Home · Eastern Ohio and the Ohio Valley
Architect for eastern Ohio and the Ohio Valley
James Kehl Architects draws pole barns, garages, site plans, additions and houses for owners in eastern Ohio, from East Liverpool and Salem down the Ohio River to Steubenville and St. Clairsville, and inland to Carrollton, Cadiz and New Philadelphia. Much of the region has no county residential building department, so the zoning office and a clear set of drawings carry more of the load.
- Columbiana
- Jefferson
- Carroll
- Harrison
- Belmont
- Monroe
- Tuscarawas
- Guernsey
Which counties and towns do you cover?
Columbiana, Jefferson, Carroll, Harrison, Belmont, Monroe, Tuscarawas and Guernsey counties, including East Liverpool, Wellsville, Lisbon, Salem, Columbiana, East Palestine, Steubenville, Toronto, Carrollton, Cadiz, St. Clairsville, Martins Ferry, Woodsfield, New Philadelphia, Dover and Cambridge.
How are permits handled here?
It varies more here than in most of Ohio. Several cities run their own offices: inside East Liverpool, the city's Planning and Zoning Department issues zoning and building permits by appointment, and the city also has a Design Review Board; and the City of Columbiana runs its own residential building and zoning process. Some cities share a contracted building department; in 2025 Salem, Columbiana and Leetonia were using Elevate Building Solutions for parts of their permitting. In the townships, zoning comes from the township where it has adopted zoning, and residential building permits depend on whether a certified department covers the area. Check your address on the state's building department map, and call the township trustees about zoning.
What kind of work comes up in eastern Ohio?
Mostly buildings on land: pole barns for hay, equipment and livestock, detached garages and shops, and houses on rural parcels where the well, the septic system and the slope set the plan. In the river towns there are older brick and frame houses, many built when East Liverpool was the center of American pottery making, that owners are renovating and adding to.
What should I know about building here?
- Hills. Much of the region is steep. A barn or house site often needs grading, and the site plan should show the slope, the drainage and the drive.
- Agriculture. On farmland, a barn used for farming is exempt from the building code but not from zoning. See Ohio's agricultural building exemption, explained.
- Floodplains. Along the Ohio River and its creeks, check the flood maps before you choose a building site. Floodplain rules apply even to exempt farm buildings.
- No inspection does not mean no standard. Where no one reviews residential plans, a set drawn to the Residential Code of Ohio protects you with your lender, your insurer and the next buyer.
How do we work together?
Remotely first. You send the parcel, a survey or the county parcel map, and photos, and James draws from them, with a site visit when the site or building needs one. See pole barn drawings, zoning and site plans, permit drawings for additions and new custom homes.