Cincinnati, OH Rental Property Rules: Rental Registration (2026)

Chapter 874 of the Cincinnati Municipal Code, enacted by Ordinance No. 01(E), to file a registration with the Director of Buildings and Inspections within 60 calendar days of the ordinance's effective date or of assuming ownership, whichever is later. Section 874-5(b) spells out what the registration form must include: the owner's name, address, and phone number (plus, for a business entity, its trustee, executor, general partner, member, manager, or officer as applicable); the name, address, and phone number of every person in control, including a property manager or on-site maintenance contact reachable 24 hours a day, at least one of whom must live within 100 miles of the property; the street address and permanent parcel number of the property; and the monthly rent, unit count, and each unit's bedrooms, bathrooms, and approximate square footage.

Owners have a continuing duty under Section 874-5(c) to notify the Director in writing of any change to that information, any change in ownership, or the property sitting vacant for sixty days or more. 00 per registered rental unit under Section 874-5(d). Section 874-3(b) exempts hotels, motels, state-owned university dormitories, properties ordered vacated, short-term rentals of thirty days or less, and non-residential space that's separate from a residential portion, such as ground-floor retail in a mixed-use building.