What Columbus requires
From the Building and Zoning Services (BZS) FAQ, read 23 October 2026:
- Plans. "In general, new construction, additions, or alterations to existing buildings require plans and specifications."
- Energy report. "If you are building a new structure or a commercial addition, an energy report is also necessary."
- Impact fees. "Yes. They depend on the scope of the project." BZS suggests a free preliminary site plan review to learn them.
- Review time. "For 1, 2 and 3 family residential projects, the timeline is approximately one week"; once assigned, "the reviewer has twenty business days to issue a plan approval or corrections letter."
- Start and expiry. "Once the permit is issued, you have twelve months to start construction"; once work starts, the permit "will expire in six months, unless inspections are performed."
What it costs
From the 2026 Combined Development Related Fee Schedule, 1, 2 and 3 family dwellings:
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| New Construction and Additions (includes 6 inspections) | $1,100 |
| Foundation (includes 2 inspections) | $275 / $300 |
| Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (includes 2 inspections), each | $275 |
| Additional inspection trip | $225 |
| Plan revisions, plan review only: first hour / each added hour | $225 / $125 |
| Advanced construction start | $125 |
| Preliminary zoning clearance review | $200 |
| Occupying without a certificate of occupancy | $2,500 |
| Work without a permit: Level 1 to Level 4 | $200 to $4,000 |
The building fee is flat, not per square foot, so it is the same on a starter house and a large custom one. With three trade permits the City's base fees come to $1,925 before extra trips or impact fees. Against the usual $350,000 declared value, that is small; the trip count is what grows, because every visit, pass or fail, uses one.
Who can pull it
A City-licensed contractor. Columbus licenses contractors itself (Contractor Licenses); its General Contractor license, on 1–3 family homes, covers coordinating subcontracted licensed trades, and the trades need Ohio OCILB licenses plus City registration. Ask the builder which City license it holds and check it on the City's Licensed & Registered Contractors search.
You, partly. BZS lets owners get structural permits for work they do themselves, but the City's homeowner's affidavit says a homeowner "may not obtain mechanical, electrical, or plumbing permits for new construction of a single-family residence." On a new house, licensed trade contractors pull those.
Inspections
Six inspections come with the permit. Schedule them in Citizen Access or at (614) 645-8235, "until midnight" for the next business day; inspectors are out 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. "After your final inspection is complete, your permit will automatically close." Do not move in before the certificate of occupancy: occupying without one is a $2,500 fee.
What 2,607 Columbus new-home permits show
| Measure | Columbus new homes |
|---|---|
| Permits, October 2023 to September 2026 | 2,607 |
| Builders | 148 |
| Builders with a permit in the last 12 months of the file | 68 |
| Usual declared value | $350,000 |
| Middle half of builders' usual value (50 builders with 3+ permits) | $210,000 to $365,317 |
| Reached final (permits a year or more old) | 92.5% |
| Usual days from issue to final | 252 |
| 10th / 90th-percentile builder (10+ permits) | 70.0% / 98.3% |
| Share held by the five busiest builders | 61.9% |
| Busiest / quietest month | November (186) / January (64) |
A usual 252 days from permit to final is the build time you should plan around, and most Columbus houses do get there (92.5%). Filing is lumpy: November runs at 186 against 100 for an average month and January at 64. The five busiest builders hold 61.9% of permits; for a custom house you are choosing among the long tail, where 52.7% of builders filed a single permit in three years.
See every Columbus home builder by days to final →
Related
Declared values by builder: Columbus new home cost. Choosing a builder: hiring a home builder and the Columbus builder list. National: new home construction cost and do I need a permit to build a house. License checks: Columbus contractor license lookup; past permits: Columbus building permit search; counts: Columbus permit statistics.
What this does not tell you
The file covers City of Columbus permits, not suburbs with their own building departments. Declared value is construction cost on the permit, not the sale price or the land. Impact fees and utility charges are not in the table; BZS's preliminary site plan review is where to learn them.
How we know this
Plan, energy report, impact fee, review time and expiry rules are quoted from the City of Columbus BZS FAQ, read 23 October 2026; fees from the 2026 Combined Development Related Fee Schedule and the homeowner rule from the 2026 MEP homeowner's affidavit, read the same day. Counts are City of Columbus new single-family construction permits, October 2023 to September 2026; value is declared construction value, "reached final" uses permits a year or more old, and days run from issue to final.
Numbers come from City of Columbus Building & Zoning Services permits on 1-, 2- and 3-family homes (the city's Accela permit layer), data through October 18, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- How much is a building permit for a new house in Columbus, Ohio?
The 2026 fee schedule charges a flat $1,100 for 'New Construction and Additions (includes 6 inspections)' on a 1–3 family dwelling, plus $275 for each trade permit (mechanical, electrical, plumbing), $225 per extra inspection trip, and any impact fees, which BZS says 'depend on the scope of the project.'
- How long does it take to get a new home permit in Columbus?
BZS puts plan review for 1, 2 and 3 family projects at 'approximately one week', with up to twenty business days once a reviewer is assigned. After issue, the usual Columbus new-home permit in our file reached final 252 days later.
- Can I build my own house in Columbus?
You can take structural permits for work you do yourself, but the City's homeowner affidavit says a homeowner 'may not obtain mechanical, electrical, or plumbing permits for new construction of a single-family residence', so licensed trade contractors pull those.
- How many new homes are built in Columbus?
2,607 new-home permits from October 2023 to September 2026 in our file, by 148 builders; the five busiest filed 61.9%.
- What is the usual value on a Columbus new-home permit?
$350,000, the construction value the builder declared. The middle half of builders' usual values runs $210,000 to $365,317.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Albuquerque building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Building a casita in Albuquerque: the 750 sq ft limit, rear-yard rule, parking, free plans, and who builds them
- Do I need a permit to build a house in Albuquerque? GB-2 or homeowner, the plan set and the fee
- Arlington's 2,500-square-foot rule: when an addition or new house needs a Land Disturbing Activity and stormwater permit
- Do I need a permit to build a new home in Elk Grove? Production homes, custom homes, fees and timing
- Do I need a permit to build a new home in Greensboro? Full plan review, a site plan, and four trade permits
For one city
- BZS Frequently Asked Questions — City of Columbus (accessed 2026-10-23)
- 2026 Combined Development Related Fee Schedule — City of Columbus (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Permit Homeowner's Affidavit 2026 — City of Columbus (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Contractor Licenses — City of Columbus Building and Zoning Services (accessed 2026-10-21)
- Accela Citizen Access (permit portal) — City of Columbus (2026-10-23)