Franklin County, OH Ordinances (2026)

Ohio has NO solar access law unlike California or Florida. HOAs in Franklin County may restrict or prohibit solar panels through covenants. Ohio ORC §5301.055 (2024 pending) proposed…

In unincorporated Franklin County, fences between the street and a house are capped at 3.5 feet, while fences elsewhere on a residential lot can rise to 6 feet under Section 501.012.

Franklin County requires a zoning certificate before erecting any fence in unincorporated areas under Section 501.016; repairs that keep the same materials, height and location don't…

Barbed wire fencing is banned outright in every residential zone in unincorporated Franklin County, and allowed in commercial and industrial districts only up to three strands at 6…

Ohio has no Good Neighbor Fence statute for residential property. Under ORC 971 the partition-fence law applies only to agricultural lands. Each residential property owner in Franklin…

In unincorporated Franklin County townships, a home swimming pool is only a permitted use if it is secured against uncontrolled access under the Ohio Building Code, current edition.

In the county's Rural District, home day care for seven to eleven children is a conditional use requiring Board of Zoning Appeals approval, adequate lot size and dedicated outdoor play…

Franklin County zoning caps home occupation signage at one sign, three square feet, in unincorporated areas. Wall-mounted signs may use reflected light; detached signs cannot be…

Franklin County caps in-home tutoring at three pupils at a time and requires home occupation traffic and deliveries to match what a home without a business would generate.

Ohio Cottage Food Law under ORC 3715.024 allows Franklin County residents to produce and sell non-potentially hazardous foods from home kitchens with no license or inspection, up to…

Franklin County allows home occupations in a dwelling by right only if confined to 20% of the home's floor area, with no more than one non-resident employee and no outside signs or…

Rural District homeowners can add an 816-square-foot accessory apartment inside the main house or attached garage, with Board of Zoning Appeals design approval and extra lot size and…

Franklin County zoning caps residential lots at two accessory buildings and sets size, setback, and height by lot size, from 720 sq ft on sub-acre lots up to 4,320 sq ft on 5+ acres.

Franklin County zoning requires dumpsters in qualifying districts to sit beside or behind the building, on a screened concrete pad, and stay under eight feet tall.

Franklin County zoning bars flashing or bare-bulb billboard lighting, limits message-center copy changes to seven-second intervals, and caps any rotating sign element at eight…

Unincorporated Franklin County allows hand-tacked garage sale signs on private residential property up to four times a year, each capped at six square feet and removed within 14 days.

Franklin County zoning caps backyard honeybee colonies by lot size, two on a quarter acre or less, up to six on more than half an acre, and requires flyway fencing and state apiary…

Ohio's Dangerous Wild Animal Act (ORC 935) prohibits private ownership of big cats, bears, non-human primates, large constrictor snakes, crocodilians, and similar species throughout…

Franklin County has no breed-specific legislation. Ohio repealed statewide pit-bull targeting in 2012 (HB 14), replacing it with a behavior-based dangerous and vicious dog framework…

Backyard chickens, ducks and rabbits are allowed on unincorporated Franklin County residential lots under five acres, capped by a point system that scales from four points on small…

The Rural District zoning classification in unincorporated Franklin County exists to shield farmland, prime agricultural soils and current-use farmland from premature urban…

On tracts larger than five acres anywhere in unincorporated Franklin County, agriculture is zoning-exempt by state law: no zoning certificate is required for farm buildings or…

In the Big Darby Creek riparian setback, Franklin County zoning keeps land in its natural state and permits tree removal only for damaged, diseased, or invasive trees.

Franklin County grass and weed height limits are set by each municipality and township under ORC 715.261. Columbus City Code 913.03 caps grass at 12 inches; most suburbs including…

Franklin County HOAs in planned communities operate under Ohio Planned Community Law (ORC 5312) and condominiums under ORC 5311. Boards must hold annual meetings, provide at least 10…

Franklin County HOA CC and R enforcement follows ORC 5312 and recorded declaration. Associations must enforce uniformly to avoid waiver and selective enforcement defenses. Violation…

Franklin County HOAs assess regular dues and special assessments under authority of recorded declaration and ORC 5312.11. Assessments become automatic liens on owner property; unpaid…

Franklin County HOA architectural review committees (ARCs) enforce CC and R design standards for exterior changes, additions, colors, fences, and landscaping. Under ORC 5312.03…

Franklin County has NO rent control. Ohio ORC §5321.19 explicitly preempts local rent regulation statewide. Landlords may raise rent without cap at lease renewal with 30 days written…

Franklin County follows Ohio Revised Code Chapter 5321 for landlord-tenant relations. Ohio is not a just-cause eviction state, and Franklin County has not adopted just-cause…

Recreational drone operators in Franklin County must register with the FAA (drones over 0.55 pounds) and follow 14 CFR Part 107 and recreational rules under 49 USC 44809. Portions of…

Franklin County elevators are inspected and licensed by the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Industrial Compliance under ORC 4105 and OAC 4101:5. Annual state inspection…

Buildings of 3,000 square feet or more used for manufacturing, warehousing, retail or similar receipt-and-distribution uses must provide off-street loading spaces on-site, sized and…

Franklin County zoning prohibits parking or driving surfaces of grass, dirt, mulch, or gravel; off-street parking areas must be sealed pavement or an approved pervious surface, kept…

Franklin County follows ORC §4513.60 and §4513.61 for abandoned vehicles. Vehicles left on public property over 48 hours or private property without consent over 72 hours may be towed…

Commercial tractors, semi-trailers, dump trucks, buses and similar business vehicles cannot be parked in a residential or planned-residential district unless tied to an approved home…

RVs, boats and trailers on residential lots can't sit between the street and the house unless enclosed, and are capped in length and count by lot size.

Unincorporated Franklin County property owners may hold no more than four residential garage sales per twelve-month period, and each sale can't run longer than four consecutive days…

Franklin County allows adult entertainment only in the Community Commercial district, and bars it within 500 feet of a church, school, park, or residence, and within 1,000 feet of…

In Franklin County's unincorporated Rural District, structures are capped at 38 feet, measured from the average grade on the structure's lowest side to the roof peak.

In Franklin County's unincorporated Rural District, no lot may be covered more than 20% by structure, and only one principal use is allowed per lot, with narrow exceptions for churches…

In Franklin County's unincorporated Rural District, dwellings need side yards totaling 20 feet or more with at least 8 feet on one side, plus a rear yard equal to 20% of lot depth…

New homes in Franklin County's floodplain must set their lowest floor at least one foot above the base flood elevation, plus any floodway computation increase.

New development in unincorporated Franklin County must submit a grading plan and storm sewer layout with its Certificate of Zoning Compliance application, showing how storm runoff will…

Franklin County's zoning resolution bars new stormwater management and drainage facilities inside riparian setbacks along the Alum Creek and Big Walnut Creek watersheds, keeping the…

Franklin County flood hazards concentrated along Scioto River, Olentangy River, Big Walnut Creek, and Alum Creek. FEMA FIRM panels updated 2019. Floodplain development requires permit…

Franklin County caps wind energy system noise at fifty-five decibels, measured at the nearest neighboring property line, except during severe storms or utility outages.

Vehicle noise in unincorporated Franklin County is controlled by ORC 4513.221 which requires every motor vehicle to have a muffler in good working order preventing excessive or unusual…

Amplified music in unincorporated Franklin County is governed by ORC 2917.11 disorderly conduct. Sheriff deputies respond to complaints and can cite hosts whose music is audible beyond…

Unincorporated Franklin County relies on ORC 2917.11 disorderly conduct for nighttime noise complaints. Most regulation is handled by townships (Jefferson, Mifflin, Prairie, Clinton…

Franklin County's Smart Growth Overlay requires exterior lighting to be designed, located and maintained so light and reflected glare do not spill onto neighboring property, capping…

Any exterior light fixture taller than 18 feet in Franklin County's Smart Growth Overlay must be fully shielded, with recessed lamps aimed downward so no glare shows above the…

Bars and restaurants inside Franklin County's Smart Growth Overlay must keep outdoor dining space at least 15 feet from a primary street and at least 10 feet from any other public way…

Consumer fireworks are legal in Franklin County under Ohio HB 172 (2022), but Columbus and several townships have opted out of discharge under ORC 3743.45. Where discharge is allowed…