Before You Apply

Permit Requirement

Construction cannot begin until a permit has been issued.

Historic Districts
  • New construction or other visible exterior changes occurring in the Uptown Historic District or University Historic District may require a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) from the Historic and Architectural Preservation Commission as a prerequisite to Building Permit approval. Contact Community Development to verify before submitting for a permit or beginning work. COA applications may be submitted through GovWell.
  • In areas not designated as a historic district, the City does not require permits for siding, landscaping (other than retaining walls), painting, wallpapering, or storm/screen windows & doors. Window replacements outside of a historic district do not require a permit so long as there are no structural changes to wall openings where windows are situated (i.e., new windows are the same size as the old windows being replaced).

 

Apply for a Permit

The City of Oxford now offers a new online system for processing most construction-related permits. To submit applications to our office, use the button below to access our online portal powered by GovWell.

Apply Online via GovWell »

 

Local Regulations

  • The City of Oxford enforces its own local Zoning Code and engineering specifications, as well as the Ohio Fire Code.
  • Site plans submitted for new construction and building additions must show all structures, lot dimensions, distances from structures to all lot lines, parking, screening, and the location of existing and proposed water and sewer laterals. During review, City staff may also require other elements be shown on plans.
  • When building(s) are to be set on or near minimum distances from lot lines, you must submit a site plan drawn by a registered surveyor.

 

State Building Codes

 

Review Process

Procedure
  • All project plans are reviewed electronically by City departments.
  • Up to five different departments may be responsible for reviewing your plans. Departments potentially responsible for reviewing a permit include Building (NIC), Engineering (Service), Fire, Police, and Zoning (Community Development).
  • Each departmental reviewer is allotted up to 30 days to return a response, but most return response quicker than 30 days. It is advisable to allow plenty of time to work through the proper permitting process prior to an anticipated construction schedule. 
  • Once all reviewing departments in the given stage have returned a response, applicants will receive an automatic email notification from GovWell containing a summary of all department responses and offering an opportunity for the applicant to submit revisions.
  • Revisions can be submitted through the GovWell portal. When submitting revisions in response to department comments, applicants must also provide a cover letter or memo explaining what has changed.
  • Applicants will be notified again via email once all departments have returned their second and subsequent reviews.
  • For permits that require review in conformance with State building-related codes, reviews by all other City departments will be required to be approved first before the application is transmitted to NIC for a Building review.
  • Once the City of Oxford office has transmitted an application to NIC for review, the administrative staff at NIC will assign the application to one of their Plans Examiners.
  • Plans Examiners will contact applicants directly via email whenever revisions are required in order to receive Building approval. Correspondence from a Plans Examiner is typically titled as either "Plan Reviewer Comments" or as an "Adjudication Order," and offers detailed comments/explanation on deficiencies.
  • Building/NIC reviews are handled outside of the GovWell system. The GovWell platform is only used by the City of Oxford organization, and not by NIC.
Payment & Issuance
  • For Permit applications, no fees of any kind are due upfront when an application is initially submitted.
  • Fees will be determined during the review process and must be paid prior to issuance.
  • We do not accept up-front payments or mailed checks.
  • Applicants will receive an email from GovWell when the permit is fully approved and ready to be issued. Applicants will also receive a fee invoice in PDF format at this time.
  • Payments can be made directly within the GovWell portal, either by credit card (3.5% processing fee) or electronic check ACH ($1.00 transaction fee).
  • Once all fees are paid, applicants will receive a confirmation email containing all pertinent materials, including electronic copies of the permit certificate, approved plans, and list of required inspections. 
Revisions to an Issued Permit
  • Whenever a permit has already been issued but there is a need to process revisions to plans (for example, when a "change order" is requested), a specific type of application called a Revision Request must be submitted. Contact the Community Development office for further assistance.
  • Once enabled by City staff for the specific project, Revision Requests can be accepted and processed through GovWell.

 

Following Permit Issuance

Inspections
  • Projects require inspections during and after construction.
  • The issued permit materials will list the required inspections with instructions on how to schedule.
  • During inspections, an inspector may ask to examine the approved plans. It is therefore recommended plans be made readily available at the job site, either digitally on a tablet-sized device or by being printed on large format paper.
Occupancy
  • Occupancy cannot take place until the project is completed, all inspections have passed, and a Certificate of Occupancy has been issued.