Decks, Pole Barns and Pools

Pickaway County Building Department · 124 West Franklin Street, Circleville, Ohio 43113 · 740-477-8282

Building standards in Ohio are set by the state, not by individual counties. This department enforces the Residential Code of Ohio; it does not write it. The sections below link to the official code text, which is free to read.

Get your zoning approval first.

Zoning is set locally, and every township has its own zoning inspector — see the zoning inspector list. A building permit does not substitute for zoning approval.

Decks and porches

A permit is required before building a deck 30 inches or more above grade, and before adding a roofed porch or enclosing an existing porch. Deck construction, stairs, handrails, guards and ledger attachment are set by the Residential Code of Ohio.

• Section R507 — Exterior Decks — footings, posts, beams, joists, ledger attachment and lateral load connections
• Section R311 — Means of Egress — stair treads and risers, handrail height and grip size
• Section R312 — Guards and Window Fall Protection — where a guard is required and its height and opening limits

Fees for decks, patios and porches are on the residential fee schedule. Drawings must show the items listed under Stair Details and Floor Construction on the plan and drawing requirements.

Post frame buildings and pole barns

A permit is required for a post frame building, pole barn, detached garage or shelter house over 200 square feet. Post size, girt and purlin spacing, knee bracing, header connections and uplift protection are set by the Residential Code of Ohio.

• Section R324 — Post and Frame Construction — building width and height limits, post footing diameter, uplift protection and wall bracing
• Section R301 — Design Criteria — the snow, wind, seismic and frost depth figures that apply in Pickaway County

Drawings must show the items listed under Post Frame Buildings on the plan and drawing requirements. Sealed truss drawings are required where trusses are used.

Swimming pools, hot tubs and barriers

A permit is required for a swimming pool more than 30 inches deep, including above-ground pools, and for a hot tub. If the pool is built with a deck or porch, that work is permitted at the same time.

The barrier requirements are what most applications turn on: a pool must be enclosed by a barrier at least 48 inches high with no openings a 4-inch sphere can pass through, gates must be self-closing and self-latching and swing away from the pool, and any door from the house into the pool area needs an alarm or self-closing device.

• Appendix G — Swimming Pools, Spas and Hot Tubs — barriers, gates, door alarms, and above-ground pool ladder requirements
• Chapter 42 — Swimming Pools — electrical bonding and grounding

Which code applies

One- , two- and three-family dwellings and their accessory structures are built to the Residential Code of Ohio. Everything else — commercial, industrial and buildings with four or more dwelling units — is built to the Ohio Building Code, and needs a commercial permit application.

The code is adopted statewide by the Ohio Board of Building Standards, part of the Ohio Department of Commerce. Where a state rule and a local rule conflict, the state rule governs.

The section numbers on this page are given so you can quote them to staff or to your contractor. The Building Department will tell you what a section requires for your project — phone 740-477-8282 — and a reference copy of the code is available at the office.