Short answer: Exchange lists 7 renovation and remodeling contractors in Ohio. Ohio issues no statewide general contractor or remodeler license: residential contractors are licensed or registered by cities and counties such as Columbus and Cleveland, while the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board licenses only nonresidential electrical, HVAC, plumbing, refrigeration and hydronics contractors. Remodeling contracts of $25,000 or more must be written under Revised Code Chapter 4722. Homes follow the 2019 Residential Code of Ohio, based on the 2018 IRC.
Licensing board
Ohio has no state remodeler license; the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board licenses nonresidential electrical, HVAC, plumbing, refrigeration and hydronics contractors only.
Local licensing
Ohio cities license residential contractors locally, for example Columbus's Home Improvement General Contractor license and Cleveland's contractor registration.
Contract rule
Ohio Revised Code 4722.02 requires a written contract for home construction services of $25,000 or more, with proof of at least $250,000 general liability cover.
Deposit cap
Under Ohio Revised Code 4722.04 a supplier on a covered contract may take no more than 10 percent down, or 75 percent of non-returnable special-order items.
Residential code
The 2019 Residential Code of Ohio, based on the 2018 IRC, has applied since July 1, 2019, with 2024 amendments moving residential electrical work to the 2023 NEC.
Lien deadline
Ohio mechanics' lien affidavits on one- and two-family dwellings must be recorded within 60 days of the claimant's last work, versus 75 days for most other property.
Does Ohio require a state license for renovation and remodeling contractors?
No. Ohio is one of the states where a general contractor or remodeler can work statewide without a state-issued license. The only state contractor licensing board, the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board within the Department of Commerce, licenses five specialty trades under Revised Code Chapter 4740: electrical, heating, ventilating and air conditioning, refrigeration, plumbing and hydronics. Those licenses apply to work on nonresidential construction projects, meaning buildings governed by the Ohio Building Code. One-, two- and three-family dwellings are outside the definition.
The OCILB bar is meaningful for the trades it covers. Applicants need five years of experience in the trade immediately before applying, or an alternative such as a Professional Engineer license plus three years of construction business experience, must pass the trade exam, and must carry at least $500,000 in contractor liability insurance assigned to a contracting company. A remodeler converting a storefront into apartments or renovating a church hall will therefore need OCILB-licensed electrical, mechanical and plumbing subcontractors, while the same firm's work in a single-family kitchen may not.
Residential trade licensing is pushed down to local government. Revised Code 3781.102 lets boards of county commissioners license electrical and HVAC contractors who are not required to hold an OCILB license, and municipalities have home-rule authority to license specialty contractors. Counties may charge a registration fee to OCILB license holders but may not make them sit another exam. The result is a patchwork: a remodeler may need registrations in several cities and counties across one metro area.
Change may be coming for roofing. Senate Bill 125 of the 136th General Assembly would add a Roofing Section to the OCILB and require a license for roofing work of $20,000 or more on nonresidential projects. As of October 2026 the bill was still in the Senate Workforce Development Committee and is not law, so treat it as something to watch rather than a current requirement.
How do Columbus and Cleveland license home improvement contractors in Ohio?
Columbus runs the most structured residential licensing system in the state. Under Columbus City Code Chapter 4114, the Department of Building and Zoning Services issues a Home Improvement General Contractor license for structural additions, alterations and repairs to one-, two- and three-family homes and their garages and accessory structures. Applicants need three years of hands-on experience and a score of at least 70 percent on the Ohio Home Improvement Contractor exam, and applications go before the Board of General and Home Improvement Contractors.
Columbus also issues a narrower Home Improvement Limited Contractor license for specialty residential trades such as roofing, siding, decks, basement waterproofing, fencing, pools and paving, which requires one year of experience in the specialty. A separate General Contractor license, carrying a $25,000 bond and liability insurance naming the city as certificate holder, covers new structures and structural work on commercial and multifamily buildings of four or more units. Trade contractors in the OCILB fields must hold their state license before Columbus will register them.
Cleveland's Department of Building and Housing requires contractors who build or rehabilitate homes in the city to be bonded, insured and registered, and electricians and plumbers must be separately licensed. Owner-occupants of one- or two-family homes may do their own alterations without contractor registration, but they remain subject to the same permit, plan review and inspection rules. The department invites homeowners to verify a contractor's registration by phone at 216-664-2910 before work begins.
Outside those two cities, expect variation. Cincinnati, Toledo, Akron, Dayton and the suburbs around them each set their own registration and permit rules, and county building departments may license electrical and HVAC contractors in unincorporated areas. For any Ohio renovation, the first question for a contractor should be which local registrations they hold for the exact city or township where the house sits, not whether they are licensed in Ohio in general.
Which licenses, permits and registrations apply in Ohio?
Licence / permit / registration
Issued by
Who needs it
Key threshold or rule
OCILB specialty contractor license
Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board, Department of Commerce
Electrical, HVAC, plumbing, refrigeration and hydronics contractors on nonresidential projects
Five years of trade experience, exam, and at least $500,000 contractor liability insurance
Columbus Home Improvement General Contractor license
Columbus Department of Building and Zoning Services
Contractors doing structural work on one-, two- and three-family homes in Columbus
Three years of experience and 70 percent or more on the Ohio Home Improvement Contractor exam
Cleveland contractor registration
Cleveland Department of Building and Housing
Contractors building or rehabilitating homes in Cleveland
Must be bonded, insured and registered; owner-occupants of one- or two-family homes exempt
Residential building permit
Building department certified by the Ohio Board of Building Standards
Most structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing work on one- to three-family dwellings
2019 Residential Code of Ohio; finish work and sheds up to 200 square feet exempt
Radon mitigation contractor license
Ohio Department of Health
Any business performing radon mitigation
Required by Revised Code 3723.02; general contractors may subcontract to a licensed firm
OHIO811 locate ticket
Ohio utility protection service under Revised Code 3781.28
Excavators, including contractors digging footings or drains
At least two working days and no more than 16 calendar days before digging
How do I check a renovation contractor in Ohio before I sign?
7 checks, in order, using the Ohio registers and rules described on this page:
Ask which city or county licenses or registrations the contractor holds for your exact address, then confirm them with the local building department, for example Columbus Building and Zoning Services or Cleveland Building and Housing at 216-664-2910.
For any electrical, HVAC or plumbing work on a commercial or four-plus-unit building, check that the trade subcontractor holds a current Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board license.
If the project is $25,000 or more, make sure the contract meets Revised Code 4722.02, including the excess-costs notice and a certificate showing at least $250,000 general liability insurance.
Pay no more than 10 percent down on a covered contract, or up to 75 percent of non-returnable special-order items, as Revised Code 4722.04 allows.
If you signed at home, check for the bold-face three-day cancellation notice and detachable notice of cancellation required by Revised Code 1345.23, and do not let work start before the window closes.
Confirm with the certified residential building department which permits apply under the 2019 Residential Code of Ohio, and get copies of permits before any demolition.
Once you pay the original contractor in full on your owner-occupied home, consider recording an affidavit of payment with the county recorder under Revised Code 1311.011 to cut off later subcontractor liens.
What does Ohio's Home Construction Service Suppliers Act require for remodeling contracts?
Revised Code Chapter 4722, often called the Home Construction Service Suppliers Act, is the closest thing Ohio has to a statewide remodeling statute. It defines home construction service to include the repair, improvement, remodel or renovation of an existing one-, two- or three-family dwelling, not just new construction, and it applies to contracts of $25,000 or more. Buildings of four or more units are excluded except for work inside an individual dwelling unit.
Under section 4722.02, a covered contract must be in writing before work starts and must include the supplier's name, physical business address, telephone number and taxpayer identification number; the owner's details and property address; a general description of the goods and services; anticipated start and completion dates; the total estimated cost and any costs it excludes such as delivery or installation; dated signatures; and a copy of the supplier's certificate of insurance showing general liability coverage of at least $250,000.
The Act also handles the unknowns that plague older Ohio houses. If reasonably unforeseen but necessary excess costs exceed $5,000 over the course of the contract, the supplier must give the owner a written or oral estimate, as the owner chose in the contract, before doing that work. The contract must contain a capitalized excess-costs notice where the owner initials which type of estimate they want, unless the contract is a firm fixed price. Cost-plus contracts are exempt from both the excess-cost and contract-content rules.
Section 4722.04 caps the down payment on covered contracts at 10 percent of the contract price before performance begins, except that up to 75 percent of the cost of special-order items that are not returnable may be collected up front. Section 4722.03 adds a list of prohibited practices, including charging for unapproved excess costs, failing to perform in a workmanlike manner, misrepresenting that work is needed to meet the residential building code, and making performance contingent on the owner waiving rights under the chapter.
How does Ohio's Home Solicitation Sales Act affect renovation deals signed at home?
Much residential remodeling in Ohio is sold at the kitchen table, and that triggers the Home Solicitation Sales Act in Revised Code 1345.21 to 1345.28. A home solicitation sale is a consumer sale where the seller personally solicits at the buyer's residence and the buyer's agreement is given there, including when the buyer invited the salesperson over. Sales under $25 and certain buyer-initiated transactions with sellers who have a fixed Ohio business location are excluded.
Under section 1345.22, the buyer may cancel until midnight of the third business day after signing, by written notice delivered by certified mail, by hand, by fax or by email. Critically for contractors, where the sale requires services, the seller may not start performing those services during the cancellation window. A remodeler who begins tear-out the morning after a home signing is in breach of the statute.
Section 1345.23 dictates the paperwork. The agreement must be in the language used in the sales presentation, state the date the buyer signs, and carry a bold-face, ten-point notice next to the buyer's signature explaining the right to cancel. A completed notice of cancellation must be attached in duplicate and be easily detachable. If the buyer cancels, payments must be returned within ten business days of the seller receiving the notice.
There is a narrow emergency exception. Where the buyer initiates contact and needs immediate work to protect health, safety or property, such as an active roof leak after a storm, the buyer can waive the three-day right with a separate, dated and signed statement in the buyer's own handwriting describing the emergency. Storm-chasing roofers who hand homeowners a pre-printed waiver are not meeting that standard. Under section 1345.28, failing to follow these rules is itself a deceptive act under Ohio's Consumer Sales Practices Act, section 1345.02, which the Attorney General enforces.
Which building code and permits apply to home renovations in Ohio?
Ohio's Board of Building Standards writes the codes statewide. One-, two- and three-family dwellings fall under the Residential Code of Ohio, Ohio Administrative Code Chapter 4101:8, which is based on the 2018 International Residential Code and has been in effect since July 1, 2019. Amendments that took effect in 2024 updated its electrical chapter to reference the 2023 National Electrical Code with Ohio amendments, so electrical work in a remodel is now inspected against the 2023 NEC as modified for Ohio.
Commercial and multifamily renovation runs on a newer code. The 2024 Ohio Building Code, incorporating the 2021 International Building Code and International Existing Building Code with Ohio amendments, took effect March 1, 2024, alongside the 2024 Ohio Mechanical and Plumbing Codes based on the 2021 model codes. A remodeler converting a house to four or more apartments or adding a business use crosses from the residential code into that commercial regime.
Section 102.10 of the residential code lists work that does not need approval, though it must still comply with the code. It includes one-story detached accessory structures up to 200 square feet, fences up to six feet, painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets, countertops and similar finish work, replacing receptacles and like-for-like breakers, and replacing a single plumbing fixture. Minor structural repairs can proceed without notice, but that allowance excludes cutting walls, altering load-bearing members, changing egress and work on piping or wiring.
Enforcement depends on where you are. Residential plan approval and inspection are carried out by municipal, township or county building departments certified by the Board of Building Standards. Under section 101.5 of the residential code, where no certified residential building department has jurisdiction, the owner is not required to submit construction documents, obtain approvals or request inspections, although the code itself still applies. In parts of rural Ohio that means no one inspects a renovation, which puts more weight on the contractor's own competence and on the owner's contract.
How do mechanics' liens and prompt payment work on Ohio renovation projects?
Ohio's mechanics' lien statute, Revised Code Chapter 1311, has shorter deadlines than many states. Under section 1311.06, a lien arising from work on a one- or two-family dwelling or a residential condominium unit must be recorded with the county recorder within 60 days of the claimant's last labor or materials. Most other property gets 75 days, and oil and gas well liens get 120 days. Remodelers who wait until a dispute festers often find their lien window has already shut.
Homeowners get strong protection under section 1311.011. For a home construction contract on a single- or double-family dwelling or condominium unit used as the owner's personal residence, no contractor, subcontractor, supplier or laborer has a lien if the owner paid the original contractor in full before receiving a copy of a lien affidavit. The owner can record an affidavit of full payment, and liens perfected afterward by subcontractors are void absent fraud. The definition reaches beyond the house itself to driveways, porches, garages, siding, roofing, storm windows, fences and similar improvements.
Ohio's notice of commencement and notice of furnishing system, under which subcontractors must serve a notice within 21 days of first furnishing to preserve full lien rights, does not apply to those home construction contracts. It does apply to commercial renovations, investor-owned rentals and other projects outside the owner-occupied definition, which is why landlords and developers in Ohio record notices of commencement before work starts.
Between contractors, Revised Code 4113.61 is Ohio's prompt pay law. A contractor that receives payment from the owner must pay subcontractors and suppliers their share within ten calendar days, subject to retainage and amounts held for disputed claims. Late payment carries interest at 18 percent per year from the eleventh day, and the same ten-day rule flows down to lower tiers.
What hazards in Ohio homes should a renovation contractor be licensed to handle?
Lead paint is the dominant hazard in Ohio's older cities, and the state has not taken over the federal renovation program, so the U.S. EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule applies directly. Firms disturbing paint in pre-1978 homes must be EPA-certified and use certified renovators. Lead abatement, which is a different service from lead-safe renovation, requires workers licensed by the Ohio Department of Health.
Cleveland raises the stakes for rental work. Its Lead Safe ordinance, passed by City Council in 2019, requires rental properties built before 1978 to obtain a Lead Safe Certification or an exemption. A certificate is valid for two years, and a 20-year exemption is available where all lead hazards have been abated and a risk assessment shows none remain. Remodelers who work for Cleveland landlords should expect their work to be followed by a clearance inspection submitted by a certified risk assessor.
Radon is regulated as its own profession. Revised Code 3723.02 requires an Ohio Department of Health radon tester or mitigation specialist license to perform radon testing, and a radon mitigation contractor license for any business that performs mitigation. A general contractor may subcontract mitigation to a licensed firm, and the law exempts radon-resistant techniques in new construction, but a remodeler finishing a basement should not install a mitigation system itself unless it holds the contractor license.
Asbestos in older siding, pipe insulation and flooring and the vermiculite common in mid-century attics should be identified before demolition. When an Ohio remodeling bid includes tear-out of materials from that era, ask how the contractor will test and who will remove anything that tests positive.
How do Ohio's weather and housing stock shape renovation work?
Ohio's climate splits sharply. Northeast Ohio, from Cleveland through the Lake Erie snow belt in Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties, sees heavy lake-effect snow that drives roof load, ice dam and gutter work, while southern Ohio along the Ohio River sees milder winters but more humid summers. Freeze-thaw cycling statewide punishes masonry chimneys, concrete steps and porches, which is why tuckpointing and porch rebuilds are staples of Ohio remodeling.
Basements are central to Ohio housing, and water management is the most common pre-renovation problem. Clay soils and high spring water tables push contractors toward interior drain tile, sump systems and exterior waterproofing before a basement can be finished. In Columbus that waterproofing work falls under the Home Improvement Limited Contractor license, a reminder that even below-grade work is locally licensed.
Excavation needs a utility locate. Under Revised Code 3781.28, an excavator must notify the Ohio utility protection service, OHIO811, at least two working days, not counting the day of notice, and no more than 16 calendar days before digging. A homeowner digging on their own property is generally exempt unless working near a utility easement, right-of-way or known service line, but a hired contractor is not exempt and must make the call.
Ohio's housing stock leans old in its industrial cities, with large numbers of early twentieth-century doubles and frame houses in Cleveland, Toledo, Dayton and Cincinnati. Two-family houses fall squarely within the residential code and the Chapter 4722 contract rules, so a remodeler converting an up-and-down double back to a single-family home, or the reverse, should be working with the local building department from the first drawing.
What has changed recently, or is about to change, for renovation contractors in Ohio?
Last reviewed against the primary sources listed below. Dates are effective dates unless marked otherwise.
— In force: The 2024 Ohio Building Code, based on the 2021 IBC and IEBC, took effect with the 2024 Ohio Mechanical and Plumbing Codes.
— In force: Amendments to the Residential Code of Ohio moved residential electrical work to the 2023 National Electrical Code with Ohio amendments.
Where can I verify a license and check the source in Ohio?
Every figure and rule on this page can be checked against the primary source. These are the offices that publish them. Confirm current requirements directly before you rely on any of them:
Can I look up an Ohio remodeler's state license number?
There is no state remodeler license to look up. What you can check is local: Columbus issues Home Improvement General and Limited Contractor licenses, Cleveland registers contractors, and other cities and counties keep their own lists. For electrical, HVAC, plumbing, refrigeration and hydronics contractors working on commercial buildings, the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board license is the state credential to verify.
How much can an Ohio contractor take as a down payment on a remodel?
On a home construction contract of $25,000 or more, Revised Code 4722.04 limits the down payment to 10 percent of the price before work begins. The exception is special-order items that cannot be returned or reused, such as custom cabinetry, where up to 75 percent of that item's cost may be collected. Cost-plus contracts are outside the cap.
What happens if my Ohio remodel runs over budget?
For contracts covered by Chapter 4722, once reasonably unforeseen but necessary extra costs pass $5,000 in total, the contractor must give you a written or oral estimate, whichever you selected in the contract, before doing that extra work. You cannot be charged for excess costs you did not approve, unless the contract was a firm fixed price or cost-plus.
I signed a roofing contract at my kitchen table after a storm. Can I back out?
Usually yes. Ohio's Home Solicitation Sales Act gives you until midnight of the third business day after signing to cancel in writing, and the contractor should not start work during that time. The only exception is a genuine emergency you initiated, waived in a separate statement written in your own handwriting, not a form the salesperson brought.
Can a subcontractor put a lien on my Ohio house if my contractor fails to pay them?
Not if it is your owner-occupied one- or two-family home and you paid the original contractor in full before receiving a copy of a lien affidavit. Revised Code 1311.011 voids later subcontractor liens in that situation, absent fraud, and you can record an affidavit of full payment. Any valid residential lien must be recorded within 60 days of the claimant's last work.
Does my township require a building permit for a remodel?
It depends on whether a certified residential building department has jurisdiction where you live. In much of Ohio a city, county or township department enforces the Residential Code of Ohio, but where none does, the code says owners need not submit plans or request inspections. The code still applies, so a contractor should build to it either way.
Who can install a radon mitigation system in an Ohio basement?
Only a business holding an Ohio Department of Health radon mitigation contractor license, working under a licensed mitigation specialist. Your general contractor may hire that firm as a subcontractor, but should not install the system itself without the license. Testing must also be done by an ODH-licensed radon tester or mitigation specialist.
