What are Townships? In the State of Ohio, each township is a political subdivision entrusted with powers specifically delegated to them by the General Assembly or inferred by the Ohio Revised Code. The ORC grants specific kinds of authority to townships, some of which are required, some are permitted, and some prohibited.
Each township is governed by three elected trustees, serving four year terms. The board of trustees has legislative authority and many executive responsibilities. Also serving with the trustees, is a fourth elected official, the fiscal officer. This official serves a four year term, and his or her duties include recording of township proceedings and keeping records of
township financial accounts.
Most common services townships provide are road maintenance, cemetery management, solid waste disposal, and zoning enforcement. Ohio’s townships maintain approximately 41,000 miles of roadways and manage over 1,800 cemeteries.
The Harrison Township officials have a collective goal to work together to ensure that all decisions and actions comply
with laws and regulations governing townships. Further, your elected officials wish to provide high quality services, while being fiscally responsible, and continuing to promote Harrison Township as a desirable community. Thus, with a generous helping and understanding of our past, the vision to provide a stable future, and a beneficial and community mindedness,
Harrison Township is providing an attractive place for many to call home.
Road Department – The Ohio Revised Code has a classification system which divides all roads in the state, and establishes the entity responsible for maintaining them. Generally speaking, roads are maintained by municipalities, townships, counties, or the state. Further, the road department is charged with maintain, construct, improve, reconstruct, or resurface roadways.
We are proud of our road department and take great pride in the township’s 47+ miles of roadways. With this being a primary duty of the township, we are diligent in our maintenance of the streets. If fact, this has become a calling card of the township, as we feel that our roadways and the road department’s maintenance is second to none in central Ohio. Please feel free to contact our road department with any questions or concerns you may have.
Zoning Department – The zoning department is charged with establishing goals for land use development and future growth, issuance of zoning permits, and the enforcement of the adopted zoning resolution. Zoning provides a tool by which planning goals may be implemented and enforced, for the long term health of the community.
The zoning department has two boards under its auspices. The township Zoning Commission is a five member board, which meets to develop land use plans, zoning resolutions, and zoning maps. These are ultimately forwarded to the trustees for adoption, or review.
The other zoning board is the Board of Zoning Appeals. This board is a quasi-judicial entity, which is empowered to hear variance requests, conditional use permits, rule on appeals to the zoning inspector’s decisions, or for changes in non-conforming uses. This board is autonomous; and any decision rendered by the board must be appealed to the Licking County Court of Common Pleas.
Harrison Township Offices located at 6750 Outville Road, Pataskala, Ohio 43062. 740-927-8277
Zoning Office Hours: Monday-Friday: 9 am to 5 pm
Road Department Hours: Monday-Friday 7 am – 3:30 pm