Seneca County Engineer

 

Seasonal Information

  • Summer Office Hours (April-September): M-Th 6:00am - 4:30pm
  • Winter Office Hours: M-F 7:00am - 3:30pm
  • Mailbox Replacement Policy
  • Mailbox Protection Recommendations

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    Welcome

    Welcome to the Seneca County Engineer's website. The Office of the Seneca County Engineer is dedicated to the prudent use of taxpayer monies for the maintenance and repair of our County Highway System. We have a "fix it first" approach to maintaining our extensive infrastructure network. This network includes:

    • 406 County maintained bridges
    • 390+ miles of County Highways
    • 1400+ culverts
    • Thousands of signs
    • Hundreds of miles of roadside tile and ditches

    Bridges and roads are evaluated annually and are prioritized according to a five year master plan that involves local, federal and state funding.

     

    How we are Funded

    The County Engineer’s Department is funded through State Gas Tax and State License Fees.  We receive no revenue from the County General Fund, property taxes or sales tax.   Grant Funding comes from a variety of sources, including; Ohio Public Works Commission, Federal Highway Administration, Ohio Department of Transportation.  We are always looking for new and stable revenue sources. Seneca County has applied for and received over 20 million dollars of Federal and State grants for infrastructure maintenance over the past several years all in the interest of public safety.  We are dedicated to securing as much of these funds as possible to improve the lives of Seneca County residents.

     

    History of the County Engineer

    Ohio was admitted to the Union in 1803.  One of the original offices created by the First General Assembly was that of County Surveyor, from which the County Engineer’s office has evolved.

    As early as 1785, Ohio had been the laboratory in which the Public Lands Rectangular Survey System was developed.  Well into the 1800’s the clarification of land titles and boundaries were the major function of the County Surveyor.  After 1820, Ohio became increasingly caught up with “internal improvements”. Some County Surveyor’s were involved with building Ohio’s network of canals; virtually all were called upon to spend more time developing the State’s integrated system of good roads.

    By late in the 19th century the County Surveyor was involved with constructing/maintaining roads, bridges and drainage ditches.

    In 1935, the Ohio Legislature updated the County Surveyor  to “County Engineer”.  Only persons who are registered in Ohio as both Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors are qualified to hold this elected office.