Ohio was admitted to the Union in 1803. One of the original offices the General Assembly created was the County Surveyor, which laid the groundwork for the office we know as the County Engineer today.
In the early days, the office of the County Surveyor played a critical role in the development of our state. In 1835 all counties in Ohio began electing County Surveyors to keep a watchful eye over public land, clarifying land titles and boundaries as the state grew into what we see today. Some of the county surveyors were involved with the building Ohio's network of canals, and all were called upon to spend more and more time developing the state's integrated system of good roads.
By late in the 19th Century the county surveyor was almost totally involved with building and maintaining roads, bridges, and drainage ditches - but he still received no salary, being paid an average of $5.00 per day only on those days when actually employed. Legislation in 1915 established a salary and the responsibility of also being resident engineer for the State Highway Department.
The year 1928 saw the county engineer emerging as the public official you know today. In that year he was elected to a four year term which started on "the first Monday in January next after his election". Then on August 30, 1935, the title of the office was changed to "County Engineer".
Only persons who hold registration certificates of the State of Ohio as both "Registered Professional Engineers" and "Registered Professional Surveyor" may qualify for the office of County Engineer. The elected County Engineer "shall perform for the county all duties authorized or declared by law to be done by civil engineer or surveyor". Although specifically exempted from engineering responsibilities on public building, he is the engineer for all public improvements under the authority of the board of commissioners within and for the county.
Function of Today's County Engineer There are four distinct highway systems in Ohio: The Ohio Department of Transportation is responsible for the 19,000 mile State Highway System; The County is responsible for the streets (approximately 21,000 miles) and alleys within their boundaries.
The County Engineer works with the County Commissioners* and the Township Trustees to perform his various responsibilities in the following areas:
County Highways: All maintenance, repair, widening, resurfacing, reconstruction, and construction of pavements and bridges on the county highway system is the County Engineer's responsibility. This includes traffic control, safety, mowing, and snow removal.
Township Highways: The County Engineer is the engineering advisor to the Township Trustees for the maintenance, repair, widening, resurfacing, and reconstruction of their highways. The bridges on the Township Highway system are the full responsibility of the county.
Municipalities: The county is responsible for many bridges within municipalities, including some on the State Highway System.
The responsibility of the County Engineer for bridges as mentioned above includes the annual inspection and evaluation for the condition and load-carrying capacity of each bridge. The statutes require a uniform method of procedure and record keeping.
The County Engineer serves on the County and Regional Planning Commissions and is the engineer for each Board of Township Trustees in his county. He is the Tax Map Draftsman** for the County.
In the unincorporated areas the citizen of Ohio might find his County Engineer involved with the County airports, sidewalks, weed control along roads and ditches, and the establishment and maintenance of assessed ditches.
In many counties, the engineer has been appointed to serve as County Sanitary Engineer. He works with the County Commissioners* to supervise the construction of sewer and water lines in the unincorporated areas. The approval, regulation and operation of sanitary land fills and incinerators may also be his department's responsibility.
*In Summit County the County Commissioners’ functions are performed by the County Executive and County Council.
**In Summit County this function is performed by the Fiscal Officer.
Sources: Auglaize County Engineer website. http://www2.auglaizecounty.org/elected-officials/engineer/history Page Last Modified: December 19, 2008 and Medina County Engineer website, http://www.highwayengineer.co.medina.oh.us/engineering/history.html and the County Engineers Association of Ohio, http://www.ceao.org/