History of the Office of the Champaign County Engineer

The state of Ohio was admitted into the union in 1803. In 1805 Champaign County was organized from parts of Greens and Franklin Counties. One of the original offices created by the first General Assembly was that of County Surveyor. In 1935 the title of the office was changed to "County Engineer." The County Engineer must be both a Registered Professional Engineer as well as a Registered Professional Surveyor. The County Engineer is charged with improving and maintaining the county system of highways and bridges. Additional tasks include assisting citizens with problems relating to certain drainage ditches as well as making and maintaining an accurate set of maps showing land boundaries, ownership, acreage or size, and parcel numbers to assist the County Auditor in keeping records for real estate taxation. The Champaign County Engineer has, in recent years, assumed the responsibility of reviewing plats for the Champaign County Planning Commission and assisting the planning commission in an advisory role.