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Pole barn services in Kent, OH

Farm buildings, horse barns, commercial buildings, garages, and equipment storage for Kent and Portage County.

Kent is about 6 miles northeast of our Tallmadge shop, roughly a 12-minute drive across the Summit-Portage county line. Much of the city is built up around downtown and Kent State University, so the pole buildings that fit inside city limits are mostly garages and workshops on residential lots, and shops, warehouses and equipment buildings on industrial land.

Kent's zoning sets the limits. Detached garages and other accessory buildings on residential lots are capped at 15 feet tall and must stay 10 feet from side and rear lot lines, farm buildings are permitted only in the O-R and R-1 districts, and keeping horses or other livestock takes at least two acres. Larger barns and riding arenas usually make more sense on acreage in the neighboring townships.

Inside the city, Kent's own state-certified Building Division reviews plans and issues building permits, and the Community Development Department issues the zoning permit. The Portage County Building Department covers the townships and villages around Kent. We confirm which offices apply to your parcel before we draw anything.

Kent weather and your building

Kent sits at the western end of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, on rolling ground that rises from the Cuyahoga River gorge downtown to about 1,200 feet on parts of the Kent State campus. The nearest long-term snow record, NOAA's Ravenna 2 S station a few miles east, shows a 1991-2020 normal of 45 inches of snow per season. Forecasters also draw Northeast Ohio's secondary snowbelt across the northern half of Portage County, so lake-effect bands can reach the area on a north wind. For a pole building in Kent, that means trusses and door headers sized to the snow load the city's Building Division enforces, footings set below its frost depth, and grading that turns hillside runoff away from the slab.

Permits and zoning in Kent

Kent is one of four Portage County cities that run their own building programs, so work inside city limits does not go through the Portage County Building Department, which serves the townships and villages. The city's Building Division at 930 Overholt Road is certified by the State of Ohio and reviews residential, commercial and industrial plans, with new construction routed at the same time to the city's Development Engineer and Development Planner. A zoning permit from the Community Development Department is required before any accessory structure, sheds included, is built. Projects that need the Planning Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals or Architectural Review Board take longer, and permit applications go through Kent's online Customer Self-Service Portal.

Our services in Kent

Agricultural Pole Barns in Kent

Farm buildings in Kent, OH: which city districts allow agriculture, the 2-acre livestock rule, river setbacks and nearby Portage County acreage.

Commercial Pole Buildings in Kent

Commercial pole buildings in Kent, OH: I and C district rules, Planning Commission review, the city's certified Building Division and site buffers.

Horse Barns & Riding Arenas in Kent

Horse barns in Kent, OH: the city's 2-acre livestock permit, 200-foot dwelling setback, and why most Portage County horse barns sit outside town.

The Main Street Bridge and dam on the Cuyahoga River in Kent, Ohio
Photo: JonRidinger via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

About Kent, OH

Kent is a city of about 28,000 people in west-central Portage County. It was settled in 1805 and known for many years as Franklin Mills, growing around water-powered mills on the Cuyahoga River, the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal and later railroad shops. In 1910 Kent was chosen as the site of what became Kent State University, now the city's largest employer, and the Davey Tree Expert Company is headquartered here. The Haymaker Farmers' Market runs downtown on Saturday mornings from May to October.

Nearby areas we also serve

  • Stow, OH
  • Ravenna, OH
  • Streetsboro, OH
  • Tallmadge, OH

Get a free quote on your building

Tell us the size, the site, and what you plan to keep in it. We'll follow up with questions and a detailed quote.

Request a free quote Call 234-555-3947