Ohio

Buying Land in Clark County, Ohio

Seat Springfield, in west-central Ohio. Clark County zones seven of its ten townships directly, while three townships and its two cities (Springfield and New Carlisle) each zone themselves -- and in 2025 the county used that authority to effectively wall off data centers from its zoned territory, at least until someone successfully rezones a parcel to allow one.

County Zoning Covers Seven of Ten Townships

Case-by-case / verify locally

Clark County zoning applies in Bethel, Green, Harmony, Mad River, Madison, Moorefield, and Pleasant Townships. German, Pike, and Springfield Townships each administer their own separate zoning, as do the cities of Springfield and New Carlisle. Confirm which system covers your parcel.

Data Centers Face a Real Zoning Barrier as of 2025

Case-by-case / verify locally

The county restricted data centers to Industrial-2 (I-2) zoning districts, and no I-2 parcels currently exist in the county's jurisdiction -- meaning a full rezoning process is required before any site can qualify. See our dedicated zoning page for Clark County for details.

One Combined Health District Covers the Whole County

Generally favorable

The Clark County Combined Health District -- formed by a 1996 merger with the Springfield City Health Department, with New Carlisle joining by contract in 2005 -- now handles septic and well permitting countywide.

Zoning: seven townships under the county, three (plus two cities) on their own

Clark County has adopted county rural zoning under ORC Chapter 303, and it covers seven of the county's ten townships: Bethel, Green, Harmony, Mad River, Madison, Moorefield, and Pleasant. The remaining three -- German Township, Pike Township, and Springfield Township (an unincorporated township distinct from the City of Springfield itself) -- have each adopted their own separate zoning under ORC Chapter 519 and administer it independently. On top of that, the cities of Springfield and New Carlisle each maintain their own municipal zoning inside their corporate limits, entirely separate from either the county's or the self-zoned townships' rules.

That's a genuinely three-way split by Ohio standards -- county zoning, self-zoned townships, and city zoning all operating within one county -- so the first question for any Clark County parcel is simply which of those systems actually applies. A parcel's township name alone (especially "Springfield Township" versus the City of Springfield) can be misleading if you're not careful to confirm current zoning jurisdiction directly with the county's Planning and Zoning staff or the specific township.

Data centers: a new zoning classification with zero qualifying parcels

In July 2025, Clark County commissioners held a public hearing and voted to amend the county's zoning text to specifically define and regulate data centers, classifying any data center under an Industrial-2 (I-2) zoning designation -- a stricter classification than the ordinary industrial districts most other uses fall under. The amendment became effective 30 days after approval, per Springfield News-Sun's coverage.

The practical effect is unusually direct: as of the vote, there were zero parcels zoned I-2 anywhere within the county's zoning jurisdiction (the seven county-zoned townships), so a company wanting to build a data center there would first need to secure a rezoning -- a multi-step process running through the Planning Commission, the Rural Zoning Commission, and at least two additional public hearings, rather than simply applying for a building permit in an already-qualifying district. See our dedicated zoning page for Clark County for what this means if you're evaluating land for (or near) a potential data-center use, or simply want to understand how actively the county has been using its zoning authority recently.

Septic and other departments to know

For a household sewage treatment system (septic) or a new well on Clark County land, the Clark County Combined Health District (529 E. Home Road, Springfield; 937-390-5600) is the sole permitting authority for the entire county today -- a status that came about when the Springfield City Health Department merged with the county health district in 1996, and the separately-chartered City of New Carlisle Health District (established 1973) joined the combined district by contract in 2005. That means a buyer doesn't need to track down a separate city health department here, unlike some other Ohio counties with a city the size of Springfield.

The Clark County Auditor and Recorder (both at the A.B. Graham Building, 31 N. Limestone St., Springfield; 937-521-1860 and 937-521-1905 respectively) hold property records, deeds, and easements, and the Auditor's GIS system provides downloadable zoning maps -- a useful starting point given how many different zoning jurisdictions exist within the county.

What we could and couldn't confirm

Clark County's county-versus-township zoning jurisdiction (seven county-zoned townships; German, Pike, and Springfield Township self-zoned) is drawn from the county's own posted zoning-jurisdiction page. The July 2025 data-center I-2 zoning amendment, its 30-day effective date, and the finding of zero existing I-2 parcels are corroborated across Springfield News-Sun, WDTN, and Citizen Portal reporting on the commissioners' public hearing. The Combined Health District's 1996 merger and New Carlisle's 2005 contractual joining are drawn from the district's own posted history page. Direct WebFetch to clarkcountyohio.gov and ccchd.com was not attempted, so exact current fee schedules and the zoning amendment's final adopted text should be confirmed directly.

Verify directly with: Clark County Planning & Zoning for current zoning-jurisdiction boundaries and the data-center (I-2) zoning amendment's exact adopted terms, and the Clark County Combined Health District for septic and well permitting

Who to Call Before Buying Land in Clark County

Direct WebFetch access to clarkcountyohio.gov and ccchd.com was not attempted in this research pass, so several details reflect search-indexed content rather than a full verbatim read -- confirm current staff, hours, fees, and the data-center zoning amendment's exact adopted language directly before relying on this page for a specific parcel.

Planning & Zoning