Business Licensing & Operations in Columbus, OH (2026)
5 verified business licensing & operations rules for Columbus, Ohio, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Columbus confines adult entertainment establishments and adult stores to M-Manufacturing districts and makes them keep 250 feet from schools, parks, day cares, churches, and residential zones.
Columbus Adult Entertainment Zoning Spacing
Significant RestrictionsColumbus City Codes § 3363.19
An Adult entertainment establishment, or an Adult store must be: 1. Located 250 feet or more from a child day care center, hospital, park, playground, public library, public recreation facility, religious facility, school, residentially zoned district; 2. Located 250 feet or more from each other; and 3. Located, designed and situated to ensure that it does not cause or create a circumstance of ...
Massage Establishments
Columbus requires massage and bath establishments to register with the License Section, pay a $150 fee, and renew every year before opening.
Columbus Massage Establishment License
Some RestrictionsColumbus City Codes § 540.02
No person shall engage in, conduct or carry on, or permit to be engaged in, conducted or carried on, in or upon any premises in the city of Columbus, the operation of a massage or bath establishment as herein defined without first being properly registered with the city of Columbus in accordance with this chapter.(B)No person shall engage in the business of or be employed as a registered masseu...
Tobacco Retail License
Vape shops and any retailer selling tobacco products in Columbus must hold a valid license from the Columbus Board of Health before selling: unlicensed sales draw a civil penalty under the city's tobacco distribution law.
Columbus Vape & Tobacco Retail Licensing
Some RestrictionsColumbus City Codes § 715.03(A)
No person shall give, sell, or otherwise distribute Tobacco Products in the City of Columbus without a valid license issued by the Columbus Board of Health.(B)Whoever violates this section is to be assessed a civil penalty pursuant to Section 715.99. (Ord. No. 3253-2022, § 1, 12-12-2022)
Secondhand Dealers
Columbus requires secondhand dealers to post a sign, log every purchase in a numbered record book, and file daily reports with police under City Codes Chapter 541.
Columbus Secondhand Dealer Rules
Some RestrictionsColumbus City Codes § 541.01
(a)The term "secondhand dealer" means a person operating a store, shop, or other business outlet for the purpose of purchasing, selling, exchanging, or receiving secondhand articles of any kind on a continuing basis.(b)The term "secondhand articles" means any item which has previously been used or worn by another; something which is not new.(c)A person who is operating as a secondhand dealer in...
Towing Companies
Columbus makes it a crime to tow a vehicle off private property unless the removal conforms with the legal requirements for private-property towing, with penalties that escalate on repeat offenses.
Columbus Unauthorized Towing Law
Significant RestrictionsColumbus City Codes § 2151.105
(a) No person shall remove or cause to be removed any vehicle from private property unless in conformance with respect to removing, or causing to be removed, motor vehicles from private property. (b) Except as otherwise provided in this division, whoever violates this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor. If, within one (1) year of the offense, the offender previously has been convicted of ...
Looking for Franklin County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Columbus city rules.
Business Licensing & Operations in Franklin County →