Sharonville sits at a spot most Cincinnati suburbs do not. It runs its own building department, it straddles two counties, and it handles a mix of older postwar homes and newer subdivisions that were built to very different standards. All of that lands on your project the moment you decide to add a deck.
The good news is that the city is clear about what it wants. The Department of Community Development publishes what needs a permit, what to submit, and how fees work. There is no guesswork about whether a deck qualifies. It does.
This guide covers who handles permits in Sharonville, what the city asks for, how the fee timing works, when a project needs to go before the Board of Zoning Appeals, and what to sort out before you break ground.
The Department of Community Development
Permits, zoning, and planning all run through one department at the municipal building on Reading Road. That is a genuine convenience. In some neighboring jurisdictions the building side and the zoning side are separate conversations, which is where homeowners lose weeks.
| At a glance | City of Sharonville, Department of Community Development |
| Address | 10900 Reading Road, Sharonville, Ohio 45241 |
| Phone | (513) 563-1144 |
| Office hours | Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
| What they handle | Building permits, zoning permits, site plan review, zoning enforcement, planning |
| Website | sharonville.org building and zoning |
Location, Directions and Access
The municipal building sits on Reading Road in the Sharonville city center. Reading Road is U.S. 42, which runs southwest through Evendale toward Reading and northeast toward Mason, so it is a road most people in the northern suburbs already know.
Address: 10900 Reading Road, Sharonville, Ohio 45241. Phone: (513) 563-1144. Community Development is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
From Interstate 75
Take the Sharon Road exit and head east. Sharon Road runs east into the Sharonville city center, where it meets Reading Road. Turn right onto Reading Road and the municipal building is on the left.
From Sharon Woods
Leave the park onto Lebanon Road and follow it southwest into Sharonville. Lebanon Road is the northeastern leg of U.S. 42, and it becomes Reading Road at the city center. The municipal building is on Reading Road.
If you are coming from the north side of the beltway, Interstate 275 also meets U.S. 42 directly, and following it south brings you into Sharonville on the same road.
- Before you go. Bring the completed application and both sets of plans. A trip with one set is a wasted trip.
- Timing. The office closes at 5:00 p.m. on weekdays and is closed weekends. Plan a submission visit with time to ask questions rather than arriving at the end of the day.
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What Needs a Permit in Sharonville
Decks and porches are named directly on the city’s list of projects requiring a building permit, a zoning permit, or both. So are several things homeowners often bundle into the same project.
- Decks and porches
- Retaining walls
- Fences
- Above ground and in ground swimming pools
- Sheds and other accessory structures
- Driveways, which also need a curb cut permit from Public Works
- Electrical work, including outdoor circuits
That last group matters more than people expect. A deck with lighting, a hot tub, or an outdoor outlet is no longer a single trade project. Bundle those into the conversation early rather than discovering a second permit halfway through.
Sharonville also requires site plan review for deck additions. That is a zoning function rather than a structural one, and it is where setbacks, lot coverage, and the position of the deck relative to your property lines get checked.
The Permit Path, Step by Step
The application asks for two complete sets of construction plans or drawings, clear enough to show how the deck will actually be built. Two sets, not one. That trips up homeowners who bring a single sketch and have to come back.
Drawings do not need to be professionally drafted for a straightforward residential deck, but they do need to show the real thing you intend to build: dimensions, framing, footings, stair and rail details. If the reviewer cannot tell how it goes together, it comes back.
What It Costs and When You Find Out
Here is the part worth planning around. Sharonville assesses permit fees after your plans are approved, not when you submit them. The fee is then due when the permit is ready to pick up.
That sequence is reasonable, since the fee depends on what the plans actually show. But it means the number is not final on day one. Budget the permit as a range until review is complete.
- Payment methods. Cash, check, or credit card. Card payments carry a 3.5 percent administrative fee, so a check keeps a little more of your budget in the project.
- The state surcharge. Ohio adds a small percentage on top of local building permit fees, which the city collects and accounts for separately.
- The fee schedule. Published by the department and updated by ordinance. Pull the current version rather than working from a number someone quoted you last season.
For the mechanically minded, the surcharge is set out in the city’s codified ordinances under the state building permit surcharge provision, which directs it into a dedicated Board of Building Standards fund.
When a Project Needs a Variance
Most decks clear zoning without incident. Some do not, and the usual culprit is a setback. If your plan puts the deck closer to a property line than the code allows, you have two options: modify the plan to comply, or ask for a variance.
Variances in Sharonville go to the Board of Zoning Appeals, a seven member board of city residents that meets monthly and typically decides four to six applications each time. Variance requests are by far the most common thing the board sees.
The standard for a yard or area variance is practical difficulty. That is a real test, not a formality. You are asked to show that strict application of the code creates a genuine problem for your property, not simply that you would prefer a larger deck.
The board also hears appeals if you disagree with a code official’s interpretation. Both paths add time, so if your plan is close to a setback line, find out before you order material.
Planning a Deck or Patio in Sharonville
The practical sequence for a Sharonville homeowner runs in this order: confirm your setbacks, get drawings that show the real build, submit two sets, wait on review, then budget the fee when it lands. Everything else follows from those five moves.
What surprises people most is how much the answer changes over a short drive. Sharonville borders several jurisdictions, each running its own department with its own forms, timing, and fee structure. If your project sits near a boundary, or if you are comparing notes with a neighbor a few streets away, you may be looking at two different processes.
Just north, how the neighboring city handles permit review differs in both submission and timing. Directly south, the approval steps just south of here run through a separate village office entirely.
Further down Reading Road, what the process looks like in Reading is another municipal setup again. And for homeowners on the northern side of the corridor, township level review north of the corridor works differently from any of the incorporated cities, because townships administer building and zoning under a different structure.
Platinum Deck and Patio works across these jurisdictions regularly, which is mostly a matter of knowing which office to call first and what each one wants to see. That is unglamorous knowledge, and it is the difference between a permit that clears in one pass and one that comes back twice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit for a deck in Sharonville?
Yes. Decks and porches are listed directly among the projects requiring a building permit, a zoning permit, or both. Contact the Department of Community Development before you plan around any assumption otherwise.
Where do I submit a deck permit application?
The Department of Community Development at 10900 Reading Road, Sharonville, Ohio 45241, weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The application goes in with two sets of construction plans.
How much does a deck permit cost in Sharonville?
It depends on the project, and the amount is not set until your plans are approved. Fees are assessed after review and paid when you collect the permit. Ask the department for the current fee schedule while you are planning.
Can I pay the permit fee with a card?
Yes, though card payments carry a 3.5 percent administrative fee. Cash and check do not.
What if my deck is too close to the property line?
You can redraw the plan to meet the setback, or apply to the Board of Zoning Appeals for a variance. The board meets monthly and applies a practical difficulty standard, so allow extra time if this applies to you.
Does a patio need a permit too?
It depends on what the patio includes. A ground level surface is treated differently from a raised deck, but retaining walls, pools and electrical work all appear on the city’s permit list. Describe the full project when you call rather than just the paving.
The Bottom Line
Sharonville is a straightforward city to build in, provided you take the review seriously. One department handles the whole thing, decks are unambiguously on the permit list, and the requirements are published rather than hidden. The only genuine planning wrinkle is that the fee arrives after approval instead of before.
The practical next step is a phone call before you draw anything. Ask the Department of Community Development what your setbacks are for your specific lot, because that single answer determines whether the deck you are picturing is the deck you can build.
Then draw it properly, bring two sets, and expect the review to be real. A permit that clears the first time is worth far more than the week you would save by cutting corners on the drawings.