The City of London Ohio

ATTENTION!!!! Due to Budget cuts, our Building & Zoning Department will only be open from 7:30 am -11:00 am to drop off plans, or for personal service.

Whether business, housing, or industry, the City of London encourages growth and welcomes new development. The Building & Zoning office personnel are prepared to assist both new and established business, as well as the residents of London as the city grows. Located at 102 ½ S. Main Street, The Building and Zoning office will provide all necessary applications for zoning and construction permits. The staff will work to help you understand the review process and get your applications to the appropriate part of the review process.

Building regulation and zoning regulation serve two different functions. However, these two functions work closely together.

• Zoning regulation deals with the activity or use of a particular property and where that property is located.
• Building regulation is to safeguard the public and the employees as they provide or partake of the service offered. For example, a fast food restaurant with a drive thru would conflict in a residential subdivision. The zoning code separates the residential and restaurant uses. When the restaurant is built in a more the appropriate location, the building code enforces exhaust ventilation for the kitchen, fire suppression systems in the kitchen, exit and emergency lighting, accessibility and other standards to insure customer and employee safety.

Zoning districts are drawn with the goal of keeping neighboring uses compatible. The restaurant surrounded by houses is not the best idea, while a restaurant in a shopping center usually works out fairly well. In London, zoning district designations fall into the following.

• Residential (R-1 thru R-4) Are for residential uses ranging from low density 2.9 single family dwellings per acre to multi-family.
• Business (B-1 thru B-3) Regulate business development from vacant land, where off street parking and building setbacks are easy to provide, to the tight fit of downtown properties.
• Manufacturing (M-1 and M2) Are general and light industrial districts.
• Medical Park District (MPD) Was formed in partnership with Madison County Hospital in order to assist them in providing expanded services to the community.
• Conservation and Open Space (COS) Allows for provision of recreational opportunities and green space. Rails to Trails is one example.
• Planned Unit District (PUD) Allows the Planning Commission greater flexibility in partnering uses than hard zoning allows.

Once the appropriate location is found, the requirements of The Building Code must be considered. With a new building, your design professional will endeavor to comply with the most current edition of the code right from the start. If an existing structure is being considered, it can be more complicated. A paint store and an attorney’s office are both permitted uses in all of the B districts. The attorney is generally seeing clients by appointment. The office has low traffic and houses office furniture and files. Typical wood frame construction may be suitable. Paint, lacquers, paint thinner, other solvents are flammable materials, non combustible construction is more appropriate. If stored in large enough quantities, an automatic sprinkler system and fire alarm are also required. As you can see the switch from Business no. 1 to Business no.2 is not always a straight up trade.

When the occupancy and use of an existing building is changed a walk-thru is required to determine if the building is suitable for the new use. If no alterations are planned, the standard is “is there an increase in risk to the occupants?” The building inspector will evaluate change in number of occupants, lighting and ventilation, means of egress, adequate toilet facilities and other considerations. If any alterations are planned, the altered portions of the building must meet the current code. Your design professional will assist in this process.