Warren County commissioners voted unanimously Nov. 4, 2025, to adopt a package of text amendments to the Warren County Rural Zoning Code that change public-notification procedures, add illustrations for lot frontage and panhandle lots, clarify counting of secondary dwelling units, and revise subdivision perimeter buffer and planting-season requirements.

The amendments, presented by Ray Draught of Warren County Building & Zoning, update the county’s public-notification methods to allow publication of hearings and notices on the county website and social media in lieu of newspaper advertising for text amendments; certified mailings to property owners within 500 feet for hearings remain required. Draught said doing so would reduce advertising costs and that the Ohio Revised Code does not require newspaper publication for these notices.

The package adds diagrams to the code that illustrate how frontage is measured at the terminus of dead-end streets and how stacked panhandle lots are defined. Staff said the dead-end frontage provision treats the terminus of a dead-end roadway as frontage when a lot line is within 50 feet of the paved surface; it applies to existing dead-end roads, not stub streets that would require an extension. The stacked panhandle prohibition remains in force, but the diagrams are intended to remove ambiguity during review.

Another amendment clarifies accessory-structure counting: a detached secondary dwelling unit will not count against the maximum number of detached accessory buildings allowed on parcels under the chart’s limits. Draught said that, for example, property owners could have a primary home and a detached secondary dwelling (for family members) without that secondary unit consuming an accessory-structure slot.

The revision to subdivision perimeter buffers sets timing requirements for installation tied to a planting season, as determined with guidance from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ohio State University Extension, and AmericanHort. For residential developments, required buffer and landscaping improvements must be installed at the start of the first succeeding planting season following final plan approval for 70% of lots in the development or phase; for nonresidential uses, installation is tied to issuance of certificates of occupancy. The amendments add species-diversity requirements (at least three species when fewer than 30 trees are required; four species when 30 or more trees are required) and allow planting-season contingencies when approvals occur in an off‑planting season.

After the public hearing concluded with no public speakers, a commissioner moved to adopt the resolution approving the text amendments. The board then voted by roll call: Mr. Grossman — yes; Mr. Young — yes; Mrs. Jones — yes. The motion carried.

The adopted amendments reflect prior review and recommendations from the planning and zoning staff, the prosecutor’s office, Turtle Creek Township, the RPC Executive Committee and the Warren County Rural Zoning Commission, and are intended to reduce ambiguity for applicants while tying landscaping installation to appropriate planting periods.

A copy of the adopted code language, effective date and any administrative implementation guidance will be available in the county’s official records.