City of Lakewood: Coronavirus/COVID-19 Response Update

March 16, 2020

Update: 5:00 PM

Division of Housing & Building and Department of Planning public access, availability, and services

After careful consideration and to help ensure the safety of City of Lakewood residents and employees during the current state of emergency declared by Governor DeWine, the City of Lakewood’s Division of Housing & Building and the Department of Planning will be open by appointment only during this crisis.

The Division of Housing & Building and the Department of Planning are closed to public walk-ins. In-person meetings will be by appointment only.  Social distancing best practices will be instituted at in-person meetings. All Housing & Building and Planning staff are encouraged to work remotely as much as possible.

This policy will continue to be evaluated and developed over time. Please be prepared for updates as the City explores these options to serve the citizens of Lakewood. City personnel continue to keep the taxpayers front of mind while continuing to work and serve the Lakewood community remotely during this crisis.

To schedule an appointment with Planning, please call 216-529-6630 or email planning@lakewoodoh.net.

To schedule an appointment with Housing & Building, please call 216-529-6270.

Permit applications can be mailed, emailed or faxed to:

Division of Housing & Building
12650 Detroit Avenue
Lakewood, OH 44107
building.permits@lakewoodoh.net
Fax: 216-529-5930

Construction plans for review can be dropped-off with the correct plan review application in the drop box at City Hall located in the outer lobby at the main entrance.  Plans less than 25 MB can be emailed.  All forms can be found at: www.onelakewood.com/accordions/building-permit

Payment can be made by check (call to verify cost) or credit card over the phone.

The Building Department is also asking that any non-critical permit inspections be postponed until after April 3rd, at the earliest, due to the COVID-19 health crisis. The Building Department is investigating methods to complete “remote” inspections, especially those not involving life-safety.

The Building Department will not be conducting code compliance inspections for real estate transfers in accordance with LCO § 1306.53 and LCO § 1173.0l(f). As such, real estate agents will not be required to file a copy of the code compliance certificate with escrow agents in accordance with LCO §1306.54. Code compliance inspections of retail establishments for change of use [LCO 1173.0l(e)] will also not be conducted until further notice. This will not affect any safety-related or permit inspections.

Additionally, the Building Department is suspending all non-essential interior inspections until further notice including interior complaint inspections that do not have a life-safety component.  Scheduled property maintenance and safety inspections are canceled.  The Building Department will resume these inspections when the current COVID-19 state of emergency has passed.

Thank you for your patience and understanding during this unprecedented health emergency.

As a reminder, the City asks that residents take common-sense precautions such as:

• Wash your hands with soap and water every two hours, and always for at least 20 seconds each time
• Practice social distancing (stay at least six feet away from people whenever possible)
• Avoid contact with people who are sick.

The City has advised all employees that they should stay home if they are experiencing symptoms of respiratory illness, including temperature over 100.4 degrees. In addition, the City has ordered hand sanitizer, cleaning wipes, and disinfectant sprays for all departments to assist with keeping surface areas clean, especially those that are public-facing.

Please visit www.onelakewood.com/coronavirus and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for further updates and alerts. In the meantime, if you would like more information, you can find it at the following resources:

• Centers for Disease Control: cdc.gov
• Ohio Department of Health: ohio.gov
• Cuyahoga County Board of Health: ccbh.net/coronavirus

The City of Lakewood has established a phone number featuring a recording of daily updates. Call 216-227-3240 to hear the latest coronavirus/COVID-19 news from the City.  The Ohio Department of Health has also set up a call center to answer questions regarding the Coronavirus. The call center is open seven days a week, from 9am to 8pm and can be reached at 1-833-427-5634.