The short answer by city
Point of sale rules in Northeast Ohio are set city by city, and most of the four-county area has none. The table below combines Infinity Title Agency’s 2025 point of sale lists with what we could confirm on the cities’ own websites in October 2026.
| Community | City point of sale inspection | Notes | Checked on the city’s site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twinsburg | Yes, exterior only | Title list: $50, condos exempt | Yes: exterior inspection, 5-7 business days |
| Macedonia | Yes, exterior only | Title list: $75 | No: the city’s site blocked our request |
| Northfield Village | Yes, exterior only | Title list: $100, plus a $50 occupancy permit | Yes: exterior only, buyers apply for occupancy |
| Cuyahoga Falls | No | Seller must disclose that an optional stormwater dye test is available | Title list only |
| Stow | No | A meth-house disclosure may be required if there’s an active case | Title list only |
| Barberton | No | Rental permits are required | Title list only |
| North Canton | Only for 8+ unit properties | Listed under Stark County | Title list only |
| Akron | None found | Not on the Summit list | No program found on the city’s site |
The Summit list shows no city point of sale requirement in Clinton, Fairlawn, Green, Hudson, Lakemore, Mogadore, Munroe Falls, New Franklin, Norton, Peninsula or Tallmadge. The other-counties list shows none at the county level for Portage, Medina or Wayne.
These lists are prepared by a title company and carry its own disclaimer that regulations change. Rules change, fees change, and new ordinances pass. Call the city’s building department before you list, and again before closing.
Twinsburg: exterior inspection under the property maintenance code
Twinsburg’s program inspects the exterior of all residential and commercial properties at sale. The city’s page says the standard is Chapter 3 of the International Property Maintenance Code, sections 302 through 304, which cover exterior property areas, swimming pools and spas, and the exterior structure.
What sellers should know:
- Apply through the city’s GovWell online portal; an account needs only an email address.
- Allow 5 to 7 business days for any inspection or re-inspection.
- Schedule early. The city says violations can be “corrected or assumed prior to closing.”
“Assumed” means the buyer agrees in writing to make the repairs after closing. Buyers who take on violations usually ask for a lower price or an escrow.
Northfield Village and Macedonia
Northfield Village’s Building Department confirms an exterior-only point of sale inspection, applied for by the owner or real estate agent through MyGov, and notes that no one needs to be home. It also says every buyer must apply for occupancy under the village ordinance. The fees on the 2025 title list are $100 for the inspection and $50 for the occupancy permit; the village’s page does not list amounts.
For Macedonia, the 2025 title list shows an exterior-only inspection at $75. We could not open Macedonia’s own page to confirm it, so call the city’s building department at the number on its website before you rely on it.
Septic and well evaluations at sale
Health department rules can apply even where a city has no point of sale program. They depend on the house’s water and sewer, not the city:
- Summit County: every home with a sewage treatment system or private water system must be evaluated by a registered contractor before transfer. Summit County Public Health reviews the report within 3 business days and issues a certificate. The results do not stop the transfer.
- Stark County: the 2025 title list says a septic inspection is required at sale. The Stark County Health Department’s sewage page posts a property transfer guidance document, a waiver form and a list of property transfer service providers.
- Nearby counties on the list: Carroll, Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull require septic inspections at sale, and Columbiana and Mahoning add a well inspection where there is a well.
Fees, exemptions and how to prepare for the Summit evaluation are in our guide to septic and well inspections when selling in Summit County.
How a point of sale fits the timeline
Treat the inspection as a closing item, not an afterthought. A workable order:
- Call the city as soon as you decide to sell and ask what applies.
- Apply for the inspection before or right after you sign a purchase agreement.
- Get the report, then decide whether to repair or have the buyer assume the items.
- Give the buyer and title company the report and any certificate.
Cities with a program generally want the issue settled before or at closing, so a late inspection can delay a closing date.
Questions to ask the building department
One phone call usually settles it. Ask the city where the house sits:
- Does the city require a point of sale inspection, and is it exterior only or interior too?
- What is the current fee, and who usually pays it, buyer or seller?
- How far ahead do I need to schedule, and how long is the report good for?
- Can the buyer assume the violations, and does the city want an escrow if they do?
- Is a certificate of occupancy or occupancy permit needed for the buyer?
- Are there separate rules for rentals, condos or vacant houses?
Write down the answers, the date and the name of the person you spoke with. If the answer differs from the table on this page, the city’s answer controls.
Related rules that aren’t inspections
Some cities attach other paperwork to a sale or a rental: Cuyahoga Falls’s dye test disclosure, Stow’s meth disclosure, Barberton’s rental permits, and Akron’s annual rental registration, explained in our Akron rental registration guide. Unpermitted work and open permits can surface during a point of sale review too; see selling a house with open permits. For the seller’s decision when an inspection turns up a long list, read selling a house that failed inspection.
