Rental Property Rules in Ohio (2026)
58 rules on the books across Ohio, 23 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Rent Control
Local limits on how much landlords can raise rent each year, including which properties are covered and exemptions for newer buildings.
Ohio: statewide
StatewideFew RestrictionsOhio preempts local rent control. Effective September 23, 2022, Ohio Rev. Code 5321.19 (added by H.B. 430) bars…
Read full rule →Canal Winchester
Few RestrictionsOhio prohibits municipal rent control under ORC 5321.19, enacted in 2022 (SB 55). Canal Winchester cannot impose rent…
Read full rule →Cincinnati
Few RestrictionsOhio prohibits local rent control under ORC 5321.19, enacted in 2022. There is no statewide cap and no statute…
Read full rule →Cleveland
Few RestrictionsCleveland does not have rent control or rent stabilization laws. Ohio state law (ORC 5321) does not authorize local…
Read full rule →Columbus
Few RestrictionsColumbus does not have rent control. Ohio Revised Code §5321.02 preempts local governments from enacting rent control…
Read full rule →Dublin
Few RestrictionsDublin has NO rent control ordinance. Ohio Revised Code 5321.19 preempts all Ohio municipalities from enacting rent…
Read full rule →Euclid
Few RestrictionsOhio prohibits local rent control under state preemption. Euclid cannot cap rents or limit increases. Landlord-tenant…
Read full rule →Franklin County
Few RestrictionsFranklin County has NO rent control. Ohio ORC §5321.19 explicitly preempts local rent regulation statewide. Landlords…
Read full rule →Grove City
Few RestrictionsGrove City has no rent control ordinance. Ohio Revised Code 5321.19 expressly preempts municipalities from enacting…
Read full rule →Lakewood
Few RestrictionsLakewood cannot impose rent control. Ohio Revised Code 5321.19 preempts local rent-control ordinances statewide…
Read full rule →Parma
Few RestrictionsOhio prohibits rent control statewide under ORC 5321.19, preempting Parma from enacting any rent stabilization…
Read full rule →Toledo
Few RestrictionsToledo has no rent control. Ohio has no statewide preemption on local rent control, but no Ohio city has enacted one…
Read full rule →Westerville
Few RestrictionsWesterville has no rent control. Ohio Revised Code 5321.19, enacted in 2022, preempts all Ohio cities from adopting…
Read full rule →Just Cause Eviction
Protections requiring landlords to have a valid reason to evict tenants, such as nonpayment of rent, lease violations, or owner move-in.
Ohio: statewide
StatewideSome RestrictionsOhio Revised Code Chapter 1923 establishes uniform forcible entry and detainer procedures, and ORC 5321.17 sets…
Read full rule →Euclid
Some RestrictionsEuclid follows Ohio landlord-tenant law (ORC Chapter 5321). No local just-cause eviction ordinance. Standard 30-day…
Read full rule →Canal Winchester
Few RestrictionsCanal Winchester has no just-cause eviction ordinance. Landlord-tenant relationships are governed by Ohio Revised Code…
Read full rule →Cincinnati
Few RestrictionsCincinnati does not have a just cause eviction ordinance. Ohio landlord-tenant law under ORC §5321 allows landlords to…
Read full rule →Cleveland
Few RestrictionsCleveland does not have a just-cause eviction ordinance. Ohio landlord-tenant law (ORC 5321) allows landlords to…
Read full rule →Columbus
Few RestrictionsColumbus does not have a just-cause eviction ordinance. Ohio follows standard landlord-tenant law under ORC Chapter…
Read full rule →Dublin
Few RestrictionsDublin has no just-cause eviction ordinance. Landlord-tenant relations follow Ohio Revised Code Chapter 5321, which…
Read full rule →Franklin County
Few RestrictionsFranklin County follows Ohio Revised Code Chapter 5321 for landlord-tenant relations. Ohio is not a just-cause eviction…
Read full rule →Grove City
Few RestrictionsGrove City has no just-cause eviction ordinance. Landlord-tenant relationships follow Ohio Revised Code Chapter 5321…
Read full rule →Parma
Few RestrictionsParma follows Ohio landlord-tenant law (ORC Chapter 5321) with no local just-cause eviction ordinance. Landlords may…
Read full rule →Pickerington
Few RestrictionsPickerington has no just-cause eviction ordinance. Ohio Revised Code Chapter 1923 (Forcible Entry and Detainer) governs…
Read full rule →Westerville
Few RestrictionsWesterville has no just-cause eviction ordinance. Landlord-tenant relationships governed by Ohio Revised Code Chapter…
Read full rule →Rental Registration
Requirements for landlords to register rental properties with the city, including inspection programs, fees, and occupancy standards.
Ohio: statewide
StatewideSome RestrictionsOhio Revised Code 5323.02 requires owners of residential rental property in counties with more than 200,000 residents…
Read full rule →Cincinnati
Significant RestrictionsOwners of Cincinnati residential rental property must file a registration with the Director of Buildings and…
Read full rule →Cleveland
Significant RestrictionsEvery owner of a non-owner-occupied unit in Cleveland must annually register it with the Director of Building and…
Read full rule →Columbus
Significant RestrictionsColumbus requires owners or local operators of every residential rental property to register annually with the…
Read full rule →Elyria
Significant RestrictionsIn the City of Elyria, Ohio, no one can lease or allow occupancy of residential rental property that has not been…
Read full rule →Parma
Significant RestrictionsNo one may rent out a dwelling in Parma without a certificate of rental property registration from the Building…
Read full rule →Youngstown
Significant RestrictionsIn the City of Youngstown, Ohio, landlords must obtain a rental license before letting any unit, paying a nonrefundable…
Read full rule →Akron
Some RestrictionsEvery owner or operator of a rental unit in Akron must register with the Department of Neighborhood Assistance by…
Read full rule →Springfield
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Springfield, Ohio, no owner may lease, rent, or allow occupancy of a Rental Dwelling Unit without first…
Read full rule →Toledo
Some RestrictionsToledo Municipal Code § 1767.09 requires every owner of a rental unit or rental property in the city to register it…
Read full rule →Security Deposit Rules
Caps on how much landlords may collect as security deposits, return deadlines, itemized-deduction requirements, and tenant remedies for wrongfully withheld deposits.
Pass-Through Charges
Rules limiting landlord ability to pass utility, capital improvement, or seismic-retrofit costs through to rent-controlled tenants, and the petition process.
Tenant Anti-Harassment
Cities like LA prohibit specific landlord conduct (lockouts, utility shutoffs, threats), penalties, private right of action, and how to document violations.
Landlord Entry & Notice
How much advance notice a landlord must give before entering an occupied unit, the permitted reasons (repairs, showings, inspections), allowed hours, and the emergency exceptions under state law.
Repairs & Habitability
The implied warranty of habitability, how long a landlord has to fix essential services (heat, water, plumbing, mold), and tenant remedies such as repair-and-deduct, rent withholding, or breaking the lease.
Ohio: statewide
StatewideHeavy RestrictionsOhio Revised Code 5321.04 requires landlords to meet building and housing codes, keep premises fit and habitable…
Read full rule →Cleveland
Significant RestrictionsCleveland bars landlords from renting any unit that fails the Housing Code's habitability standards. Codified…
Read full rule →Toledo
Significant RestrictionsToledo landlords cited for Housing or Health Code violations must obtain a Certificate of Property Code Compliance…
Read full rule →Akron
Some RestrictionsAkron's Environmental Health Housing Code, §§ 150.07 through 150.12, sets the minimum equipment and condition standards…
Read full rule →Cincinnati
Some RestrictionsCincinnati Municipal Code Section 871-9 obligates every landlord to keep rental units in substantial compliance with…
Read full rule →Columbus
Some RestrictionsColumbus's Housing Code sets numeric habitability minimums for rentals, including heat to 70°F, 110°F hot water, and…
Read full rule →Dayton
Some RestrictionsEvery Dayton dwelling's foundation, exterior walls, windows, roof and other structural elements must be kept in good…
Read full rule →Elyria
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Elyria, Ohio, Chapter 1305 adopts the 2018 International Property Maintenance Code with local…
Read full rule →Marion
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Marion, Ohio, § 662.07 bars anyone from occupying, or letting to another, a dwelling that fails a list…
Read full rule →Medina
Some RestrictionsMedina enforces habitability through the 2012 International Property Maintenance Code, adopted by Chapter 1381. A…
Read full rule →Middletown
Some RestrictionsMiddletown, Ohio requires every dwelling to be maintained in good repair and fit for human habitation under City of…
Read full rule →Newark
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Newark, Ohio, the habitability standards printed in the Codified Ordinances for rented sleeping quarters…
Read full rule →Oregon
Some RestrictionsThe City of Oregon, Ohio enforces the International Property Maintenance Code, 2021 edition, as amended locally in…
Read full rule →Parma
Some RestrictionsParma's Basic Standards for Property Maintenance, Chapter 1707, require every structure, rented or owner-occupied, to…
Read full rule →Springfield
Some RestrictionsSpringfield, Ohio handles rental habitability through a City-initiated complaint process rather than a stand-alone…
Read full rule →Youngstown
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Youngstown, Ohio, owners of rental units must keep the interior, exterior structure and common areas in…
Read full rule →Lease Termination & Notice to Vacate
Notice required to end a month-to-month tenancy, the rules and penalties for breaking a fixed-term lease early, and early-termination protections for active-duty military, domestic-violence survivors, and medical hardships.
Eviction Notice & Process
The notice a landlord must give before filing to evict, pay-or-quit and cure-or-quit periods, no-cause termination notice, how long the court eviction process takes in this state, and the tenant's options to respond or cure.
Squatter's Rights & Adverse Possession
When an occupant without a lease gains legal protections, the line between a trespasser and a squatter, how many years of continuous possession adverse possession requires in this state, and how an owner lawfully removes a squatter.