Ohio Ordinances (2026)

Ohio Revised Code 3781.06 and the Residential Code of Ohio exempt one-story detached accessory structures of 200 square feet or less from state building permit requirements, though local zoning still applies.

Ohio Revised Code 3781.10 makes the Residential Code of Ohio mandatory statewide, but Ohio has not adopted the tiny house appendix (IRC Appendix Q), so small dwellings must meet the standard code requirements…

Ohio's companion animal cruelty law universally criminalizes neglect typical of hoarding situations, with felony penalties applying uniformly regardless of municipal boundaries.

Ohio repealed automatic pit bull dangerous classification in 2012, requiring individual behavioral assessment statewide, though cities retain home rule to enact breed restrictions.

Ohio law shields qualifying agricultural operations from local livestock nuisance suits, but cities retain zoning authority over backyard chickens and small livestock outside agricultural districts.

Ohio law universally requires dog owners to keep dogs confined or under reasonable control at all times, with municipalities free to add stricter local leash ordinances.

Ohio's Dangerous Wild Animal Act preempts local rules by banning private possession of lions, tigers, bears, primates, and other listed species statewide with limited grandfathered permits.

Ohio Division of Wildlife regulations universally prohibit feeding deer in disease zones and feeding most wildlife in ways that create nuisance, with statewide bear and waterfowl rules.

Ohio Building Code under ORC Chapter 3781 sets construction-type height limits applying statewide, while local zoning controls additional height restrictions through home rule authority.

Ohio's adult-use marijuana law, approved by Issue 2 in 2023 and now codified in ORC Chapter 3796, lets adults twenty-one and older grow up to six marijuana plants each, twelve per household, a statewide right…

Ohio's constitutional minimum wage (Article II Section 34a) sets a state floor that adjusts annually with inflation, while ORC 4111.02 limits local action.

Ohio Senate Bill 331 added ORC 4113.85 preempting local paid sick leave, fringe benefit, and scheduling mandates on private employers statewide.

Ohio law preempts local predictive scheduling, fair workweek, and similar shift-notice ordinances, leaving employer scheduling unregulated by state mandate.

Ohio Revised Code Chapter 1506 grants the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Office of Coastal Management exclusive authority over Lake Erie shore structures, erosion areas, and submerged lands, preempting…

Ohio Revised Code Chapters 940 and 6111 establish statewide erosion and sediment control standards administered through soil and water conservation districts and the Ohio EPA, applying universally to…

Ohio Revised Code Chapter 1521 designates the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Water Resources as the state coordinating agency for the National Flood Insurance Program, requiring local…

Ohio Revised Code Chapter 6111 grants the Ohio EPA exclusive authority to regulate stormwater discharges to waters of the state under the federal NPDES program, establishing universal permit requirements for…

Ohio Revised Code Chapter 971 governs partition fences between adjoining rural property owners, applying universally to establish responsibilities for shared boundary fences.

Ohio Residential Code Section R326 sets statewide pool barrier requirements adopted by the Ohio Board of Building Standards, applying uniformly to one-, two-, and three-family dwellings.

Ohio Revised Code Chapter 3743 governs fireworks statewide, licensing manufacturers and wholesalers and setting baseline rules for consumer fireworks discharge on designated holidays unless a political…

Ohio Administrative Code 3745-19 establishes statewide open burning restrictions enforced by the Ohio EPA, prohibiting burning of garbage, materials containing rubber or plastic, and most waste regardless of…

The Ohio State Fire Marshal adopts NFPA 58 Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code through OAC 1301:7-7 and licenses LPG installations statewide, providing uniform propane storage and handling rules that apply…

Ohio allows permitless concealed carry for qualifying adults aged 21 and over while still issuing concealed handgun licenses for reciprocity and other benefits.

Ohio Revised Code 9.68 preempts local firearm ordinances, reserving authority over firearms regulation almost entirely to the state legislature.

Ohio is an open-carry state for handguns and long guns by qualifying adults, with local restrictions largely preempted by state law under ORC 9.68.

Ohio Revised Code 2923.16 governs how loaded and unloaded firearms may be transported in motor vehicles, with statewide rules preempting local conflicts.

Ohio licenses all food trucks as Mobile Food Service Operations through local health districts under uniform state rules in ORC Chapter 3717 and OAC Chapter 3717-1.

Ohio's Planned Community Law lets homeowners associations levy assessments and, when unpaid, record a lien foreclosed exactly like a mortgage. R.C. 5312.12 makes the lien prior to later encumbrances (but not…

Ohio's Planned Community Law governs association governance in R.C. 5312.03-5312.07. R.C. 5312.04 covers election of officers, board powers, and meetings, and notably lets the board exclude non-director owners…

Ohio planned-community boards may enforce the declaration, covenants, conditions, restrictions, and bylaws and may adopt and enforce rules under R.C. 5312.06. R.C. 5312.13 lets the association or an owner sue…

Ohio planned-community associations may levy "enforcement assessments" (fines) for violations of the declaration, bylaws, and rules under R.C. 5312.06, but R.C. 5312.11 requires written notice and an…

Ohio overrides HOA governing documents on two owner protections. R.C. 5312.16 (S.B. 61, eff. 2022) bars a planned community from banning solar collection devices unless the declaration specifically prohibits…

Ohio Revised Code 3715.01 and Ohio Department of Agriculture rules establish a statewide cottage food framework allowing residents to produce specified non-hazardous foods at home for direct sale without a…

Ohio Revised Code Chapter 5104 creates a statewide licensing framework for in-home child care, classifying providers as Type A or Type B family child care homes and preempting local licensing of child care…

Ohio Revised Code 3734.02 and OAC 3745-560 exempt small-scale residential and agricultural composting from solid waste facility licensing, while regulating large composting operations statewide.

Ohio Revised Code 3701.344 and Ohio Administrative Code 3701-28 expressly allow rainwater collection for private water systems, with health department approval required for potable use.

Ohio Revised Code 901.51 imposes treble damages statewide on anyone who recklessly cuts, injures, or destroys trees, shrubs, or vines on another's property without consent.

Ohio Revised Code 971.33 and 5579.04 require landowners to cut noxious weeds, with township trustees authorized to enter property and assess removal costs against the parcel as a tax lien.

Aircraft noise in Ohio is regulated almost exclusively by the Federal Aviation Administration, leaving local governments and the state with limited authority over flight-related noise issues.

Ohio does not set numeric statewide industrial noise limits, but Ohio EPA permitting and nuisance law apply universally to industrial facilities regardless of municipal boundaries.

Ohio Revised Code 4513.60 through 4513.65 establishes a uniform statewide process for removing, storing, and disposing of abandoned junk motor vehicles from public and private property, applying universally…

Ohio provides counties and municipalities statewide authority to declare blight, expedite tax foreclosure, and abate nuisances under ORC Chapters 1.08, 323, and 3767.

Ohio common law gives abutting property owners no general duty to remove natural snow accumulation, though municipalities may impose statutory sidewalk-clearing duties locally.

Before filing an eviction in Ohio, a landlord must serve a 3-day notice to leave the premises under Ohio Revised Code 1923.04, including specific statutory warning language. The landlord then files a forcible…

Ohio Revised Code 5321.04 requires landlords to meet building and housing codes, keep premises fit and habitable, maintain electrical, plumbing, heating and other systems, and supply running water and…

Ohio Revised Code Chapter 1923 establishes uniform forcible entry and detainer procedures, and ORC 5321.17 sets termination notice requirements that govern evictions in every Ohio municipality.

Under Ohio Revised Code 5321.04(A)(8), a landlord must give a tenant reasonable notice before entering and may enter only at reasonable times, except in an emergency. The statute presumes that 24 hours is…

Ohio has no statute capping rent late fees or requiring a grace period. A late fee is enforceable only if it appears in the written lease and is a reasonable estimate of the landlord's damages rather than a…

Ohio Revised Code 5321.17 sets notice periods to end a periodic tenancy: 30 days for month-to-month and 7 days for week-to-week, given before the periodic rental date. A fixed-term lease simply expires at the…

Ohio preempts local rent control. Effective September 23, 2022, Ohio Rev. Code 5321.19 (added by H.B. 430) bars counties, townships, and municipalities from imposing rent control or rent stabilization on…

Ohio has no statute limiting rent amounts or requiring advance notice before a rent increase, and state law bars local rent control. During a fixed-term lease the rent is locked until the term ends. For a…

Ohio Revised Code 5323.02 requires owners of residential rental property in counties with more than 200,000 residents to file owner contact information with the county auditor, while ORC 5321.18 requires every…

Ohio sets no statutory cap on residential security deposits under Ohio Rev. Code 5321.16. The landlord must itemize deductions in writing and return the balance within 30 days after the tenant gives up…

Ohio recognizes adverse possession after 21 years, the limitation period in Ohio Revised Code 2305.04 for an action to recover real property. A squatter must possess the land openly, notoriously, exclusively…

Ohio law limits township and county zoning authority over agricultural uses, preserving farming activities on land used primarily for agriculture.

Ohio Revised Code Chapter 929 establishes Agricultural Districts that provide right-to-farm protections against nuisance suits and certain local regulations.

Ohio reserves regulation of insurance products and producers to the state under ORC Title 39. No statute requires short-term rental hosts to carry liability coverage, and municipalities cannot mandate specific…

Ohio Revised Code 5739.02 and 5739.09 establish the state sales tax and local lodging excise tax framework that applies to transient accommodations under 30 days, including short-term rentals booked through…

Ohio Revised Code Section 3517.20 universally requires identification disclaimers on political campaign signs, while ORC 5589.33 prohibits placing signs in the rights-of-way of public highways.

Ohio House Bill 242 preempts local plastic bag bans and fees, requiring uniform statewide treatment of auxiliary containers including plastic bags.

Ohio HB 242's auxiliary container preemption extends to polystyrene foam food containers, blocking local bans on Styrofoam takeout packaging.

Ohio does not regulate single-use plastic straws statewide, and HB 242 prevents municipalities from banning or taxing them as auxiliary containers.

Since 2022, Senate Bill 61 gives Ohio homeowners a limited solar-access right: ORC 5312.16 bars planned-community associations from banning solar collection devices unless the recorded declaration specifically…

Ohio adopts the residential and commercial building codes statewide governing solar PV electrical and structural permits, while utility interconnection follows uniform PUCO rules.

Ohio Residential Code applies barrier rules uniformly to above-ground pools deeper than 24 inches, with ladder removal or locking required when not in use.

Ohio's adopted Residential Code sets uniform statewide barrier requirements for private pools over 24 inches deep, including 4-foot fencing and self-closing gates, enforced locally.

Ohio code regulates hot tubs and spas with locked covers or barriers when over 24 inches deep, plus public spa licensing under the same statute as pools.

Ohio Department of Health licenses all public swimming pools annually under uniform standards, while residential pool permits remain a local matter handled by city building departments.

Ohio Administrative Code 3701-31 universally governs public pool safety equipment, lifeguard ratios, and signage, applying uniformly to every licensed public pool statewide.

Ohio prohibits the sale of tobacco, alternative nicotine, and vapor products to anyone under 21 under ORC 2927.02 and related regulations.

Ohio Revised Code 9.681, enacted in 2024 when lawmakers overrode a veto of budget bill HB 33, preempts local flavored tobacco and vapor product regulation, but courts have blocked it and the Ohio Supreme Court…

Ohio requires retailers selling vapor products to hold a state license and comply with age-verification, packaging, and tax requirements under Title 57.