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…

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…

Ohio law makes every beekeeper register each apiary with the Ohio Department of Agriculture by June 1, and every hive must have removable frames so the state apiary inspector can check…

Ohio repealed automatic pit bull dangerous classification in 2012, requiring individual behavioral assessment statewide, though cities retain home rule to enact breed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

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…

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

Ohio does not ban feeding wildlife everywhere. The statewide rule that exists, Ohio Administrative Code 1501:31-9-01(P), applies only on land the Division of Wildlife owns, controls or…

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

Ohio law caps the state at 400 licensed marijuana dispensaries and, since March 20, 2026, bars the Division of Cannabis Control from licensing or relocating any dispensary within one…

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…

Ohio Revised Code 4561.51, effective April 2025, makes it a state offense to fly a commercial drone in violation of FAA rules, and adds criminal penalties for interfering with…

Ohio lets you fly a recreational drone as long as you follow the FAA, but Revised Code 4561.51, effective April 9, 2025, adds state teeth: you cannot disrupt police, firefighters, or…

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…

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…

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…

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

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

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…

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…

Ohio Revised Code 1503.18 bans open-air fires outside municipal limits between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. during March, April, May, October, and November: the state's peak spring and fall…

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 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 pre-fills four design criteria for the whole state, 115 mph wind speed, severe weathering, moderate to heavy termite risk and required ice barrier underlayment, and delegates the…

Ohio does not set a statewide frost line depth. The Residential Code of Ohio leaves that column blank and directs each jurisdiction to fill in its own minimum footing depth.

Ohio leaves the ground snow load column of its design criteria table blank, directing each jurisdiction to fill it in from the ground snow load figure in the code.

Ohio's constitution, not any city zoning code, fixes where casinos can operate. Article XV, Section 6(C) authorizes exactly four casino facilities statewide: one each in Cincinnati…

Ohio requires every charitable organization to hold an attorney general license before running bingo, instant bingo, or electronic instant bingo. R.C. 2915.08 sets three license types…

Ohio's gambling statute bans operating a "game of chance conducted for profit," defined in R.C. 2915.01(E) as one "designed to produce income for the person who conducts or operates"…

Ohio legalized sports wagering effective January 1, 2023, but R.C. 3775.03 bars anyone from operating, conducting, or assisting sports gaming without a license from the Ohio Casino…

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…

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…

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…

Ohio law voids any HOA rule, bylaw, or deed covenant that blocks a homeowner from flying the U.S. flag, the state flag, the POW/MIA flag, or a service flag. Associations keep authority…

Ohio's Planned Community Law lets a homeowners association bill a lot owner an "enforcement assessment" (the statute's term for an HOA fine) only when the declaration authorizes it…

Ohio runs condominiums under a separate lien statute from the one that governs planned communities, and the condominium version is the weaker of the two on paper. R.C. 5311.18(A)(1)…

Ohio is one of the few states that asks a cottage food baker for no licence, no registration, no permit and no inspection. R.C. 3717.22(B)(6) exempts a cottage food production…

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…

Ohio never created a microenterprise home kitchen permit, so there is nothing to apply for. It solved the same problem from the other end, by exempting home cooking from the food…

Sobriety checkpoints are lawful in Ohio, but no Ohio statute creates them. The Revised Code mentions them in exactly one place, R.C. 4511.043, which assumes an "authorized sobriety or…

Ohio has no statute that bans recording a police officer and no buffer-zone law keeping bystanders a set distance away. The General Assembly went the other direction in 2023: R.C…

Ohio is a stop-and-identify state. Under R.C. 2921.29 a person in a public place must give a law enforcement officer their name, address, or date of birth when the officer reasonably…

Ohio has no general statute telling you whether to consent to a search of your car, and nothing in the Revised Code makes refusing an offense. The single place the code regulates…

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…

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 § 5579.05 requires a landowner to cut or destroy noxious weeds, wild parsnip, wild carrot, oxeye daisy, or wild mustard within five days of township notice, or…

Ohio calls a golf cart an under-speed vehicle and, unlike states that simply refuse to register one, treats it as a titleable and registrable vehicle: R.C. 4501.01(XX) defines it by…

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…

R.C. 4513.601 governs only private-lot tows a property owner orders without police involvement; it does not reach police-ordered tows off residential or farm land, which fall under the…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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 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…

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…

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's planned-community law lets an HOA member install a solar energy collection device unless the declaration specifically bans it, but the right only kicks in if the owner covers…

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 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…

Ohio has no statute forcing residents to recycle, but Revised Code 3734.53 requires every county's solid waste management district to run recycling and waste-reduction programs meeting…

Ohio caps extra forward lighting by count, by mounting height and by total brightness, and it splits the numbers between the Revised Code and the Director of Public Safety's rules…

Ohio is one of the few states whose windshield statute uses the word camera. R.C. 4513.24(B)(1) bans nontransparent material on the glass apart from a four inch by six inch decal in a…

Ohio has never enacted a lane-splitting or lane-filtering statute, and neither phrase appears anywhere in the Revised Code. A motorcyclist who rides the white line between two lanes of…

R.C. 4503.21(A)(2) imposes two separate duties on an Ohio driver: the rear license plate must be securely fastened so as not to swing, and it shall not be covered by any material that…

Ohio does not prohibit radar detectors in private passenger vehicles. A full-text search of the Ohio Revised Code for the phrase returns no records, and the word radar appears in only…

Ohio permits studded tires on a fixed calendar window, not on weather conditions: R.C. 5589.081(B)(1) allows them only during the period running from the first day of November each…

Ohio splits its tint law across two instruments. R.C. 4513.241 creates the offence and the penalties but contains no percentage at all, and the numbers live in the Director of Public…