Garage door rules & licensing in Ohio

Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB), Division of Industrial Compliance, Ohio Department of Commerce — official site

No state contractor licence covers garage door work. The OCILB issues licences only to Electrical, Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC), Plumbing, Hydronics and Refrigeration contractors, and 'regulates commercial contractors who perform the above five specialty trades.' The Board's page states: 'All local building and health departments regulate residential contractors. However, the State Licensing Law allows those building and health departments to require the State commercial license for their residential contractors.' ORC 4740.01 and 4740.02 confirm those same five licensed trades.

Residential Code of Ohio (OAC 4101:8-1-01) Section 105.1: 'Any owner or authorized agent who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, or change the occupancy of a residential building or structure, or portion thereof, or to erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any electrical, gas, mechanical, plumbing system, other residential building service equipment, or piping system the installation of which is regulated by this code, or to cause any such work to be done, shall first make application to the residential building official of a certified residential building department and obtain the required approval.' Section 101.2 applies the code to every one-, two- or three-family dwelling and appurtenances or accessory structures incidental to it.

Residential Code of Ohio (OAC 4101:8-3-01) Section 301.2.1 names garage doors explicitly: 'Where not otherwise specified, the wind loads listed in Table 301.2(2) adjusted for height and exposure using Table 301.2(3) shall be used to determine design load performance requirements for wall coverings, curtain walls, roof coverings, exterior windows, skylights, garage doors and exterior doors,' using the ultimate design wind speed in Table 301.2(1) as determined from Figure 301.2(5)A. Ohio has DELETED Section 301.2.1.2 'Protection of openings' and 301.2.1.2.1 (windborne debris / ASTM E1996), so the state residential code imposes no impact-rated opening protection. Section 309.4: 'Automatic garage door openers, if provided, shall be listed and labeled in accordance with UL 325.'