Westerville follows the Ohio Residential Code occupancy standards (two persons per bedroom plus two additional). Codified Ordinances 1301.01 adopts the International Property Maintenance Code which sets minimum square footage per occupant.
Westerville has adopted the International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) by reference, which requires a minimum of 150 square feet for the first occupant and 100 square feet for each additional occupant in a dwelling unit. Sleeping rooms require 70 square feet for one occupant and 50 square feet per occupant for two or more. For STRs, this effectively caps occupancy at roughly 2 persons per bedroom plus 2 additional in common areas, consistent with Franklin County Public Health guidance. Hosts advertising occupancy above this threshold risk zoning and property maintenance violations. Ohio has no statutory STR occupancy cap, so IPMC is the binding standard.
Overcrowding: property maintenance code violation up to $150/day. Repeat overcrowding: escalated zoning enforcement and potential nuisance abatement.
Westerville, OH
Westerville prohibits street parking for more than 48 consecutive hours on public streets under Codified Ordinance 351.16. Overnight parking is generally all...
Westerville, OH
Westerville allows up to 4 hens on residential lots with a permit. No roosters. Coops must be setback at least 25 feet from neighboring structures. The city'...
Westerville, OH
Westerville adopts the Ohio Residential Code smoke alarm requirements. Smoke alarms required in every sleeping room, outside sleeping areas, and on every lev...
Westerville, OH
Westerville allows recreational fire pits under Ohio Fire Code 307.4. Fires must be under 3 feet in diameter, 2 feet high, and at least 25 feet from any stru...
Westerville, OH
Westerville requires property owners to maintain vegetation and remove dead brush under Codified Ordinance 521.08. No defensible-space wildfire rules apply a...
Westerville, OH
Backyard recreational fires permitted in Westerville under Ohio Fire Code 307.4: 3-foot diameter maximum, 25-foot setback from structures, clean wood only. M...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Franklin County.
See how other cities in Franklin County handle occupancy limits.
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