Ohio

Buying Land in Delaware County, Ohio

Seat Delaware, directly north of Columbus. One of Ohio's fastest-growing counties for several years running, with subdivision development concentrated in townships like Berlin, Genoa, and Orange that each administer their own zoning -- while the county's own zoning resolution covers only three, more rural townships on the county's edges.

Zoning: the county's own resolution covers just three townships

Delaware County has adopted its own countywide rural zoning resolution under ORC Chapter 303 -- but, per the county's own posted zoning fee schedule, that resolution applies to only three of the county's eighteen townships: Marlboro, Radnor, and Thompson, all in the county's northwest. The remaining, generally more developed townships have each adopted their own independent zoning under ORC Chapter 519 and administer it themselves -- confirmed directly for Genoa, Berlin, and Orange Townships, each of which maintains its own posted zoning-district map and zoning commission.

The Delaware County Regional Planning Commission (DCRPC), established in 1961, sits above both tracks in an advisory rather than enforcement capacity: it's the statutory planning authority for the county under ORC 713.21(A) and the subdivision-platting authority for unincorporated areas under ORC 711.10, and every township zoning commission -- whether it's one of the three under the county's own resolution or one of the fifteen self-zoned townships -- is required to bring proposed zoning actions to DCRPC for a recommendation before acting. For a buyer, the practical upshot is that DCRPC is a useful first call for general subdivision-regulation and platting questions, but the actual zoning authority for any given parcel is either the county (Marlboro, Radnor, Thompson) or that specific township (everywhere else) -- confirm which one directly before relying on either.

One of Ohio's fastest-growing counties, and what that looks like on the ground

Delaware County has repeatedly ranked among Ohio's fastest-growing counties in recent years, with one widely-cited ranking putting growth at nearly 15% since 2020 and another placing its most recent annualized growth rate at roughly 2.43%, trailing only neighboring Union County statewide. Strong schools, new housing supply, and proximity to Columbus are the drivers most consistently cited, and Genoa, Berlin, and Orange Townships -- all in the county's southern half, closest to Columbus -- have absorbed a large share of that growth in new subdivision construction.

Berlin Farm West, in Berlin Township, is a specific, well-documented example: a single-family subdivision developed by M/I Homes on roughly 279 acres, approved by DCRPC in an initial form in March 2021 as a revised, reduced version of an earlier 482-lot proposal known as Longhill Farms, ultimately built out to roughly 434 lots. Later construction phases (including phases 3-6, 8, 10, and 12) continued through DCRPC review into 2025, and the development falls within the Olentangy Local School District. See our dedicated subdivision-development page for Delaware County for more on how this kind of project moves through DCRPC and township approval, and what it signals for land near similarly-situated parcels.

Septic, well, and other departments to know

For a new septic system, well, or private water system on unincorporated Delaware County land, the Delaware Public Health District handles permitting directly, regardless of whether the parcel falls under the county's own zoning or an individual township's. The district issues installation permits and annual operation permits for qualifying semi-public sewage treatment systems under a contract with Ohio EPA, in addition to standard private household septic and well permitting, and maintains current forms including septic installer and septage hauler registration.

The Delaware County Auditor and Recorder hold property records, parcel numbers, deeds, easements, and plats. Given how much of the county's growth is concentrated in a handful of self-zoned townships, a buyer evaluating land in or near Berlin, Genoa, Orange, or Liberty Townships in particular should check current zoning district, any pending rezoning cases, and planned road or utility extensions directly with that specific township before assuming an older plat or listing description still reflects what's on the ground.

What we could and couldn't confirm

The county-versus-township zoning split is confirmed via Delaware County's own posted zoning-code PDF and fee schedule (naming Marlboro, Radnor, and Thompson as the three townships under the county's own resolution) and via Genoa and Berlin Townships' own posted zoning-district maps; DCRPC's statutory role is drawn from its own site's description of its authority under ORC 713.21(A) and 711.10. This pass did not obtain a complete zoned-versus-unzoned list for all eighteen townships, only confirmation for the three under county zoning plus Genoa, Berlin, and Orange as self-zoned examples. Berlin Farm West's lot count, acreage, and approval timeline are drawn from Delaware Gazette reporting and DCRPC's own posted meeting agendas; the project's final built-out lot count and current completion status were not independently reconfirmed against a final recorded plat. Population growth figures (roughly 15% since 2020 versus 2.43% most-recent annualized growth) come from different sources measuring different time windows and are presented as reported rather than reconciled to one figure. Direct WebFetch to regionalplanning.co.delaware.oh.us and delawarehealth.org was blocked in this pass; all findings rely on WebSearch-indexed content.

Verify directly with: the Delaware County Regional Planning Commission for current zoning jurisdiction (county versus township) on a specific parcel; the relevant township zoning office for a self-zoned township; and the Delaware Public Health District for septic and well permitting

Who to Call Before Buying Land in Delaware County

Direct WebFetch access to regionalplanning.co.delaware.oh.us and delawarehealth.org was blocked in this research pass. Confirm current zoning jurisdiction (county versus a specific township) for any parcel directly, since fast-growing townships in particular may have pending rezoning activity not reflected here.

Planning & Zoning