Equipment storage around Lorain splits into two groups. Out in the townships, grain farms and plant growers need room for planters, sprayers, tractors, loaders and delivery trucks, and the county's row-crop acreage keeps that equipment large. Closer to the lake, contractors, haulers and industrial suppliers need secure bays for trucks, trailers and machines that should not sit outside all winter.
Either way, the building is mostly door and open floor. We plan the clear span and sidewall height around the largest machine you own or expect to buy, then frame the openings for the wind the site actually gets. The Lorain shoreline faces open water to the north, and northerly wind is also what carries lake-effect snow into the county. A wide sliding or overhead door on a north wall needs heavier framing than the same door facing south, and a door that faces the prevailing drift needs room to clear snow in front of it.
What to know before building in Lorain
Farm equipment or business equipment
A machine shed that serves your own farm can qualify for Ohio's agricultural exemption. Store equipment for a custom-hire, hauling or excavating business in it as well and it becomes mixed use, and the non-farm part falls under the building code. Decide which it is before design, because it changes whether plans go through permit review.
Door placement and drifting
Northerly winds bring the county's lake-effect snow, and drifts pile up on the downwind side of a building and in front of doors on that side. Where the site allows, we put the main doors on a side that stays clearer and keep a paved apron long enough to plow, so a storm does not lock your equipment inside.
Getting equipment in from the road
Long trailers and wide implements need a wide approach, a ditch crossing with a proper culvert, and room to turn in front of the doors. Where the drive meets a county road, the County Engineer sets the culvert requirements. We lay out the approach, apron and doors as one plan so a lowboy can pull in without backing across the road.
Plan review for commercial fleets
A contractor's storage building is commercial, and there is no county-level building office to review it. In the city, the Building Division reviews it. In a township, plans go to a certified department that covers the area or, if none does, to the state under ORC 3791.04. We confirm the path first so the review timeline is in the schedule.
Common equipment storage facilities projects around Lorain
- Machine shed with an end-wall door sized for a planter or grain cart
- Covered storage for nursery trucks, loaders and potting equipment
- Contractor truck and trailer storage with a small parts room
- Heated bay for servicing equipment through the winter
- Cold storage for seasonal equipment such as mowers and snowplows
Equipment Storage Facilities FAQs for Lorain
Is an equipment building on my farm exempt from permits?
If it serves the agricultural use of your land, it can be. A machine shed that serves a working farm can fall outside the state building code as an agricultural building, and the township zoning inspector is the official who can certify that status in writing. If the building also stores equipment for an off-farm business, it is mixed use and the non-farm part needs code review.
How wide should the doors on a machine shed be?
Wide enough for your largest implement in transport position plus room to steer, and tall enough for the highest cab, mast or folded boom. Measure what you own and think about what you may buy in the next ten years, since door openings are expensive to enlarge later. We then size headers and framing for the opening and the site's wind.
Do I need a driveway permit for a new equipment building?
If the new drive or field entrance connects to a county road, yes. The County Engineer's application has a box for field driveways, sets the culvert requirements, and asks the owner to stake the proposed location. Drives onto city streets or other roads are handled by whoever maintains that road, so we check that before laying out the site.
About our equipment storage facilities
Clear-span storage buildings for trucks, tractors and heavy equipment, with doors and sidewalls sized to the machines you park inside.
Sizes, materials and options