With support from the Columbus Foundation, Greater Ohio Policy Center is excited to announce the release of “Investigation of ADU Sewer Requirements in Columbus, OH.”
GOPC investigated sewer and water requirements for Columbus and peer cities nationally in hopes of identifying best practices to help reduce the cost of Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) construction in Columbus. GOPC explored requirements in Columbus, OH; Austin, TX; Ann Arbor, MI; Portland, OR; and Boston, MA.
We determined that the primary sewer configuration allowed for ADUs in peer cities is not permitted in Columbus and that the inability to use the alternative configuration is likely to increase sewer costs associated with ADUs here.
The reason this configuration is not permitted in Columbus is attributable to a specific piece of Columbus’ City Code and interpretation of Ohio’s Plumbing Code. Early evidence suggests the potential cost savings of the peer city sewer configuration could be significant and possibly be the difference between a financially feasible and infeasible ADU project.