Zoning

The purpose of zoning in any community is protection of the public health, safety, comfort and general welfare of citizens. Zoning is intended to preserve and enrich the character of the area by allowing certain types of development in specific areas. The Painesville Township Zoning Resolution was enacted in 1954 in accordance with a comprehensive plan and state laws to provide this protection.

Generally, there are five types of zoning districts.

Commercial zones allow office buildings as well as many types of retail stores.

Manufacturing, assembly, large factories and warehouses are found in industrial districts.

Several residential classifications allow for single family houses, duplexes and condominiums and/or apartment complexes.

A Planned Unit Development allows, after approval of the Township Trustees, a combination of residential and other uses that blend into a complementary balance.

There are also special use districts such as recreational, community service and Manufactured Home Parks.

The essence of zoning is the regulation of how and for what purposes certain and specific properties are used. Height, setback, and buffering requirements are typically found in zoning codes to ensure that controls and conditions are in place to assure harmony within and between all zoning districts. Specific uses and use categories are defined in most zoning codes as either being permitted, conditionally permitted, or prohibited in specific zoning districts. The Painesville Township Zoning Resolution contains many of the typical and common elements found in zoning codes throughout Ohio, and yet retains its own unique identity as it has been crafted by the Painesville Township Zoning Commission, and subsequently approved by the Painesville Township Board of Trustees. Since our society and local community are somewhat fluid over time with new needs and dynamics emerging, the zoning code is amended accordingly. It is the responsibility of the Zoning Inspector to communicate and enforce the provisions of the Painesville Township Zoning Resolution and to issue or deny zoning permits based upon conformance to the zoning code. Ohio Revised Code allows appeals from determinations made by the Zoning Inspector. Those cases, usually classified as variance requests, and also requests for Conditional Use Permits are referred to the Board of Zoning Appeals.

Zoning Resolution

View the Zoning Resolution By Section

For all other inquiries, please contact us at:

55 Nye Road
Painesville Twp., OH 44077
(440) 352-1443

Permit Applications

Zoning Map

The Painesville Township Zoning Map you will view by clicking the link below was updated in may 2024

Firearms in the Township

Can I legally discharge firearms within Painesville Township?

Discharging Firearms on Private Property in Painesville Township, Ohio

In the State of Ohio, townships do not have the power to create their own laws and ordinances like cities and villages do. The laws available to township governments for regulation, zoning, and enforcement purposes on private property are those specifically provided by the Ohio Revised Code. The Ohio Revised Code does not make it illegal to discharge firearms on private property within Ohio’s townships.

It is legal to discharge firearms on private property in Painesville Township provided that the act of discharging the firearm is done in a safe and legal manner AND the person discharging the firearm is the landowner or someone to whom the landowner has given permission. In a similar manner, it is legal to hunt on private property in Painesville Township. Hunters are bound by the rules and regulations as set forth by the Ohio Division of Wildlife/Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Ohio Revised Code.

There are laws that prohibit certain persons from possessing a firearm, let alone discharging one. Some examples of persons prohibited from possessing a firearm include convicted felons, convicted domestic violence violators, and persons who are under the influence of alcohol. There are specific laws provided by the Ohio Revised Code for dealing with such prohibited persons.

So, what is a safe and legal manner? Let’s discuss safety first. A private property owner, prior to allowing any discharging of a firearm on his/her private property, needs to have a proper backstop for target practicing. A proper backstop, in short, is one made of soil or some other soft, porous material that is free of rocks or any other hard material that may increase chances of a ricochet bullet. The backstop must also be of sufficient height and width that will guarantee capture of all bullets fired at a target(s). “The woods” is not an acceptable backstop, while the woods may be dense with trees, bullets striking trees pose a ricochet hazard. The National Rifle Association has a book called the NRA Range Source Book that provides useful and in-depth information on the construction of shooting ranges.

Another safety aspect is that shooters are aware of neighboring or nearby houses and structures. A range should be located so that nobody is firing toward a house, vehicles, roadway, or other structure. ORC 2923.162 prohibits persons from discharging firearms upon, over, or within 100 yards of a cemetery. The same code prohibits persons from discharging firearms upon or over a public roadway, and also on the ground appurtenant to a schoolhouse, church, or inhabited dwelling, or the property of another. Thus the necessity for an appropriate backstop and that shooting activities are conducted in a safe and prudent manner and all shooting activities are contained to the rightful property.

REMEMBER! Once your bullet leaves the barrel of the firearm you are shooting, you still own that bullet wherever it goes. If someone else’s property is damaged or a person is injured as a result of being struck by your bullet, you may be subject to criminal charges.

In order to be safe while discharging firearms, a shooter needs to be able to see his/her intended target, the backstop, and beyond. For this reason, shooting activities should be restricted to daylight hours.

If there are concerns over the discharge of a firearm in the Township, we suggest you to contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Office so the deputies can appropriately investigate the matter.