Medina / permit types
The different types of permits in Medina
Medina separates building and system permits from grading, trees, right-of-way, construction activity, and land-use approvals. The city's consultant-supported review makes an early predevelopment meeting especially useful.
Guide updated September 11, 2026. Targets below retain their source-specific dates and definitions. Check the live city page for current workload.
On this page6 sections
Official starting point: Medina permit forms. Match the full scope to the current city requirements before submitting.
One project can need more than one permit
A building permit does not automatically replace every trade, site, tree, fire, utility, right-of-way, or land-use approval. List the whole scope first, then confirm which reviews are combined and which require separate records.
The main types of permits
Construction and structural changes.
Common examples: New houses, additions, remodels, reroofs, fences, and demolition.Medina permit forms ↗System permits required for covered equipment, piping, and fixtures.
Common examples: Furnaces, air conditioning, heat pumps, gas lines, water service, drains, and fixtures.Medina permit FAQ ↗Site changes and stormwater work.
Common examples: Excavation, fill, drainage systems, erosion control, and retaining work.Medina permit forms ↗Removal, pruning, retention, and replacement under Medina's tree rules.
Common examples: Administrative tree work, hazardous trees, and development-related tree plans.Medina permit forms ↗Work or activity affecting public areas and larger construction impacts.
Common examples: Driveways, utility work, traffic control, staging, and construction activity permits.Medina permit forms ↗Planning decisions separate from building-code approval.
Common examples: Variances, subdivisions, lot-line changes, shoreline permits, and conditional uses.Medina permit forms ↗How to choose the right combination
- Write the complete scope, including structural, system, site, tree, utility, access, and public-area work.
- Open the official source for every permit family that matches the scope.
- Check whether the primary permit includes that discipline or requires a related application.
- Confirm the permit set with city staff or the design team before paying for final drawings.
- Track related permit numbers together so a smaller approval does not hold up the project.
A local project example
An addition that changes the driveway and removes a tree
Ask about building, grading, tree activity, right-of-way and construction activity approvals together. A small increase in indoor floor area can still create a substantial site-review scope.
Medina's FAQ does not offer a typical turnaround. Ask what stage the application has reached, whether it is complete and what must happen before it can move again.
This is a scope-planning example, not a permit determination. Open the official application packets below and describe the entire project to Medina staff. Ask whether reviews can run together and which must finish first.
Build your permit responsibility sheet
Give each approval its own row. The useful output is a named person and a receipt, not a vague note that permits are being handled.
| Track this | What to write down |
|---|---|
| Application and authority | Exact permit type, city or outside agency, official portal and related permit numbers. |
| Owner and deliverable | Who prepares the drawings, who submits, who pays and who responds to corrections. |
| Dependency | What is needed before submission, before issuance and before the relevant work starts. |
| Evidence | Submission receipt, completeness confirmation, correction notice, issued plans and required inspections. |
| Next checkpoint | The unresolved item, responsible person, agreed response date and date to follow up. |
For example, “civil engineer to submit the revised drainage plan by Friday” is actionable. “Waiting on permits” is not. Agree who updates this sheet when the portal sends a notice to only one applicant.
What to ask before applying
Use this short request with a marked site plan and a scope summary:
We are planning [work] at [address and parcel]. The scope includes [structure, systems, trees, grading, utilities and street work]. Which applications are required? Which reviews are included in the main permit? Which separate approvals must finish before issuance? Please point us to the current submittal checklists and identify any outside agencies.
If a contractor says no permit is needed, ask which exemption applies to the specific work. A building-permit exemption does not by itself resolve zoning, tree, shoreline, utility or other requirements. Keep the written answer with the project documents.
Primary sources