Unincorporated Summit County

Summit County, Ohio

Last verified September 16, 2026

Unincorporated Summit County is the unincorporated portion of Summit County, Ohio — the area outside the limits of any city or town, which does not currently list an online permit database — contact the department directly by phone or email. Use the contact information below to reach the local building department, or the mailing address if the jurisdiction needs to be listed as a certificate holder on a contractor's insurance documentation.

Contact

Phone
330-630-7280

Permit Search

No online permit database on file — contact the department directly by phone or email.

Certificate Holder Mailing Address

Summit County Building Department
1030 E Tallmadge Ave
Akron, OH 44310

Use this address when the jurisdiction needs to be listed as a certificate holder on a contractor's insurance documentation.

Additional Notes

Summit County Building Department is a state-certified residential and commercial building department covering unincorporated Summit County, plus these incorporated villages which rely on the county department rather than certifying their own (per Ohio Board of Building Standards records): Akron, Boston Heights, Clinton, Cuyahoga Falls, Green, Hudson, Lakemore, Mogadore, New Franklin, Northfield, Richfield, Silver Lake, Tallmadge. Note: this department is headquartered in Akron and its certified sub-departments explicitly include the City of Akron itself, plus Boston Heights, Clinton, Cuyahoga Falls, Green, Hudson, Lakemore, Mogadore, New Franklin, Northfield, Richfield, Silver Lake, and Tallmadge -- i.e. Akron's own building/HVAC/electrical/plumbing permits are issued through this county department, not a separate City of Akron building department.

What You Need Before Applying for a Permit

Most building departments ask for the same core package before they'll issue a permit: a completed application naming the property owner and contractor, the contractor's state license number and proof of insurance (general liability, and workers' comp if employees are on the job), a notice of commencement or equivalent recorded filing for larger jobs where the state requires one, and scaled plans or a site plan for anything beyond minor repairs. Roofing, fence, pool, and solar permits typically have their own simplified checklists — Unincorporated Summit County's department (above) can confirm exactly what applies to your project.

Why this matters for insurance: permit history is one of the first things an underwriter or adjuster checks. Unpermitted work — a finished basement, an added bedroom, a rebuilt roof — can complicate a claim or even void coverage for that portion of the loss, and it routinely surfaces during a home inspection. Pulling the right permit up front, and keeping the closed-permit record on file, protects both the property's value and its insurability at resale.

See something out of date? Submit a correction →