Property management in German Village

Yes. Every exterior alteration in the German Village Historic District requires a Certificate of Appropriateness from the German Village Commission, issued under Columbus City Code chapters 3116 and 3119. That covers windows, doors, roofing, siding, porches, fences, and anything else visible from the public right of way. Applications are submitted through the Columbus Citizens Access Portal and are due roughly a month before the meeting at which you want to be heard, so budget a review cycle into the schedule before you promise a resident a repair date.

A Dutch Double is a German Village cottage expanded into two units, and it is the most common small rental configuration in the neighborhood. It matters because it changes three things at once: the building is two income streams rather than one, the stairs and the shared entry are the parts that wear, and the lot almost never has off-street parking for two households. That last point does more to shape the applicant pool than anything about the interior.

No. German Village is a Columbus neighborhood in Franklin County, zip code 43206, immediately south of downtown. Columbus ordinances apply in full: the rental registry, source of income protections, Columbus water and sewer, and Columbus Division of Refuse Collection. Evictions go to Franklin County Municipal Court like every other Franklin County address.

Not for private property. In December 2025 Columbus City Council amended the code so the City itself, its officials, agents and contractors do not need a Certificate of Appropriateness when doing construction, reconstruction, demolition or alteration in a right of way. That carve-out covers city work on public streets and sidewalks. Review of exterior alterations on privately owned buildings, which is what affects an owner, was not changed.

Mid-nineteenth-century brick cottages and Dutch Doubles on small lots on a rectangular street grid, plus a smaller number of larger brick houses and a few converted commercial buildings. The district was listed on the National Register in 1974, expanded in 1980, and holds more than 1,860 structures across 233 acres. Expect brick, slate or replaced slate, tall narrow window openings, plaster over lath, and basements that were not built for modern mechanicals.

Franklin County Municipal Court, at 375 S. High St. Ohio Revised Code 1901.02 gives that court jurisdiction throughout Franklin County. An Ohio eviction is a forcible entry and detainer action under Revised Code Chapter 1923, filed in two causes: one for possession of the property and one for the money judgment.

The City of Columbus Department of Public Utilities bills water, sewer and stormwater. The resident can be put on the bill through the city Tenant Billing Agreement, but Columbus City Code 1105.045 is titled "Unpaid charges a lien. Owner liable." and section 1147.16 does the same for sewer. The owner stays liable and unpaid charges attach to the property. Electric is AEP Ohio, gas is Columbia Gas of Ohio, and both go in the resident name.

A flat $117 to $184 per unit per month depending on the plan, with a $0 leasing fee and no startup fee on an occupied unit. Pricing does not vary by Columbus neighborhood, and there is no historic-district surcharge. What historic status changes is the timeline on exterior work, not the management fee.