Welcome to the City of Columbus Development & Building Services, our gateway to the Departments of Technical Code Enforcement, Planning, Engineering, and Utilities for anyone undertaking a construction project. Thank you for growing our community – we look forward to working with you.
Getting Started
Bartholomew County Department of Technical Code Enforcement
Begin with our office if your project is a new single-family home, a home addition, a new garage or barn, or the interior remodeling of any building (residential, commercial, or industrial). Our office provides building permits and inspections. Please also contact us with any property or building address questions.
For more information:
Phone: 812-379-1535
General Inquiries: codeenforcement@bartholomew.in.gov
Brian Thompson, Asst. Chief Code Enforcement Officer: bthompson@bartholomew.in.gov
Michelle Cox, Chief Code Enforcement Officer: mcox@bartholomew.in.gov
City of Columbus – Bartholomew County Planning Department
Begin with our office if your project is a new or expanding duplex, triplex, or apartment building or complex; a new or expanding commercial, industrial, or institutional facility; a new sign; or involves a new subdivision of land, zoning map change (rezoning), or an annexation to the City of Columbus. Our office serves as staff for the Plan Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals. We provide technical guidance, gather input from other local government departments, and process zoning and platting-related applications for the project types listed above.
Please also contact our office with general development or zoning inquiries or if you will be seeking a conditional use approval or a zoning variance.
If you are opening a new business, please note that no local business license or registration is required. However, please contact the Planning Department to verify that your intended business location is zoned appropriately and to discuss any permitting needed for your business signs.
For more information:
Phone: 812-376-2550
General Inquiries: planning@columbus.in.gov
Melissa Begley, Assistant Director / Development Review Manager: mbegley@columbus.in.gov
Jeff Bergman, Planning Director: jbergman@columbus.in.gov
City of Columbus Engineering Department
Contact our office with any questions about storm water infrastructure or management requirements, driveways and other street access, construction work to be done in a public street right-of-way, or street or storm sewer construction standards.
You can expect that the Planning Department will include us as needed for development or building projects submitted to them. However, a separate land disturbance and/or storm water permit, to be applied for with and issued by our office, may be needed. Please contact Lisa Christie, listed below, for additional storm water permitting information.
Our office is responsible for city infrastructure, most specifically streets, storm sewers, and drainage. We both review your projects and manage city-initiated improvements.
For more information:
Phone: 812-376-2540
General Inquiries (Aimee Morris): amorris@columbus.in.gov
Lisa Christie, Stormwater Coordinator: lchristie@columbus.in.gov
Amber Porter, Assistant City Engineer: aporter@columbus.in.gov
Andrew Beckort, City Engineer: abeckort@columbus.in.gov
Columbus City Utilities
Contact our office with any questions about drinking water and sanitary sewer utilities.
You can expect that the Planning Department will include us as needed for development or building projects submitted to them. However, separate approvals, to be applied for with and issued by our office may also be needed.
Our office is responsible for city infrastructure, most specifically the water and sewer utilities. We both review your projects and manage our own system improvements.
For more information:
Phone: 812-372-8861
Ashley Getz, Associate Director of Engineering: agetz@columbusutilities.org
Roger Kelso, Utilities Director: rkelso@columbusutilities.org
Other Resources
Project Incentives
If you are interested in seeking incentives from the City of Columbus for your project, such as tax abatement or support for low-income housing tax credits, please contact the City of Columbus Community Development Department, Phone: 812-376-2520.
For industrial projects, additional resources may be provided by the Greater Columbus Economic Development Corporation, Phone: 812-378-7300.
Fire Department Inspections & Inquiries
If you have questions about fire inspections or fire code compliance, please contact the City of Columbus Fire Department, Phone: 812-376-2568.
City of Columbus Code Enforcement
The City of Columbus Code Enforcement staff work separately from Bartholomew County and focus on city code violations within the Columbus city limits. If you have questions or concerns about inoperable vehicles, unsafe homes, or nuisance properties, please contact City of Columbus Code Enforcement, Phone: 812-376-2520.
