Toledo, OH
Toledo building permit cost
A Toledo building permit is priced on area, not cost:
a $60 base for residential 1–3 family work (or $75 for commercial and 4-family-or-larger) plus $0.20 for each gross square foot, with at least 100 square feet charged on alterations. Plan review rides alongside at its own base — $50 residential, $75 commercial — plus $0.03 per square foot, and every permit subject to the Ohio Building Code or Residential Code of Ohio adds the state surcharge: 1% residential, 3% commercial, calculated on plan review plus permit together. Demolition is the exception to the area rule, banded on the building's cubic feet at $75, $100, or $100 plus $3.00 per 1,000 cubic feet.
How this fee is calculated
These are the components the schedule defines for this permit, as they applied on 2026-09-28. A component only applies to your project if its conditions match — read that column before assuming a figure. Want a figure for your own project? Estimate this fee with the permit fee calculator.
| Component | Formula | Applies when | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amended construction documents after initial approval (OBC) — $100.00 per submissionPlan review | $100.00 flat fee | amended documents is true and one two family is not true | — |
| Amended construction documents after initial approval (RCO) — $50.00 per submissionPlan review | $50.00 flat fee | amended documents is true and one two family is true | — |
| Certificate of Occupancy or Partial Certificate — $75.00 eachOther fee | $75.00 flat fee | certificate of occupancy is true | — |
| Commercial and 4-family-or-larger new/addition/alteration — $75 base + $0.20 per gross sq ft (100 sq ft minimum)Permit fee | $0.2 per sq ft + $75.00 | one two family is not true and not (non structural exterior is true) and Work type is one of new construction, addition, alteration, remodel, replacement | min $95.00 |
| Commercial non-structural exterior alteration — $95.00 per alteration (application form; the chapter prints no commercial row)Permit fee | $95.00 flat fee | one two family is not true and non structural exterior is true | — |
| Certificate of Zoning Compliance — $50.00Other fee | $50.00 flat fee | czc is true | — |
| Removal/demolition, over 50,000 cu ft — $100.00 plus $3.00 per 1,000 cu ft or fractionPermit fee | $100.00 + $3.00 per 1,000 cu ft of building volume, or fraction thereof | Work type is demolition and cubic footage over 50000 | — |
| Removal/demolition, 6,000–50,000 cu ft — $100.00Permit fee | $100.00 flat fee | Work type is demolition and cubic footage over 6000 and cubic footage up to 50000 | — |
| Removal/demolition, buildings not exceeding 6,000 cu ft — $75.00Permit fee | $75.00 flat fee | Work type is demolition and cubic footage up to 6000 | — |
| Early Start Phased Permit, building — 0.5% of the building permit valuation, $100 minimumPermit fee | 0.5% of project valuation | early start is true and Work type is alteration | min $100.00 |
| Festival and/or tent, first tent — $75.00Permit fee | $75.00 flat fee | festival is true | — |
| Community Acknowledgement form — $50.00Permit fee | $50.00 flat fee | floodplain ack is true | — |
| Floodplain development permit, all other occupancies — $100.00Permit fee | $100.00 flat fee | one two family is not true and floodplain is true | — |
| Floodplain development permit, 1–3 family — $60.00Permit fee | $60.00 flat fee | one two family is true and floodplain is true | — |
| Manufactured homes — $250.00 per unitPermit fee | $250.00 per dwelling unit | manufactured home is true | — |
| Parking lot over five spaces (construct/pave/resurface) — $75.00Permit fee | $75.00 flat fee | parking lot is true | — |
| OBC plan examination — $75 base + $0.03 per sq ft (100 sq ft minimum)Plan review | $0.03 per sq ft + $75.00 | plan review is true and one two family is not true | min $78.00 |
| Residential plan examination (RCO plans) — $50 base + $0.03 per sq ft (100 sq ft minimum)Plan review | $0.03 per sq ft + $50.00 | plan review is true and one two family is true | min $53.00 |
| Residential 1–3 family new/addition/alteration and accessories — $60 base + $0.20 per gross sq ft (100 sq ft minimum)Permit fee | $0.2 per sq ft + $60.00 | one two family is true and not (non structural exterior is true) and Work type is one of new construction, addition, alteration, remodel, replacement | min $80.00 |
| Residential non-structural exterior alteration (roof, siding, doors, windows) — $60.00 per alterationPermit fee | $60.00 flat fee | one two family is true and non structural exterior is true | — |
| State of Ohio surcharge, residential (1–3 family and accessories) — 1% of totalState surcharge | 1% of fees charged | one two family is true | — |
| State of Ohio surcharge, commercial (all other permits) — 3% of totalState surcharge | 3% of fees charged | one two family is not true | — |
| Removal of in-ground tanks — $75.00 for the first tankPermit fee | $75.00 flat fee | in ground tank is true | — |
| Zoning appeal — $200.00Permit fee | $200.00 flat fee | zoning appeal is true | — |
A real permit fee is these components added together. The department’s final calculation is the one that applies — this is the schedule it will be based on.
A worked example
Follow the arithmetic by hand. Every line is produced by the engine from the rules above, so the total cannot drift away from the schedule behind it.
Worked example
The City's own example: a 5,000 sq ft commercial building alteration with plans under review and the certificate of occupancy taken at the end.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Project area | 5,000 sq ft |
| Occupancy class | Commercial |
| Type of work | Alteration |
| Plan review | Yes |
| One two family | No |
| Certificate of occupancy | Yes |
Example total
$1,414.00
An estimate, not an official fee. It is calculated from the published fee schedule as it applied on 2026-09-28. The permit office’s own calculation is the one that applies, and your project may fall under rules this schedule does not describe.
Fee schedule as of 2026-09-28Rules applied 4Rules considered 24
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Commercial and 4-family-or-larger new/addition/alteration — $75 base + $0.20 per gross sq ft (100 sq ft minimum)Permit fee"(b) Commercial buildings and 4 family or larger residential buildings - new construction, additions or alterations (interior or exterior). Base fee $75.00; Additional fee of $0.20 per gross sq. ft. (100 sq. ft. minimum per alteration)" — floor $75 + $0.20 × 100 = $95.Show the working
| $0.2 per sq ft + $75.00 | $1,075.00 |
OBC plan examination — $75 base + $0.03 per sq ft (100 sq ft minimum)Plan review"(a) Plans submitted for examination under the Ohio Building Code… 1. Plan Examination: $75.00 base fee; plus $.03 (cents) per square foot (100 sf min.)" — floor $75 + $0.03 × 100 = $78. The fee "includes one (1) initial plan review and one (1) resubmission plan review"; after the first resubmission the chapter prices $150 and $300, and those counts are recorded rather than charged (no resubmission-count basis). The chapter's cross-reference to "section 1307.08(a)" for this sentence points at the refund clause and is a code error, recorded as such.Show the working
| $0.03 per sq ft + $75.00 | $225.00 |
State of Ohio surcharge, commercial (all other permits) — 3% of totalState surcharge"In addition to the fees stated in this chapter, when a permit is subject to Ohio Building Code or the Residential Code of Ohio requirements, each permit applicant shall also be charged an additional surcharge fee imposed by the State of Ohio. (a) Residential (all permits for 1, 2, or 3 family dwellings & accessory structures) plus 1% of total; (b) Commercial (all permits other than residential) plus 3% of total" (§ 1307.13). What "total" means is settled by the City's own worked example: plan review $225 + permit $1,075 = $1,300, 3% = $39 — with the certificate of occupancy listed after the surcharge, outside it. The engine's component order runs the same way: base, then plan review, then this line, and "other" fees (the certificate, the zoning certificate) come after.Show the working
| 3% of fees charged | $39.00 |
Certificate of Occupancy or Partial Certificate — $75.00 eachOther fee"(g) Occupancy permits. Certificate of Occupancy $75.00; Partial Certificate of Occupancy $75.00". The application worksheet puts this line AFTER the state surcharge, and the alteration page's worked example does the same ($75 listed after the $39) — so the certificate sits outside the surcharge's base here, exactly as its component order runs.Show the working
| $75.00 flat fee | $75.00 |
| Total | $1,414.00 |
Fees that do not apply here
Listed so you can see what was considered and left out, rather than wondering whether something is missing. A rule can also be left out because it is not published for this permit at all, and that is stated where it matters.
- Commercial non-structural exterior alteration — $95.00 per alteration (application form; the chapter prints no commercial row) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Removal/demolition, over 50,000 cu ft — $100.00 plus $3.00 per 1,000 cu ft or fraction — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Removal/demolition, 6,000–50,000 cu ft — $100.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Removal/demolition, buildings not exceeding 6,000 cu ft — $75.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Early Start Phased Permit, building — 0.5% of the building permit valuation, $100 minimum — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Festival and/or tent, first tent — $75.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Community Acknowledgement form — $50.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Floodplain development permit, all other occupancies — $100.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Floodplain development permit, 1–3 family — $60.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Manufactured homes — $250.00 per unit — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Parking lot over five spaces (construct/pave/resurface) — $75.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Residential 1–3 family new/addition/alteration and accessories — $60 base + $0.20 per gross sq ft (100 sq ft minimum) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Residential non-structural exterior alteration (roof, siding, doors, windows) — $60.00 per alteration — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Removal of in-ground tanks — $75.00 for the first tank — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Zoning appeal — $200.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Amended construction documents after initial approval (OBC) — $100.00 per submission — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Amended construction documents after initial approval (RCO) — $50.00 per submission — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Residential plan examination (RCO plans) — $50 base + $0.03 per sq ft (100 sq ft minimum) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- State of Ohio surcharge, residential (1–3 family and accessories) — 1% of total — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Certificate of Zoning Compliance — $50.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Assumptions
- Calculated from 4 fee rules in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
Four lines, in the City's own worked order.
Building permit: § 1307.02(b)'s $75.00 base plus $0.20 per gross square foot — 5,000 × $0.20 = $1,000.00, so $1,075.00. The 100 sq ft floor ($95.00) does not bind.
Plan review: § 1307.03(a)(1)'s $75.00 base plus $0.03 per square foot — $150.00, so $225.00. This is the pairing the website's prose prints swapped; its table, the code and the application form all put $.03 here.
State surcharge: § 1307.13(b), 3% "of total" — and the City's own example shows which total: $1,075.00 + $225.00 = $1,300.00, and 3% of $1,300.00 is $39.00. The surcharge runs after plan review has been added and before any "other" line, so the certificate below is outside its base.
Certificate of Occupancy: § 1307.02(g), $75.00 — listed after the surcharge, exactly as the application worksheet orders its rows (Subtotal, Surcharge, Certificate, Total).
Total: $1,075.00 + $225.00 + $39.00 + $75.00 = $1,414.00 — the figure the City's table prints. What moves it: the residential version of this job takes the $60 base and the 1% rate ($13.00 instead of $39.00); at 1,500 sq ft the numbers scale while both floors stay below; without plans the $225 line disappears and the surcharge base shrinks with it; and a demolition in the same building — 60,000 cubic feet — is $100 + 60 × $3.00 = $280.00 before any surcharge.
What is different in Toledo
The City's own worked example is this page's proof: a 5,000 sq ft commercial alteration computes $1,075 of permit ($75 + $.20 × 5,000) and $225 of plan review ($75 + $.03 × 5,000), and the 3% surcharge reads their sum — $1,300 × .03 = $39 — with the $75 certificate of occupancy listed after the surcharge rather than inside it. The total, $1,414.00, is reproduced here to the cent.
The 100-square-foot minimum is a floor on the base-plus-area amount ($80 residential, $95 commercial), so a 40-square-foot alteration still prices as if it were 100. Work the schedule calls non-structural exterior — roofs, siding, doors, windows — leaves the area formula for a flat per-alteration fee ($60 residential, and $95 commercial from the application form, which is the only place that figure is printed).
Demolition bands on volume: not exceeding 6,000 cubic feet is $75, to 50,000 is $100, and above that $100 plus $3.00 per 1,000 cubic feet or fraction on the building's whole volume — $280 at 60,000 cubic feet, and a jump to $253 the moment a building crosses 50,001. The chapter states no base to subtract, no worked example settles it, and the alternative reading is recorded rather than chosen quietly.
What this figure does not include
Impact fees, utility connections and other departments’ permits are the usual omissions, and in some jurisdictions they are larger than the permit fee itself.
Not included in these figures
This is the Toledo building permit fee — the base-plus-area permit, plan review when plans are under review, the state surcharge, and the certificate or zoning lines the job triggers. It excludes:
- The rates the website prints backwards. The alteration page's prose swaps plan review and permit rates; its own table, § 1307.02/03 and the application form agree, and this page charges that pairing.
- HVAC, refrigeration and pressure-piping permits. § 1307.06–07 price them in full; no HVAC page is published in this set, and electrical and plumbing are separate permits on their own pages.
- Sign permit base fees. § 1307.02(f) points to § 1383.09, which this pass did not read — sign base fees are recorded, not charged.
- Chapter 1319's investigation fees. § 1307.09 sends illegal-work investigations there; that chapter was not read, so no investigation or penalty fee is modelled.
- Resubmission counts and the phased-approval add-on. The chapter prices them per resubmission and per phase ($150/$300, $75, $100 + $.03/sf); no count basis exists to charge them on.
- Registrations, renewals and copying fees. Licensing and records charges under the chapter, not permit fees.
- The alteration page's inspection pair. "Standard inspection fee is $75 / expedited inspection fee is $150" appears nowhere in Chapter 1307 and is recorded rather than charged.
What you need before applying
- The building fee is area-based; valuation feeds only the ESPPRequired
Chapter 1307's building rows read gross square footage, not cost: $60 or $75 base plus $0.20 per gross square foot. Valuation appears once in the chapter's own fee text — the Early Start Phased Permit's "one half of one percent (.005) of the building permit valuation" — and the application form defines that valuation as "the total cost of general contract, or the appraised market value of the project, including material and labor", excluding mechanical and electrical work permitted separately. A permit's total here therefore never changes because the job got more expensive; only its area moves it.
- A Certificate of Zoning Compliance is its own prerequisite — and its own $50 lineRequired
§ 1307.02's opening: a Certificate of Zoning Compliance "shall be required for all new construction of buildings or structures and/or new additions… for all residential and commercial accessory structures, ramps, decks, regardless of size, for all fences regardless of height, and all pools greater than 24\" in depth" — priced at $50 under (k). The certificate lines (CZC, Certificate of Occupancy $75) sit outside the state surcharge's base, which is exactly how the application worksheet orders its rows: Subtotal, Surcharge, Certificate, Total.
- Plans must be approved before the permit issues; ESPP is the early-start exceptionMay be required
The City's own pages: "Plans must be approved before a building permit can be issued and construction may begin", with most projects requiring architectural, structural and MEP drawings. § 1307.03(c) offers the Early Start Phased Permit instead — interior alterations at the rough-in stage while plans review, at 0.5% of the building permit valuation (minimum $100) or $100 for a trade permit, "performed at the applicant's risk", expiring on permit issuance or after ninety days.
- Every OBC- or RCO-subject permit adds the state surcharge — 1% or 3%Required
§ 1307.13: "In addition to the fees stated in this chapter, when a permit is subject to Ohio Building Code or the Residential Code of Ohio requirements, each permit applicant shall also be charged an additional surcharge fee imposed by the State of Ohio" — residential (1–3 family and accessories) plus 1%, commercial plus 3%. What the percentage reads is settled by the City's own worked example: plan review plus permit ($1,300 → $39), with the certificate of occupancy listed after the surcharge rather than inside it.
Common questions
How much is a building permit in Toledo?
A base plus an area charge: $60.00 base for residential 1–3 family new work, additions and alterations (and their accessory structures), $75.00 for commercial buildings and 4-family-or-larger residential — each plus $0.20 per gross square foot, with at least 100 square feet priced on alterations ($80 or $95 as the floor). Non-structural exterior work (roof, siding, doors, windows) is a flat $60 per alteration residential, $95 commercial per the application form.
Is plan review included, and which rate applies?
Plan review is its own line: $50.00 base plus $0.03 per square foot under the Residential Code of Ohio, $75.00 base plus $0.03 under the Ohio Building Code, each with a 100-square-foot minimum (floors of $53 and $78). Watch the City's website, which prints these two rates swapped in its fee prose — its own worked table, the code and the application form all agree that plan review is the $.03 line.
How is the state surcharge calculated?
§ 1307.13: residential permits (1–3 family and their accessories) add 1%, all other permits add 3%, "in addition to the fees stated in this chapter" — and the City's worked example shows the base is plan review plus permit together ($1,300 × 3% = $39 on a 5,000 sq ft alteration), with the certificate of occupancy listed after the surcharge rather than inside it.
What does a demolition permit cost?
Three bands on the building's volume: $75.00 up to 6,000 cubic feet, $100.00 from 6,000 to 50,000, and above 50,000 — $100.00 plus $3.00 for each 1,000 cubic feet or fraction. This site reads that last rate on the whole volume, which is what the amount line says: 60,000 cubic feet is $280.00. In-ground tank removal is $75 for the first tank under the same division.
Is a Certificate of Occupancy part of the permit fee?
No — it is its own $75.00 line (a Partial Certificate is also $75.00), and both the application worksheet and the City's worked example place it after the state surcharge, outside the surcharge's base. The Certificate of Zoning Compliance ($50.00) sits the same way.
Can plans start work before the permit issues?
Through the Early Start Phased Permit (§ 1307.03(c)): interior alterations may start at the rough-in stage while plans review, at one half of one percent of the building permit valuation with a $100 minimum ($100 flat for a trade permit). Work is "performed at the applicant's risk", nothing may be concealed, and the ESPP expires when the real permit issues or after ninety days.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- Fee schedule (PDF)CityPrimary source
City of Toledo — Building Permit application (fee worksheet and valuation definition)
Read 2026-09-25 from the application PDF the City's permits pages link. It carries the valuation definition this jurisdiction quotes ("Valuation is the total cost of general contract, or the appraised market value of the project, including material and labor. Exclude cost of mechanical and electrical work for which separate permits are required"), the fee worksheet in payment order (Building Permit, Plan Review, Subtotal, State of Ohio Surcharge 1% or 3%, Certificate of Occupancy / Partial / Completion $75 each, Other Fees, Total), and both base-plus-area rows for residential and commercial — plus the one figure Chapter 1307 does not print: the exterior non-structural row's "($60 Residential $95 Commercial each)". The worksheet's ordering is what fixes the surcharge base used in this jurisdiction's model.
- Municipal codeCityPrimary source
Toledo Municipal Code Chapter 1307 — Fees (1307.01 through 1307.14)
Read 2026-09-25 in full through the rendered codifier (the host 403s plain fetchers, so every section was read in a browser session and the list taken from the chapter's own table of contents): 1307.01 general, 1307.02 permit fees (a)–(k), 1307.03 plan review and ESPP, 1307.04 electrical, 1307.05 plumbing, 1307.06–07 HVAC and refrigeration, 1307.08 refunds, 1307.09 → Chapter 1319, 1307.10 reinspection, 1307.11 special services, 1307.12 pools, 1307.13 state fees, 1307.14 copying. Every section carries (Ord. 476-18. Passed 12-4-18.). Two internal cross-reference errors are recorded as found: 1307.03(a)(2) cites "section 1307.08(a)" for plan-review fees while 1307.08(a) is the refund clause, and 1307.12(c) cites "Section 1307.03(C)(11)" for pool bonding while that fee is 1307.04(c)(11).
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.