How Parma Handles Building Safety: A Practical Guide

Parma maintains 135 local ordinances across all categories, and 8 of those deal specifically with building safety. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Parma falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Electrical Permits

Parma requires a permit from the Chief Electrical Inspector before any electrical wiring, heating or power installation begins, and only a Building Commissioner-registered electrical contractor bonded for $25,000 may do the work under the 2014 National Electrical Code.

Key details: Permit required: Before any electrical wiring/heating/power work. Adopted code: 2014 National Electrical Code (NFPA 70). Contractor bond: $25,000, Law Director/Mayor approved. Registration expires: December 31 each year. Final inspection window: Within 48 hours of notification.

A violation of Chapter 1531 or Chapter 1533 is a first-degree misdemeanor, with each day of a continuing violation a separate offense under Sections 1531.99 and 1533.99. Breaking a sealed switch or introducing current before final inspection under Section 1531.18 carries its own posted tag warning of the offense and penalty. The Building Commissioner can also suspend or revoke a contractor's registration outright under Section 1531.12 rather than waiting on a court case.

Childcare Center Rules

Parma's Zoning Code treats child and adult day-care buildings as public facilities: in a Single-Family House District they need a conditional use permit under Section 1153.05, and every day-care building in the City must meet fixed lot-coverage, setback, parking and landscaping standards regardless of district.

Key details: Permit needed: Conditional use permit in Single-Family Districts. Max lot coverage: 25% of lot, Section 1153.05(c)(1). Min front setback: 50 feet, no parking allowed. Side/rear yard: 50 ft residential, 25 ft nonresidential line. Landscaping minimum: 30% of total lot area.

Operating or expanding a day-care building without a required conditional use permit, or in breach of the lot-coverage, setback or landscaping standards in Section 1153.05(c), is enforced as a Planning and Zoning Code violation under Section 1123.99(a): a misdemeanor of the first degree, with a separate offense deemed committed for each day the violation continues. Violators also pay all costs and expenses of the case, and the City can sue for an injunction to stop or remove noncompliant construction.

Door Locking Hardware

Parma requires every outside swing door into a dwelling to carry two mortised locks, a spring-loaded dead latch plus a separate, non-spring dead bolt, and rental unit entry doors must have a dead bolt with at least a one-inch throw that opens from inside without a key.

Key details: Required locks per swing door: 2 mortised devices. Second lock type: Non-spring dead bolt. Rental unit dead bolt throw: At least 1 inch. Glass-panel doors: Double-cylinder dead bolt required. Rental doors: Must open from inside without a key.

Installing or maintaining exterior dwelling doors without the required dual mortised locks, or renting a unit whose entry door lacks a one-inch-throw dead bolt openable from inside without a key, is a Building Code compliance failure under Section 1529.40 that the Building Commissioner can order corrected before occupancy or continued rental use is approved.

Elevator Maintenance

Ohio Department of Commerce regulates elevators under ORC Chapter 4105 and OAC 4101:5. Annual inspections required by state-licensed inspectors. Parma commercial and multi-family buildings must display current certificates.

Key details: State Law: ORC Chapter 4105. Inspection: Annual required. Certificate: Must be posted. Single-Family: Exempt annual. Agency: Ohio Dept of Commerce.

Operating an uninspected elevator is prohibited and can trigger immediate shutdown orders. Fines under ORC 4105.17 range from 100 to 1,000 dollars per day.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Parma actively enforces its elevator maintenance requirements.

Plumbing Permits

Parma requires a Building Commissioner permit before any house drainage, plumbing or water supply work, performed only by a plumber or sewer builder registered with the City and bonded for $25,000, under the Ohio Plumbing Code adopted by reference.

Key details: Permit issuer: Building Commissioner. Who may work: Registered, City-bonded plumber/sewer builder. Contractor bond: $25,000, Law Director/Mayor approved. Adopted code: Ohio Plumbing Code, OAC 4101:3-1 to 3-13. Registration expires: December 31 each year.

Violating any provision of Chapter 1561 is a first-degree misdemeanor under Section 1561.99, with a separate offense for each day the violation continues. The Building Commissioner can also suspend or revoke a plumbing or sewer contractor's registration directly under Section 1561.06 for faulty workmanship or departure from approved plans, independent of any criminal prosecution.

Building Permits

Parma requires a permit from the Building Commissioner before erecting, altering, repairing or removing any wall, building, structure, heating and ventilating apparatus, gas fitting, electrical work, house drainage or plumbing. Skipping the permit triggers escalating penalties: $100 for a first offense, $300 for a second, and $500 for a third, on top of the permit fee itself.

Key details: Enforcing office: Building Commissioner, Division of Buildings. First-offense penalty: $100 for unpermitted work. Repeat-offense penalty: $300 second, $500 third offense. Permit posting: Displayed through 5 days after final inspection. Permit validity: Void after 1 year or 3-month pause.

Starting work before the permit is issued costs $100 for a first offense, $300 for a second and $500 for a third under Section 1501.15(a), assessed on top of the permit fee, with all work halted until the fees are paid and the permit secured to the Building Commissioner's satisfaction. Owner-occupied one-family homes get a one-time waiver of the $100 late fee. A lapsed, unrenewed permit under Section 1501.19 draws the same escalating fines if work resumes without renewal.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Parma landlords must certify every year, as part of rental registration, that smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are present and working under Chapters 1302 and 1501. A false certification is grounds to suspend or revoke the rental certificate.

Key details: Certification frequency: Annually, with registration renewal. Who certifies: Owner or designated agent/custodian. Standard referenced: Chapter 1302 and Chapter 1501. False certification consequence: Grounds for suspension/revocation. Underlying rule: Section 1713.02(d)(1).

Falsely certifying that smoke or carbon monoxide detectors are present and operational is a misrepresentation of a material fact under Section 1713.025(a)(1) and (a)(6), letting the Building Commissioner suspend or revoke the rental registration certificate. Continuing to rent after such a revocation, or ignoring a resulting notice, exposes the owner to the administrative fine of up to $500.00 per day and further enforcement under Section 1713.025(b), on top of the first-degree misdemeanor penalty in Section 1713.99 for Code violations generally.

Building Inspections

Parma requires a final inspection and approved occupancy permit before any newly built, reconstructed, or added-to one-, two-, or three-family dwelling can be occupied, per Codified Ordinances Section 1501.10. The Building Commissioner may issue a partial or temporary occupancy permit while exterior grading or finish work remains outstanding, subject to a cash bond.

Key details: Governing chapter: Codified Ordinances Ch. 1501, Division of Buildings. Occupancy bar: No occupancy until final inspection approved. Partial occupancy bond: $500 or $10/front foot (1-2 family). Bond for other buildings: $1,000 or $20/front foot. Grading deadline: 15 calendar days after Commissioner's notice.

Occupying a dwelling, addition, or reconstructed structure before the Building Commissioner's final inspection and occupancy permit is a first-degree misdemeanor under Section 1501.99, with a separate offense charged for each day the violation continues. A contractor who violates the Building Code can also lose City registration for up to one year. Interfering with an inspector's right of entry under Section 1501.06 during a lawful inspection carries the same misdemeanor penalty.

The Bottom Line

Parma's building safety rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Parma is broadly strict or permissive.

Keep in mind that Parma can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.