and the building permit application for property inside the village

(419) 399-4011

pldgvil@villageofpaulding.com

116 S. Main St Paulding, OH 45879

Septic permits

Paulding County Health Department

Site evaluation review and permits for household, small-flow and gray-water sewage treatment systems, including for addresses inside Paulding

419-399-3921

pchd@pcohhd.com

800 East Perry St. Paulding, OH 45879

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 23, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Village of Paulding means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Does the Village of Paulding, Ohio have zoning?

Yes. The Village of Paulding publishes zoning chapters for residential, mobile home, business, industrial and flood plain districts2. Rules differ by district, so the first step is to find your parcel's district on the village zoning map8.

In the R-1 single-family district, a one-family dwelling needs at least 9,500 square feet of lot area and a lot width of 70 feet6. Required yards in R-1 are 40 feet in front, 10 feet on the side and 30 feet in the rear, and the main building may rise two stories910. Accessory living accommodations are listed as an R-1 accessory use11, and rooms for tourists are listed in R-212.

Minimum dwelling size applies too: a one-story home with a basement needs 900 square feet of ground floor, and one without a basement needs 1,0005. We could not confirm a lot-coverage limit or any tiny-home rule; ask the village zoning office at (419) 399-40118.

Do you need a building permit in the Village of Paulding, and who issues it?

Inside Paulding village limits, excavation for buildings and the erection, alteration or moving of buildings requires a building permit applied for and issued by the village Building Department before work starts1. When a development plan is required, the Planning Commission approves it before the permit issues1.

The village zoning page links the building permit application and the zoning map8. Call the village office at (419) 399-4011 or visit 116 S. Main St8.

After the work, a certificate of occupancy is required before anyone occupies a new building or one that has been altered or moved7. It issues only after inspection finds the work conforms to the village zoning chapter and Building Code13. The village code also adopts the IPMC property maintenance code, which does not by itself establish a full construction code14.

How do septic permits work inside the Village of Paulding?

Where a public sanitary or combined sewer is not available within 125 feet of the property line, a building inside Paulding must use a private sewage system that meets Paulding County Board of Health rules15. Before construction, the owner must get a written permit from the County Board of Health, not from the village3.

The Paulding County Health Department handles household, small-flow and gray-water systems for the county16. It requires a site evaluation approved before an installation permit issues, and it does not perform soil evaluations itself17. Conventional drain fields can be a challenge: USDA rates 0% of Paulding County soils as not limited for them, so expect an engineered system or a careful site evaluation18.

If village sewer later reaches a property on a private system, the owner must connect within 90 days19. We could not confirm a village well permit rule; the county health department is the office to ask about private water systems20.

Can you live in an RV or camper in the Village of Paulding?

Only briefly. Village code does not permit a camper, motor home or recreational vehicle to be used for residential or dwelling purposes for more than ten days in any six-month period4. For any consecutive period of use, written notice must go to the village office within 72 hours after residence begins4.

The same ten-day limit covers tents, sheds and other outbuildings used as a residence21. Long-term RV living is therefore not an option on a lot inside the village. Land outside village limits follows township or county rules, so see the Paulding County page for those.

Building a home in the Village of Paulding: the steps, in order

  1. Confirm the parcel's zoning district with the village zoning office, (419) 399-40118.
  2. Check that lot area, width, yards and dwelling size meet the district schedule; R-1 requires 9,500 square feet of lot area6.
  3. If sewer is not within 125 feet of the property line, get the site evaluation and a written septic permit from the Paulding County Health Department317.
  4. Apply for the village building permit; plan approval by the Planning Commission comes first when a plan is required1.
  5. Request inspection and apply for the certificate of occupancy before moving in7.

If you are connecting to village sewer, a sewer permit and inspection fee of $15 is due when the application is filed, plus the applicable tap fee22.

What stays with Paulding County, and what to check before you buy

The county decides septic and private water systems for addresses inside the village1520. Ohio's state building code also applies statewide23. Land outside village limits is a different question: Paulding County's building permits are handled township by township and village by village24. See the Paulding County page for unincorporated land.

Before you buy inside Paulding, confirm the zoning district, whether public sewer is within 125 feet of the lot line3, and whether the village has any floodplain rules for the parcel; the village code lists flood plain districts2, but we could not confirm the operative flood rules. Paulding County's effective property tax rate is about 1.1%25.

Watch-outs

  • Sewer availability decides everything about septic: a private system is allowed inside Paulding only where public sewer is not within 125 feet of the property line, and the owner must connect within 90 days once sewer arrives19.
  • The ten-day RV limit means a camper cannot serve as a home while you build inside the village4.
  • We could not confirm village rules for tiny homes, manufactured homes, lot coverage, driveways or floodplain development; ask the village office at (419) 399-4011 before you commit8.
  • Village rules stop at the village limits; rules for land outside the village come from the township or county26.

Sources

  1. Paulding Code § 155.50 Administrative Procedures (Village of Paulding), quoted and re-checked
  2. Paulding, Ohio Code of Ordinances, Chapter 155: Zoning (Village of Paulding), quoted and re-checked
  3. Paulding Code § 52.24 Private Sewage Disposal (Village of Paulding), quoted and re-checked
  4. Paulding Code § 150.080 Prohibited (Village of Paulding), quoted and re-checked
  5. Paulding Code § 155.15 Residential Districts (Village of Paulding), quoted and re-checked
  6. Paulding Code § 155.15 Residential Districts (Village of Paulding), quoted and re-checked
  7. Paulding Code § 155.50 Administrative Procedures (Village of Paulding), quoted and re-checked
  8. Village of Paulding (zoning and building permits) (villageofpaulding.com)
  9. Paulding Code § 155.15 Residential Districts (Village of Paulding), quoted and re-checked
  10. Paulding Code § 155.15 Residential Districts (Village of Paulding), quoted and re-checked
  11. Paulding Code § 155.15 Residential Districts (Village of Paulding), quoted and re-checked
  12. Paulding Code § 155.15 Residential Districts (Village of Paulding), quoted and re-checked
  13. Paulding Code § 155.50 Administrative Procedures (Village of Paulding), quoted and re-checked
  14. Paulding Code of Ordinances, Chapter 150: Building Regulations (Village of Paulding), quoted and re-checked
  15. Paulding Code § 52.24 Private Sewage Disposal (Village of Paulding), quoted and re-checked
  16. Sewage Treatment Systems, quoted and re-checked
  17. Paulding County Health Department (pauldingcountyhealth.com)
  18. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
  19. Paulding Code § 52.24 Private Sewage Disposal (Village of Paulding), quoted and re-checked
  20. Private Water Systems, quoted and re-checked
  21. Paulding Code § 150.080 Prohibited (Village of Paulding), quoted and re-checked
  22. Paulding Code § 52.26 Building Sewers and Connections (Village of Paulding), quoted and re-checked
  23. Section 3781.10 | Board of building standards - powers and duties (Ohio statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  24. General Information - Building Permits, quoted and re-checked
  25. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  26. Building Permits, quoted and re-checked

Written October 23, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Village of Paulding

Village of Paulding’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Excavations for buildings or site improvements and erection, alteration, or movement of buildings or structures inside Paulding village limits.

    • A building permit must be applied for and issued by the Building Department before work starts.
    • Development plans must be approved by the Planning Commission before issuance when a plan is required.
    • A conditional-use building permit cannot issue until the Planning Commission issues the conditional-use permit.
    “Excavations for buildings or site improvements shall not be started, or buildings or structures, or parts thereof, shall not be erected, altered or moved until a building permit has been applied for and issued by the Building Department.”
  • Owner-builder exemptionConditional

    Owner-occupant work on building sewers inside Paulding village limits.

    • The owner-occupant is exempt only from the contractor certificate or registration requirement.
    • The owner must obtain a permit and call for inspection.
    “However, the owner-occupant of a dwelling may carry on any of the work governed by this subchapter without such certificate or registration, provided that such owner shall obtain a permit for any such work and shall call for inspection as provided herein.”
  • Building code adoptedPartial

    Property maintenance within Paulding village limits.

    • The official chapter identifies adoption of the IPMC Property Maintenance Code; this finding does not establish adoption of a comprehensive construction code.
    “Adoption of IPMC Property Maintenance Code”
  • InspectionsRequired

    New or altered buildings for which a village certificate of occupancy is required inside Paulding village limits.

    • The certificate issues only after the work or required accessory use is found by inspection to conform to Chapter 155 and the village Building Code.
    “Said certificate shall only be issued after the erection or alteration of said building or a component thereof or a required accessory use has been provided and found by inspection to be in conformity with the provisions of this chapter and the Building Code of the village.”
  • Certificate of occupancyRequired

    New buildings and existing buildings that are altered, moved, changed in use, or increased in off-street parking requirements inside Paulding village limits.

    • The owner or agent must apply to the Building Department.
    • For a nonconforming structure, building, or land, Planning Commission approval of the change is required before issuance.
    “A certificate of occupancy shall be required before occupancy of a new building, or before occupancy of an existing building which has been altered, moved, changed in use or increased in off-street parking requirements.”
  • Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

    Zoning districts inside Paulding village limits.

    • The published zoning chapter includes residential, mobile home, business, industrial, and flood plain district regulations.
    “Districts and District Regulations 155.15 Residential Districts 155.16 Mobile Home Districts 155.17 Business Districts 155.18 Industrial Districts 155.19 Flood Plain Districts”
  • Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

    One-family dwellings in Paulding residential districts, including the R-1 single-family district.

    • Area is calculated as specified in § 155.15(R)(2).
    • Garages, porches, public halls, and general storage rooms in multifamily dwellings are excluded from the stated measurement.
    • One-family minimums vary by story count and basement.

    one-family ground floor area, one story with basement: >= 900 sq ft · one-family ground floor area, one story without basement: >= 1000 sq ft · one-family total floor area, two story with basement: >= 1200 sq ft · one-family total floor area, two story without basement: >= 1300 sq ft

    “Ground floor area (sq. ft.) | 900 | 1,000 | 780 | 880 | 600 | 700”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    One-family dwellings in the R-1 residential district inside Paulding village limits.

    • The table is a minimum lot-area-per-dwelling-unit schedule.
    • R-1 lots must also meet the 70-foot minimum width listed in the schedule.

    minimum lot area per dwelling unit: >= 9500 sq ft (R-1, one-family dwelling) · minimum lot width: >= 70 ft (R-1, one-family dwelling)

    “R-1 | 1 Fam. Dw. | 9,500 | 70 | 40 | 10 | 30 | 2”
  • SetbacksSpecified

    One-family dwellings in the R-1 residential district inside Paulding village limits.

    • The R-1 schedule gives the front, side, and rear yard dimensions.
    • Rear-yard depth is subject to the table footnote: 25% of yard depth or the scheduled depth.

    front yard depth: >= 40 ft (R-1, one-family dwelling) · side yard: >= 10 ft (R-1, one-family dwelling) · rear yard depth: >= 30 ft (Subject to the table footnote.)

    “R-1 | 1 Fam. Dw. | 9,500 | 70 | 40 | 10 | 30 | 2”
  • Building heightSpecified

    One-family dwellings in the R-1 residential district inside Paulding village limits.

    • The R-1 schedule identifies the maximum height for the main building in stories.

    maximum height main building: <= 2 stories (R-1, one-family dwelling)

    “R-1 | 1 Fam. Dw. | 9,500 | 70 | 40 | 10 | 30 | 2”
  • Living in an RVLimited

    Residential use of campers, motor homes, and recreational vehicles inside Paulding village limits, including inside or outside mobile/manufactured home parks.

    • Residential or dwelling use may not exceed ten days in any six-month period.
    • For any consecutive period of use under the section, written notice must be given to the village office no less than 72 hours after residence begins.
    • The ordinance was passed September 8, 2020.

    maximum residential use: <= 10 days per six-month period (Applies to structures covered by § 150.080.) · notice deadline: <= 72 hours after residence begins (For any consecutive period of use under § 150.080.)

    “No structure to which this section applies shall be permitted in the village, unless it is not being used for residential or dwelling purposes for more than ten days in any six-month period.”
  • Camping on your landLimited

    Residential use of tents and other structures covered by § 150.080 inside Paulding village limits.

    • The definition includes tents, sheds, and other outbuildings.
    • Residential or dwelling use may not exceed ten days in any six-month period.
    • Written notice to the village office is required no less than 72 hours after residence begins for any consecutive period of use under the section.

    maximum residential use: <= 10 days per six-month period (Applies to tents and other structures covered by § 150.080.)

    “Unless clearly indicated otherwise, when used in this section, the term “structure to which this section applies” includes any other structure referenced in this section, but also includes tents and sheds or other outbuildings.”
  • Accessory dwellingsAllowed

    Accessory living accommodations in the R-1 residential district inside Paulding village limits.

    • The use is listed as an R-1 accessory building and use.
    “Private garden and recreational uses, structures, pools, fences and walls, homes offices and occupations renting of rooms, accessory living accommodations; raising of domestic animals, name plates, bulletin boards, real estate signs”
  • Off-grid sanitationLimited

    Private sewage disposal inside Paulding village limits.

    • It is available only where a public sanitary or combined sewer is not available within 125 feet of the property line.
    • The system must comply with County Board of Health regulations and be permitted before construction.
    • Connection to village sewer is required within 90 days once public sewer becomes available.

    public sewer availability distance: < 125 ft (Private disposal is used only when public sanitary or combined sewer is unavailable within this distance.)

    “Where a public sanitary or combined sewer is not available within 125 feet of the property line, the building sewer shall be connected to a private sewage disposal system that complies with the regulations of the County Board of Health.”
  • Mandatory utility hookupConditional

    Sewer service for buildings inside Paulding village limits.

    • A private sewage system is used only where a public sanitary or combined sewer is not available within 125 feet of the property line.
    • When public sewer becomes available to a privately served property, the owner must install an approved direct connection within 90 days and abandon/fill septic tanks, cesspools, and similar facilities as approved by the Superintendent.

    public sewer availability distance: < 125 ft (Private sewage disposal is required where public sanitary or combined sewer is not available within this distance.) · connection deadline after sewer availability: 90 days (For property then served by a private sewage disposal system.)

    “At such times as a public sewer becomes available to a property served by a private sewage disposal system, within 90 days of such availability, the property owner shall at his or her expense install an approved direct building sewer connection to village’s sanitary sewer.”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Subdivision and platting of land inside Paulding village limits.

    • Chapter 154 contains approval, installation, plan, bond, subdivision-requirement, preliminary-plat, and exception provisions.
    “Regulation of Platting and Subdivision of Lands”
  • Short-term rentalsLimited

    Rooms for tourists in the R-2 residential district inside Paulding village limits.

    • This finding is limited to the expressly listed R-2 use of rooms for tourists and does not establish treatment of all modern short-term-rental arrangements.
    “R-2 | Main buildings and uses permitted in R-1 District | Accessory uses permitted in R-1 District | One and two-family dwellings | Rooms for tourists”
  • Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

    Village sewer permits for residential, commercial, and industrial service inside Paulding village limits.

    • The $15 permit-and-inspection fee is due when the application is filed.
    • The applicable tap fee is charged in addition.
    • The $20 outside-corporation-limit fee does not apply to land inside the village.

    sewer permit and inspection fee: 15 USD (Each residential, commercial, or industrial builder inside corporation limits; applicable tap fee is additional.)

    “A permit and inspection fee of $15 for each residential, commercial or any industrial builder shall be paid the Superintendent at the time the application is filed.”

Rules another office applies inside Village of Paulding

Village of Paulding does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

  • Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

    Private sewage disposal systems for property inside Paulding village limits where a public sanitary or combined sewer is not available within 125 feet of the property line.

    • The private system must comply with County Board of Health regulations.
    • The ordinance also preserves additional State EPA and County Health Office requirements.

    public sewer availability distance: < 125 ft (Private sewage rule applies where public sanitary or combined sewer is not available within this distance of the property line.)

    “Where a public sanitary or combined sewer is not available within 125 feet of the property line, the building sewer shall be connected to a private sewage disposal system that complies with the regulations of the County Board of Health.”
  • Septic permitRequired

    Construction of a private sewage disposal system inside Paulding village limits when public sanitary or combined sewer is not available within 125 feet of the property line.

    • A written permit from the County Board of Health is required before construction.
    • The private system must comply with County Board of Health regulations.

    public sewer availability distance: < 125 ft (Private sewage rule applies where public sanitary or combined sewer is not available within this distance of the property line.)

    “Before commencement of construction of a private sewage disposal system the property owner shall first obtain a written permit from the County Board of Health.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Village of Paulding or Paulding County directly.

  • Lot coverage — Residential one-family dwelling lots inside Paulding village limits.
  • Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Paulding village limits.
  • Manufactured homes — Manufactured-home occupancy inside Paulding village limits.
  • Septic inspection — Private sewage disposal systems inside Paulding village limits.
  • Well permit — Private wells inside Paulding village limits.
3 more unanswered
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Driveway access
  • Building in a floodplain

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Village of Paulding publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Paulding County’s page lists the county offices to call.

← All of Paulding County: county rules, score and offices