Paulding

Village · Paulding County · 3,493 residents · 1% municipal income tax

Paulding County

Local events in Paulding

Nothing is posted for Paulding itself yet; here is what is on within 20 miles. All local events in Paulding

  1. Patchwork Quilting

    All day · Sherwood Branch Library · Sherwood · 10 mi · From Defiance Public Library

  2. Fall Chess Tournament

    All day · Johnson Memorial Library · Hicksville · 15 mi · From Defiance Public Library

Know a calendar we should watch? Send the link

Checked October 20; the events page is refreshed daily.

History from Paulding

People and inventions tied to this place, each with its sources. All people · All inventions

How Paulding began

Paulding was platted in 1848 by speculators at the geographic center of the county, betting correctly that the county seat would eventually follow them there; it took the county's own name, and in 1851 the seat did move, from Charloe, ending a decade-long rivalry among three would-be county towns. The village grew from 454 people in 1880 to 1,879 by 1890 as the 1886 courthouse and other civic buildings went up, and has held roughly 2,000 to 3,500 residents ever since. Today it is still the county seat and the largest municipality in Paulding County, home to the Paulding County Courthouse and the Paulding County Carnegie Library, the first Carnegie library built to serve an entire county rather than a single city, and it supplies water to much of the surrounding county from a reservoir it built on Flat Rock Creek.

Platted 1848, by land speculators anticipating the county seat's relocation.

Where the name comes from

Named for Paulding County itself, which in turn was named for John Paulding, one of the three New York militiamen who captured British Major John Andre in 1780.

Before the town

No Native American village, mound, or treaty site specific to the ground the village of Paulding now occupies is documented in the sources checked. The village sits within the county's Paulding Township, outside the former Oquanoxa Reserve on the Auglaize River (in present Brown Township, to the east), where Chief Charloe Peter's Ottawa band remained until forced removal in 1842.

Nations recorded here: Odawa (Ottawa).

Timeline

  1. — Speculators plat the village of Paulding at the county's geographic center, anticipating the county seat will move there.
  2. — The Paulding County seat transfers from Charloe to the new village of Paulding.
  3. — Marking the national centennial, county commissioners decide to replace the original courthouse, touring other Ohio and Michigan courthouses before choosing a design to copy from Adrian, Michigan.
  4. — The new Paulding County Courthouse is completed on the town square at a cost of $40,000, built of orange brick.
  5. — The Paulding County Carnegie Library opens, built with Carnegie Foundation support as the first Carnegie library in the country to serve an entire county rather than a single city.
  6. — The village places a 250,000-gallon water tower into service on Grant Street.
  7. — The village builds the Paulding County Reservoir on Flat Rock Creek, reaching depths up to 20 feet and holding more than 614 million gallons, to supply its water system.
  8. — Paulding's original water treatment plant is constructed.
  9. — The Paulding County Courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  10. — The Paulding County Carnegie Library is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  11. — A second 250,000-gallon water tower is built on Emerald Road.
  12. — In June, a new water treatment plant using microfiltration (three trains of 66 cartridge filters) and two reverse-osmosis trains comes online, replacing the 1966 plant.
  13. — The Paulding Downtown Historic District, centered on the courthouse and bounded roughly by Harrison, Water, Caroline, and Cherry Streets, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Stories

A Town Built to Win the Courthouse

Paulding village exists because a handful of speculators made a calculated bet in 1848. The county government was then seated at Charloe, a village platted just eight years earlier on the former Oquanoxa Reserve, but Charloe sat well off-center, in the county's northeast corner along the Auglaize River -- an awkward location for a county still filling in with settlers as the Great Black Swamp was cleared. The men who platted the new village chose ground at the geographic center of the county instead, gave it the county's own name, and waited. It took only three years: in 1851 the legislature moved the seat to Paulding, and Charloe's brief run as a county town was over. The gamble paid off again a generation later, when the national centennial of 1876 prompted county commissioners to replace the original courthouse; after touring courthouses in neighboring states, they settled on a design copied from Adrian, Michigan, and by 1886 an orange-brick courthouse stood on Paulding's town square, cementing the village's position for good. It remains the county seat today, and the courthouse and the surrounding downtown -- listed on the National Register as a historic district in 2024 -- still anchor the village speculators built specifically to take the government away from somewhere else.

Photographs

The Paulding County Carnegie Library, opened 1912, the first Carnegie library built to serve an entire county.
The Paulding County Carnegie Library, opened 1912, the first Carnegie library built to serve an entire county. (2010)
Photo: Nyttend, public domain · Wikimedia Commons
The Paulding County Courthouse, completed 1886 on the town square.
The Paulding County Courthouse, completed 1886 on the town square. (2006)
Photo: Vbdrummer0, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Local history sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · villageofpaulding.com · ia801900.us.archive.org · commons.wikimedia.org · commons.wikimedia.org

Historic places

2 places in Paulding on the National Register of Historic Places. Press a pin or a name for its whole record.

  1. Paulding County Carnegie LibraryBuilding · Paulding · listed 1983
    Address
    205 S. Main St.
    Where
    Paulding, Paulding County · ZIP 45879
    What it is
    Building
    Listed on the National Register
    1983
    NRIS reference number
    83002021
    Coordinates
    41.13616, -84.57900
  2. Paulding County CourthouseBuilding · Paulding · listed 1974
    Address
    Courthouse Sq.
    Where
    Paulding, Paulding County · ZIP 45879
    What it is
    Building
    Listed on the National Register
    1974
    NRIS reference number
    74001589
    Coordinates
    41.13772, -84.58014

Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places point file. The listing year is shown where NPS's certification date agrees with the listing's reference number. Listing recognizes significance; it does not restrict a private owner.

Every historic place in Paulding County on the full map

Water

Paulding Reservoir, fed by Flat Rock Creek The water here

Hospitals, fire stations and more

Inside Paulding's boundary: 1 hospital, 1 fire or EMS station, 1 high-hazard dam, 3 public schools, 1 library, 2 police stations, 4 Toxics Release Inventory facilities and 8 spill cases. Press a pin or a name for its whole record and its source.

Hospitals (1)

  1. Paulding County HospitalCritical access hospital · Paulding
    What it is
    Critical access hospital
    Address
    1035 West Wayne St, Paulding, OH 45879
    County
    Paulding County
    Beds
    25
    Helipad
    Yes
    Ownership
    Government - local
    Medicare overall rating
    not rated
    Emergency department (Medicare)
    Yes
    Phone
    (419) 399-4080
    Medicare ID
    361300

Source: HIFLD hospitals inventory via FEMA (closed hospitals it still lists left out, hospitals opened since added), with Medicare Care Compare ratings matched by name and address.

Fire and EMS stations (1)

  1. Paulding Fire DepartmentPaulding
    Address
    311 West Wall Street, Paulding, OH 45879
    Coordinates
    41.14185, -84.58365

Source: USGS National Map structures (most Ohio records last updated 2019 to 2022), checked against the Columbus and Cleveland station lists. The department that answers a call is set by jurisdiction and mutual aid, not by distance.

High-hazard dams (1)

  1. Paulding Upground ReservoirOffstream · condition: fair
    Hazard class
    High: a failure would probably cost a life
    Condition
    Fair (assessed 08/24/2023)
    River or stream
    Offstream
    Purpose
    Water Supply
    Type
    Earth
    Height
    24 ft
    Storage
    1,408 acre-feet
    Completed
    1966
    Owner type
    Local Government
    County
    Paulding County
    Nearest town (NID)
    Latty
    Last inspection
    05/11/2022
    Emergency action plan
    No
    NID ID
    OH00476

Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Inventory of Dams, August 2026. "High hazard" rates what a failure would cost downstream, not how likely one is; the condition is the state's assessment.

Public schools (3)

  1. Paulding Elementary School3 of 5 stars · Paulding
    Address
    405 N Water St, Paulding, OH 45879
    School district
    Paulding Ex Vill School District
    Kind (NCES)
    Regular School
    Students, 2023-24
    435
    Teachers (full-time equivalent)
    28
    Report card, 2025-26
    3 of 5 stars
    Performance index
    77.1%
    Ohio building IRN
    064071
    NCES school ID
    390455702285
  2. Paulding High School3.5 of 5 stars · Paulding
    Address
    405 N Water St, Paulding, OH 45879
    School district
    Paulding Ex Vill School District
    Kind (NCES)
    Regular School
    Students, 2023-24
    343
    Teachers (full-time equivalent)
    19.35
    Report card, 2025-26
    3.5 of 5 stars
    Performance index
    76.3%
    Four-year graduation rate
    99%
    Ohio building IRN
    029454
    NCES school ID
    390455702284
  3. Paulding Middle School3.5 of 5 stars · Paulding
    Address
    405 N Water St, Paulding, OH 45879
    School district
    Paulding Ex Vill School District
    Kind (NCES)
    Regular School
    Students, 2023-24
    266
    Teachers (full-time equivalent)
    18.75
    Report card, 2025-26
    3.5 of 5 stars
    Performance index
    74.5%
    Ohio building IRN
    029447
    NCES school ID
    390455702286

Source: NCES EDGE public school locations 2024-25 and Common Core of Data 2023-24 (type, students, teachers); Ohio School Report Cards 2025-26 (Department of Education and Workforce), matched by name within the district.

Public libraries (1)

  1. Paulding County Carnegie LibraryCentral library · Paulding
    Address
    205 S. Main St., Paulding, OH 45879
    What it is
    Central library
    Library system
    Paulding County Carnegie Library
    Open
    2,704 hours a year, 52 weeks
    Building
    9,960 sq ft
    System's visits, FY2024
    57,252
    System's loans, FY2024
    230,430
    People the system serves
    18,806
    Phone
    (419) 399-2032

Source: IMLS Public Libraries Survey FY2024 (outlets and their systems). Any Ohio resident can get a free card at any Ohio public library.

Police stations (2)

  1. Paulding County Sheriff's OfficePaulding
    Address
    500 East Perry Street, Paulding, OH 45879
    Coordinates
    41.13694, -84.57690
  2. Paulding Police DepartmentPaulding
    Address
    116 South Main Street, Paulding, OH 45879
    Coordinates
    41.13672, -84.58005

Source: USGS National Map structures, police stations, corrected and completed by hand (September 2026). The department that answers a call is set by jurisdiction, not by distance.

Facilities reporting toxic releases (4)

  1. Alex Products IncToxics Release Inventory · Paulding
    Address
    810 W Gasser Rd, Paulding, OH 45879
    County
    Paulding County
    Status
    Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (active)
    EPA program ID
    45879LXPRD81WGA
    EPA registry ID
    110046371760
  2. Atlas Alchem Plastics IncToxics Release Inventory · Paulding
    Address
    925 W. Gasser Rd., Paulding, OH 45879
    County
    Paulding County
    Status
    Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (active)
    EPA program ID
    45879SPRTC925WG
    EPA registry ID
    110000395901
  3. Herbert E. Orr CompanyToxics Release Inventory · Paulding
    Address
    335 W. Wall St., Paulding, OH 45879
    County
    Paulding County
    Status
    Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (active)
    EPA program ID
    45879HRBRT335WW
    EPA registry ID
    110000395894
  4. Lh Thompson Steel LlcToxics Release Inventory · Paulding
    Address
    815 W. Gasser Rd., Paulding, OH 45879
    County
    Paulding County
    Status
    Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (active)
    EPA program ID
    45879THMPSRT2CO
    EPA registry ID
    110000395910

Source: EPA Facility Registry Service, Toxics Release Inventory reporters. Reporting a release is required of large users of listed chemicals; it is not by itself a violation.

Spills reported since 2021 (8)

  1. Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2024-08-07 · Paulding Twp
    Reported
    2024-08-07
    What spilled
    Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road); Other / All Other / Trade Name / Mixture / Solution Etc
    Where
    Paulding Twp, Paulding County
    Ohio EPA district office
    NWDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2408EPA0001363
  2. Manure Dairy Reached water2023-09-01 · Paulding
    Reported
    2023-09-01
    What spilled
    Manure Dairy
    Reached a waterway
    Blue Creek
    Where
    Paulding, Paulding County
    Ohio EPA district office
    NWDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2309EPA0001551
  3. Fish Kill2023-06-26 · Paulding
    Reported
    2023-06-26
    What spilled
    Fish Kill
    Where
    Paulding, Paulding County
    Ohio EPA district office
    NWDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2306EPA0001046
  4. Storm Water2023-02-23 · Paulding
    Reported
    2023-02-23
    What spilled
    Storm Water
    Where
    Paulding, Paulding County
    Ohio EPA district office
    NWDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2302EPA0000278
  5. Sewage Human Reached water2023-02-09 · Paulding
    Reported
    2023-02-09
    What spilled
    Sewage Human
    Reached a waterway
    63 - Opossum Run
    Where
    Paulding, Paulding County
    Ohio EPA district office
    NWDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2302EPA0000198
  6. Material Unknown Reached water2021-09-13 · Paulding
    Reported
    2021-09-13
    What spilled
    Material Unknown; Fish Kill
    Reached a waterway
    63 - Little Flatrock Creek
    Where
    Paulding, Paulding County
    Ohio EPA district office
    NWDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2109EPA0001441
  7. Manure Dairy Reached water2021-08-27 · Paulding
    Reported
    2021-08-27
    What spilled
    Manure Dairy
    Reached a waterway
    99 - Unnamed
    Where
    Paulding, Paulding County
    Ohio EPA district office
    NWDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2108EPA0001346
  8. Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2026-07-29 · Paulding
    Reported
    2026-07-29
    What spilled
    Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
    Largest amount reported
    40 gallons
    Where
    Paulding, Paulding County
    Ohio EPA district office
    NWDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2607EPA0001389

Source: Ohio EPA emergency response spill reports, 2021 to September 2026, one point per case where Ohio EPA placed it. A report is what the caller or responder recorded; amounts are often blank or estimated.

Its ZIP codes

Each ZIP code that touches Paulding, with the share of its residents who live here and the same headline figures as the ZIP page.

Local government

Who holds office in Paulding, how its elections and ballot issues came out, and the state auditor's record.

Money issues on the ballot since 2019: 12 of 13 passed; of those asking for new or higher taxes, 5 of 6.

Ballot issues

DateIssueForAgainstResult
2024-11-05 10: 10. Proposed Tax Levy (Replacement) - Village of Paulding 582825Failed (41.36% for)
2024-11-05 11: 11. Proposed (Ordinance/Resolution) Electric Aggregation (By Petition) - Village of Paulding 583777Failed (42.87% for)
2024-11-05 12: 12. Proposed Tax Levy (Renewal) - Village of Paulding 1,009408Passed (71.21% for)
2024-11-05 13: 13. Proposed Tax Levy (Renewal) - Village of Paulding 1,003424Passed (70.29% for)
2024-11-05 14: 14. Proposed Tax Levy (Replacement) - Village of Paulding 795629Passed (55.83% for)
2024-11-05 15: 15. Local Liquor Option - Village of Paulding 1: 13-1 367208Passed (63.83% for)
2023-11-07 Issue 15: Proposed Tax Levy (Replacement) - Paulding Village 513388Passed (56.94% for)
2021-11-02 6: 6 Proposed Tax Levy - Paulding Village, replacement, police, 2.6 mills, CPT, commencing 2021 (2.6 mills, replacement) 289122Passed (70.32% for)
2021-11-02 7: 7 Proposed Tax Levy - Paulding Village, replacement, police, 2.9 mills, CPT, commencing 2021 (2.9 mills, replacement) 292117Passed (71.39% for)
2021-11-02 8: 8 Proposed Tax Levy - Paulding Village, replacement, police, 2.9 mills, CPT, commencing 2021 (2.9 mills, replacement) 284123Passed (69.78% for)
2020-11-03 8: 8 Proposed Tax Levy (Renewal, 0.4 mill, 5 yrs, 2020-2024, EMS) Paulding Village (0.4 mills, renewal) 1,117430Passed (72.2% for)
2020-03-17 Issue: Proposed Municipal Income Tax PAULDING VILLAGE 338242Passed (58.28% for)
2019-11-05 Issue: Paulding Vill,Fire,renewal,lmill,5 years,19-23 498142Passed (77.81% for)
2019-11-05 Issue: Paulding Vill,Recreation, renewal,lmill, 5 years,19-23 414212Passed (66.13% for)
2019-11-05 Issue: Paulding Village,CE renewal,2 mills,5 years,19-23 (2.0 mills, renewal) 402222Passed (64.42% for)

Elections for office

DateOfficeCandidates and votes
2023-11-07 Member of Council Lois E. Beamer 578, 47.49%; Dan Workman 639, 52.51%
2023-11-07 Mayor Greg A. White 750, 100.0%
2021-11-02 Member of Council Tim Boss 273, 31.74%; David M. Burtch 272, 31.63%; Randy Daeger 254, 29.53%; Write-In: Barbara M. Rife 54, 6.28%; Write-In: Uncertifed Name 7, 0.81%
2019-11-05 Member of Council Lois E. Beamer 400, 48.31%; Dan Workman 428, 51.69%
2019-11-05 Mayor Jim Guelde 207, 33.01%; Greg A. White 420, 66.99%
2015-11-03 Mayor Jim Guelde 504, 49.51%; Greg Reinhart 514, 50.49%
2015-11-03 Council Tom Diaz 355, 18.81%; Ryan Mapes 608, 32.22%; Roger Sierer 393, 20.83%; Dan Workman 531, 28.14%

Winners in bold. Results from the county board of elections' official canvass unless marked.

Auditor of State record

Rain and snow

How much has actually fallen on Paulding, day by day, from 1893 to now. Daily totals, not averages.

rain, last 30 days
0.71 in
2026-09-30 to 2026-10-29
rain so far in 2026
30.2 in
1.6 in below normal for the date
snow so far in 2026
9.6 in
a normal year brings 24.1 in
a normal year
37.0 in
average of 30 years, 1991-2020
The last twelve months
MonthRain (in)Snow (in)Days counted
October 2026 0.71 — 29
September 2026 3.80 — 30
August 2026 4.50 — 31
July 2026 2.94 — 31
June 2026 2.26 — 30
May 2026 3.33 — 31
April 2026 7.12 — 30
March 2026 3.20 1.0 31
February 2026 0.61 0.6 28
January 2026 1.73 8.0 31
December 2025 1.56 4.8 31
November 2025 1.44 4.5 30
On the record, 1893–2026
Wettest year2011 — 50.2 in
Driest year1988 — 24.7 in
Snowiest year2014 — 59.7 in
Wettest day on record14 September 1972 — 6.39 in
Heaviest snowfall in a day20 December 1973 — 10.98 in
Deepest snow on the ground6 February 1982 — 20.36 in

85% of these days are measurements from a gauge inside Paulding; the rest are estimated from the nearest gauges around it.

47,207 days of records, 1893-01-01 to 2026-10-29. Source: NOAA NCEI GHCN-Daily, 3,240 gauges in and around Ohio. A day is "gauged" when a gauge standing inside the boundary reported it, and the value is the mean of those gauges. Otherwise it is interpolated by inverse distance from every gauge reporting within 50 miles. Nothing is carried forward, back-filled or smoothed. Against NOAA nClimDiv county monthly precipitation over 136,848 complete county-months (checked 2026-10-31): correlation 0.9515, median absolute difference 0.217 in a month. Built 2026-10-31 from the Cracked Buckeye precipitation archive. Snow is the softer number — snowfall is measured by hand with a ruler, no agency publishes a gridded county snowfall series, and blowing snow defeats every observer.

Environmental permits and filings

What Ohio EPA has on file for Paulding: permits, inspections, violations, cleanups and the state loans behind sewer and water work. Every line links to the agency's own document.

facilities and sites on file
20
those placed on the map inside Paulding
What kind of permits
ProgramFacilities and sites
Hazardous waste5
State sewer loans5
Wastewater and stormwater discharge4
Air pollution2
Brownfield1
Composting1
Contaminated-site cleanup1
Voluntary cleanup1
The latest filings
DateFacility or siteWhat
PAULDING WTP * Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
HAVILAND - PAULDING 69 KV LINE REBUILD Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
SPARTECH LLC Air pollution report
VILLAGE OF PAULDING Composting inspection
PAULDING COUNTY LIBRARY COMMUNITY CENTER Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
VILLAGE OF PAULDING Composting inspection
PAULDING PUTNAM ELECTRIC COOP Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
VILLAGE OF PAULDING Composting inspection
VILLAGE OF PAULDING Composting inspection
VILLAGE OF PAULDING Composting report
PAULDING WTP * Wastewater and stormwater discharge inspection
WINKLE BLDG, PAULDING Brownfield assessment
GRIZZLY MFG, PAULDING Voluntary cleanup technical help
VILLAGE OF PAULDING Composting inspection
GRIZZLY MFG, PAULDING Voluntary cleanup technical help
WINKLE BLDG, PAULDING Brownfield assessment
WINKLE BLDG, PAULDING Brownfield assessment
WINKLE BLDG, PAULDING Brownfield assessment
WINKLE BLDG, PAULDING Brownfield assessment
WINKLE BLDG, PAULDING Brownfield assessment
VILLAGE OF PAULDING Composting inspection
WINKLE BLDG, PAULDING Brownfield assessment
VILLAGE OF PAULDING Composting report
WINKLE BLDG, PAULDING Brownfield assessment
WINKLE BLDG, PAULDING Brownfield assessment

Source: Ohio EPA eDocument portal (edocpub.epa.ohio.gov), indexed 2026-10-14. Facilities are placed on the map from Ohio EPA's own map layers, EPA's Facility Registry, coordinates written in the filings, or a geocoded street address. A permit filed under a private person's name (most are household septic systems) is counted but never named, placed or linked; licenses for individual workers and open-burning notices are left out entirely.

Quick answers

What county is Paulding, Ohio in?

Paulding is a village in Paulding County, Ohio, with 3,493 residents.

When was Paulding, Ohio founded?

Paulding was laid out 1848. Founders on record: land speculators anticipating the county seat's relocation. Source

How did Paulding, Ohio get its name?

Named for Paulding County itself, which in turn was named for John Paulding, one of the three New York militiamen who captured British Major John Andre in 1780. Source

What ZIP code is Paulding, Ohio?

Most of Paulding is in ZIP code 45879.

Where does Paulding, Ohio get its water?

The main water source for Paulding (Paulding Village): Paulding Reservoir, fed by Flat Rock Creek.

Cite this page

Cite this page as:

Cracked Buckeye, "Paulding, Paulding County", https://crackedbuckeye.com/place/paulding/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].

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