Chapter 311 | Sheriff

Section 311.01 | Election and qualifications of sheriff.

• Effective: September 14, 2016
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 113 - 131st General Assembly

(A) A sheriff shall be elected quadrennially in each county. A sheriff shall hold office for a term of four years, beginning on the first Monday of January next after the sheriff's election.

(B) Except as otherwise provided in this section, no person is eligible to be a candidate for sheriff, and no person shall be elected or appointed to the office of sheriff, unless that person meets all of the following requirements:

(1) The person is a citizen of the United States.

(2) The person has been a resident of the county in which the person is a candidate for or is appointed to the office of sheriff for at least one year immediately prior to the qualification date.

(3) The person has the qualifications of an elector as specified in section 3503.01 of the Revised Code and has complied with all applicable election laws.

(4) The person has been awarded a high school diploma or a certificate of high school equivalence issued for achievement of specified minimum scores on a high school equivalency test approved by the department of education pursuant to division (B) of section 3301.80 of the Revised Code.

(5) The person has not been convicted of or pleaded guilty to a felony or any offense involving moral turpitude under the laws of this or any other state or the United States, and has not been convicted of or pleaded guilty to an offense that is a misdemeanor of the first degree under the laws of this state or an offense under the laws of any other state or the United States that carries a penalty that is substantially equivalent to the penalty for a misdemeanor of the first degree under the laws of this state.

(6) The person has been fingerprinted and has been the subject of a search of local, state, and national fingerprint files to disclose any criminal record. Such fingerprints shall be taken under the direction of the administrative judge of the court of common pleas who, prior to the applicable qualification date, shall notify the board of elections, board of county commissioners, or county central committee of the proper political party, as applicable, of the judge's findings.

(7) The person has prepared a complete history of the person's places of residence for a period of six years immediately preceding the qualification date and a complete history of the person's places of employment for a period of six years immediately preceding the qualification date, indicating the name and address of each employer and the period of time employed by that employer. The residence and employment histories shall be filed with the administrative judge of the court of common pleas of the county, who shall forward them with the findings under division (B)(6) of this section to the appropriate board of elections, board of county commissioners, or county central committee of the proper political party prior to the applicable qualification date.

(8) The person meets at least one of the following conditions:

(a) Holds a current valid peace officer certificate of training issued by the Ohio peace officer training commission or has been issued a certificate of training pursuant to section 5503.05 of the Revised Code;

(b) Has been employed full-time by a law enforcement agency performing duties related to the enforcement of statutes, ordinances, or codes for a minimum of thirteen consecutive pay periods within the four-year period prior to the qualification date. As used in this division, "full-time" means a minimum of eighty hours of work in a fourteen-day period.

(9) The person meets at least one of the following conditions:

(a) Has at least two consecutive years of supervisory experience as a peace officer at the rank of sergeant or above;

(b) Has completed a bachelor's degree in any field or has an associate degree in law enforcement or criminal justice from a college or university authorized to confer degrees by the Ohio board of regents or the comparable agency of another state in which the college or university is located.

(C) Persons who meet the requirements of division (B) of this section, except the requirement of division (B)(2) of this section, may take all actions otherwise necessary to comply with division (B) of this section. If, on the applicable qualification date, no person has met all the requirements of division (B) of this section, then persons who have complied with and meet the requirements of division (B) of this section, except the requirement of division (B)(2) of this section, shall be considered qualified candidates under division (B) of this section.

(D) Newly elected sheriffs shall attend a basic training course conducted by the Ohio peace officer training commission pursuant to division (A) of section 109.80 of the Revised Code. A newly elected sheriff shall complete not less than two weeks of this course before the first Monday in January next after the sheriff's election. While attending the basic training course, a newly elected sheriff may, with the approval of the board of county commissioners, receive compensation, paid for from funds established by the sheriff's county for this purpose, in the same manner and amounts as if carrying out the powers and duties of the office of sheriff.

Appointed sheriffs shall attend the first basic training course conducted by the Ohio peace officer training commission pursuant to division (A) of section 109.80 of the Revised Code within six months following the date of appointment or election to the office of sheriff. While attending the basic training course, appointed sheriffs shall receive regular compensation in the same manner and amounts as if carrying out their regular powers and duties.

Five days of instruction at the basic training course shall be considered equal to one week of work. The costs of conducting the basic training course and the costs of meals, lodging, and travel of appointed and newly elected sheriffs attending the course shall be paid from state funds appropriated to the commission for this purpose.

(E) In each calendar year, each sheriff shall attend and successfully complete at least sixteen hours of continuing education approved under division (B) of section 109.80 of the Revised Code. A sheriff who receives a waiver of the continuing education requirement from the commission under division (C) of section 109.80 of the Revised Code because of medical disability or for other good cause shall complete the requirement at the earliest time after the disability or cause terminates.

(F)(1) Each person who is a candidate for election to or who is under consideration for appointment to the office of sheriff shall swear before the administrative judge of the court of common pleas as to the truth of any information the person provides to verify the person's qualifications for the office. A person who violates this requirement is guilty of falsification under section 2921.13 of the Revised Code.

(2) Each board of elections shall certify whether or not a candidate for the office of sheriff who has filed a declaration of candidacy, a statement of candidacy, or a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate meets the qualifications specified in divisions (B) and (C) of this section.

(G) The office of a sheriff who is required to comply with division (D) or (E) of this section and who fails to successfully complete the courses pursuant to those divisions is hereby deemed to be vacant.

(H) As used in this section:

(1) "Qualification date" means the last day on which a candidate for the office of sheriff can file a declaration of candidacy, a statement of candidacy, or a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate, as applicable, in the case of a primary election for the office of sheriff; the last day on which a person may be appointed to fill a vacancy in a party nomination for the office of sheriff under Chapter 3513. of the Revised Code, in the case of a vacancy in the office of sheriff; or a date thirty days after the day on which a vacancy in the office of sheriff occurs, in the case of an appointment to such a vacancy under section 305.02 of the Revised Code.

(2) "Newly elected sheriff" means a person who did not hold the office of sheriff of a county on the date the person was elected sheriff of that county.

Section 311.02 | Bond.

• Effective: March 20, 2019
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 291 - 132nd General Assembly

Except as otherwise provided in section 3.061 of the Revised Code, the sheriff shall, within ten days after receiving the sheriff's commission and before the first Monday of January next after being elected, give a bond, signed by a bonding or surety company authorized to do business in this state and to be approved by the board of county commissioners, or, at the option of such sheriff, signed by two or more freeholders having real estate in the value of double the amount of the bond, over and above all encumbrances to the state, and in a sum not less than five thousand nor more than fifty thousand dollars, which sum shall be fixed by the board. The bond shall be conditioned for the faithful performance of the duties of the office of sheriff. The expense or premium for such bond shall be paid by the board and charged to the general fund of the county. Such bonds, with the approval of the board and the oath of office required by sections 3.22 and 3.23 of the Revised Code, and Section 7 of Article XV, Ohio Constitution, indorsed thereon, shall be filed with the county auditor and kept in the auditor's office.

The board may require the sheriff, at any time during the sheriff's term of office, to give additional sureties on the sheriff's bond, or to give a new bond, except as otherwise provided in section 3.061 of the Revised Code.

No judge or clerk of any court or attorney at law shall be received as surety on such bond.

If the sheriff fails to give a bond within the time required, or fails to give additional sureties on such bond or a new bond within ten days after receiving written notice that the board so requires, the board shall declare the office of such sheriff vacant.

Section 311.03 | Absence, sickness, or other disability.

• Effective: October 12, 1961
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 383 - 104th General Assembly

When the sheriff, by reason of absence, sickness, or other disability, is incapable of serving any process required to be served, or by reason of interest is incompetent to serve it, the court of common pleas, if in session, or, if not in session, a judge of such court may appoint a suitable person to serve such process or to perform the duties of sheriff during the continuance of such disability. Such appointee shall give such bond as the court or judge requires, conditioned for the faithful performance of his duties, and take the oath of office.

Section 311.04 | Deputy sheriffs.

• Effective: January 1, 2004
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 490 - 124th General Assembly

(A) As used in this section, "felony" has the same meaning as in section 109.511 of the Revised Code.

(B)(1) Subject to division (C) of this section, the sheriff may appoint, in writing, one or more deputies. At the time of the appointment, the sheriff shall file the writing upon which the appointment is made with the clerk of the court of common pleas, and the clerk of the court shall enter it upon the journal of the court. The sheriff shall pay the clerk's fees for the filing and journal entry of the writing. In cases of emergency, the sheriff may request of the sheriff of another county the aid of qualified deputies serving in those other counties of the state, and, if the consent of the sheriff of that other county is received, the deputies while so assigned shall be considered to be the deputies of the sheriff of the county requesting aid. No judge of a county court or mayor shall be appointed a deputy.

(2) Notwithstanding section 2335.33 of the Revised Code, the sheriff shall retain the fee charged pursuant to division (B) of section 311.37 of the Revised Code for the purpose of training deputies appointed pursuant to this section.

(C)(1) The sheriff shall not appoint a person as a deputy sheriff pursuant to division (B)(1) of this section on a permanent basis, on a temporary basis, for a probationary term, or on other than a permanent basis if the person previously has been convicted of or has pleaded guilty to a felony.

(2)(a) The sheriff shall terminate the employment of a deputy sheriff appointed under division (B)(1) of this section if the deputy sheriff does either of the following:

(i) Pleads guilty to a felony;

(ii) Pleads guilty to a misdemeanor pursuant to a negotiated plea agreement as provided in division (D) of section 2929.43 of the Revised Code in which the deputy sheriff agrees to surrender the certificate awarded to the deputy sheriff under section 109.77 of the Revised Code.

(b) The sheriff shall suspend from employment any deputy sheriff appointed under division (B)(1) of this section if the deputy sheriff is convicted, after trial, of a felony. If the deputy sheriff files an appeal from that conviction and the conviction is upheld by the highest court to which the appeal is taken or if the deputy sheriff does not file a timely appeal, the sheriff shall terminate the employment of that deputy sheriff. If the deputy sheriff files an appeal that results in that deputy sheriff's acquittal of the felony or conviction of a misdemeanor, or in the dismissal of the felony charge against the deputy sheriff, the sheriff shall reinstate that deputy sheriff. A deputy sheriff who is reinstated under division (C)(2)(b) of this section shall not receive any back pay unless that deputy sheriff's conviction of the felony was reversed on appeal, or the felony charge was dismissed, because the court found insufficient evidence to convict the deputy sheriff of the felony.

(3) Division (C) of this section does not apply regarding an offense that was committed prior to January 1, 1997.

(4) The suspension from employment, or the termination of the employment, of a deputy sheriff under division (C)(2) of this section shall be in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.

Section 311.05 | Conduct of deputies.

• Effective: October 5, 1983
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 273 - 115th General Assembly

The sheriff shall only be responsible for the neglect of duty or misconduct in office of any of his deputies if he orders, has prior knowledge of, participates in, acts in reckless disregard of, or ratifies the neglect of duty or misconduct in office of the deputy.

Section 311.06 | Location of sheriff's office.

• Effective: June 18, 2010
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 393 - 128th General Assembly

(A) The sheriff's office shall be maintained at the county seat of justice, or at another location as provided in division (B) of this section, in such rooms as the board of county commissioners provides for that purpose. Such office shall be furnished with all necessary furniture, blankbooks, stationery, and blanks at the expense of the county.

(B) With the consent of the sheriff, the board of county commissioners may provide by resolution for establishment of the primary office of the sheriff at a location outside the county seat of justice. The adoption of the resolution and the location of the sheriff's primary office shall be entered on the journal of the board. The board shall give reasonable public notice of its action taken pursuant to this division in accordance with division (F) of section 121.22 of the Revised Code.

Section 311.07 | General powers and duties of sheriff.

• Effective: July 1, 2007
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 241 - 126th General Assembly

(A) Each sheriff shall preserve the public peace and cause all persons guilty of any breach of the peace, within the sheriff's knowledge or view, to enter into recognizance with sureties to keep the peace and to appear at the succeeding term of the court of common pleas, and the sheriff shall commit such persons to jail in case they refuse to do so. The sheriff shall return a transcript of all the sheriff's proceedings with the recognizance so taken to such court. The sheriff shall, except as provided in division (C) of this section, execute all warrants, writs, and other process directed to the sheriff by any proper and lawful authority of this state, and those issued by a proper and lawful authority of any other state. The sheriff shall attend upon the court of common pleas and the court of appeals during their sessions, and, when required, shall attend upon the probate court. In the execution of official duties of the sheriff, the sheriff may call to the sheriff's aid such persons or power of the county as is necessary. Under the direction and control of the board of county commissioners, such sheriff shall have charge of the court house. A sheriff or deputy sheriff of a county may participate, as the director of an organized crime task force established under section 177.02 of the Revised Code or as a member of the investigatory staff of such a task force, in an investigation of organized criminal activity in any county or counties in this state under sections 177.01 to 177.03 of the Revised Code.

(B) The sheriff of a county may call upon the sheriff of any other county, the mayor or other chief executive of any municipal corporation, and the chairperson of the board of township trustees of any township within this state, to furnish such law enforcement or fire protection personnel, or both, together with appropriate equipment and apparatus, as may be necessary to preserve the public peace and protect persons and property in the requesting sheriff's county. Such aid shall be furnished to the sheriff requesting it, insofar as possible without withdrawing from the political subdivision furnishing such aid the minimum police and fire protection appearing necessary under the circumstances. Law enforcement and fire protection personnel acting outside the territory of their regular employment shall be considered as performing services within the territory of their regular employment for the purposes of compensation, pension or indemnity fund rights, workers' compensation, and other rights or benefits to which they may be entitled as incidents of their regular employment. The county receiving aid shall reimburse, as provided in this section, the political subdivision furnishing it the cost of furnishing such aid, including compensation of personnel, expenses incurred by reason of the injury or death of any such personnel while rendering such aid, expenses of furnishing equipment and apparatus, compensation for damage to or loss of equipment or apparatus while in service outside the territory of its regular use, and such other reasonable expenses as may be incurred by any such political subdivision in furnishing aid. The cost of furnishing such aid may be paid from the sheriff's furtherance of justice fund created pursuant to section 325.071 of the Revised Code or from the law enforcement trust fund created pursuant to section 2981.13 of the Revised Code, or from the county general fund to the extent moneys have been appropriated for such purposes pursuant to section 5705.38 of the Revised Code unless the board of county commissioners adopts a resolution restricting or prohibiting the use of general fund moneys without the prior approval of the board of county commissioners. Nothing in this section shall be construed as superseding or modifying in any way any provision of a contract entered into pursuant to section 311.29 of the Revised Code. Law enforcement officers acting pursuant to this section outside the territory of their regular employment have the same authority to enforce the law as when acting within the territory of their regular employment.

(C) The sheriff shall not execute process that is issued in a state other than this state, unless the process contains either of the following:

(1) A certification by the judge of the court that issued the process stating that the issuing court has jurisdiction to issue the process and that the documents being forwarded conform to the laws of the state in which the court is located;

(2) If the process is an initial summons to appear and defend issued after the filing of a complaint commencing an action, a certification by the clerk of the court that issued the process stating that the process was issued in conformance with the laws of the state in which the court is located.

(D) As used in this section and section 311.08 of the Revised Code, "proper and lawful authority" means any authority authorized by law to issue any process and "process" means those documents issued in this state in accordance with section 7.01 of the Revised Code and those documents, other than executions of judgments or decrees, issued in a state other than this state that conform to the laws of the state of issuance governing the issuance of process in that state.

Section 311.08 | Execution and return of process.

• Effective: October 27, 1981
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 114 - 114th General Assembly

(A) The sheriff shall, except as provided in division (B) of this section, execute every summons, order, or other process directed to him by a proper and lawful authority of this state or issued by a proper and lawful authority of any other state, make return thereof, and exercise the powers conferred and perform the duties enjoined upon him by statute and by the common law.

In an action in which the sheriff is a party, or is interested, process shall be directed to and executed by a person appointed by the court of common pleas or a judge of the court of common pleas.

(B) The sheriff shall not execute process that is issued in a state other than this state, unless the process contains either of the following:

(1) A certification by the judge of the court that issued the process stating that the issuing court has jurisdiction to issue th process and that the documents being forwarded conform to the laws of the state in which the court is located;

(2) If the process is an initial summons to appear and defend issued after the filing of a complaint commencing an action, a certification by the clerk of the court that issued the process stating that the process was issued in conformance with the laws of the state in which the court is located.

Section 311.09 | Indorsement on writs.

• Effective: October 1, 1953
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly

The sheriff shall indorse upon every writ or order the day and hour such writ or order was received by him.

Section 311.10 | Foreign execution docket.

• Effective: June 12, 1980
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 278 - 113th General Assembly

(A) There shall be kept in the office of the sheriff a foreign execution docket, furnished by the county, in which, on the receipt by the sheriff of any execution, order of sale, or other process issuing from any court of any county, other than the county in which he resides, the sheriff shall make an entry of the date of such writ, when it was received by him, from what court and county it was issued, and the date and amount of the judgment or decree. The sheriff shall copy in such book, the same as indorsed upon or contained in such writ, the full description of the property and real estate that he levies upon or offers for sale. He shall also copy into such book his return on such writ when he makes a return, and shall include the bill of costs. The sheriff shall make a direct and reverse index of each case entered in such book. The entries shall be notice to subsequent purchasers and creditors of the matters contained in them, but if the lien of any judgment is kept alive in the county of rendition beyond the period of five years, purchasers and creditors in such foreign county shall not be deemed to have notice of such lien unless written notice of it is filed by the judgment creditor with the sheriff of the foreign county, who shall certify such fact upon the foreign execution docket and index such notice at the place of the original entry.

(B) The sheriff shall also enter in the foreign execution docket the receipt of any process issued by a proper and lawful authority of a state other than this state, the date of issuance and the date of his receipt of the process, the court and state in which the process was issued, and the nature of the process. The sheriff shall also enter in the docket all action taken in relation to such process by his office.

(C) For making such entries the sheriff shall receive twenty-five cents in each case, to be taxed in the fee bill.

(D) For the use of the persons entitled to such fees, the sheriff shall retain all fees due in such cases to residents of his county, and, on demand, he shall pay them to such persons.

Section 311.11 | Cashbook.

• Effective: October 11, 1953
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly

There shall be kept in the office of the sheriff a cashbook, to be furnished by the county, in which, on receipt by him of any money in his official capacity, the sheriff shall make an entry of the date, the amount thereof, the title of the cause, and the name and number of the writ or process on which such money was received. If such money is received on the sale of real estate, in partition or otherwise, where the sale has been for part cash and other evidences of indebtedness are taken for part of the purchase money, such sheriff shall make an entry on such book of the date, number, and amount of such evidences of indebtedness.

Section 311.12 | Inspection of books - certified copy of entry - fee.

• Effective: October 27, 1981
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 114 - 114th General Assembly

The books required to be kept by sections 311.01 to 311.23 of the Revised Code, shall be open to the search and inspection of all persons. The sheriff shall furnish a certified copy of any entry in such books upon request and shall charge and collect a fee of twenty-five cents for each such certification or copy thereof.

Section 311.13 | Books to be delivered to successor.

• Effective: October 27, 1981
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 114 - 114th General Assembly

The books required to be kept by sections 311.01 to 311.23 of the Revised Code, shall not be removed from the sheriff's office. Such books shall be delivered over, without mutilation, as public property to each succeeding sheriff. No sheriff shall willfully fail to comply with this section or section 311.11 of the Revised Code.

Section 311.14 | Moneys, books, and papers to be delivered to successor.

• Effective: October 11, 1953
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly

Upon retiring from office, the sheriff shall pay over to his successor in office all moneys received by such sheriff and remaining in his hands. He shall deliver to his successor all evidences of indebtedness and all books, blanks, and stationery belonging to his office. Each sheriff shall demand and receive such books and papers from his predecessor.

Section 311.15 | Process, goods, and prisoners to be delivered to successor.

• Effective: October 1, 1953
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly

When the term of office for which a sheriff has been elected expires, or he resigns or moves outside the county, such sheriff shall deliver all writs of execution and all other processes, of whatever description, whether executed or not, and all goods and chattels taken by him, in execution or on attachment, which remain in his hands, together with all bonds, to the person elected or appointed and qualified to discharge the duties of sheriff, and he shall make the necessary and proper return upon each such writ or other process so far as executed. Such sheriff shall also deliver to his successor all prisoners in the county jail or otherwise in his custody, with all bail bonds taken by him and remaining in his possession. The new sheriff shall receive all such prisoners, writs, or other processes, and he shall execute such writs and processes as remain unexecuted in whole or in part as if they had been directed to him originally. No process shall be directed to or executed by a sheriff whose term of office has expired.

Section 311.16 | Annual report of sheriff.

• Effective: October 1, 1953
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly

On the first Monday in September of each year, the sheriff shall make a certified statement to the board of county commissioners of all fines and costs in criminal prosecutions collected by him, on execution or otherwise, during the year next preceding such date, and he shall also report in such statement the amount of fines and costs so collected and paid over to the clerk of the court of common pleas or to the county treasurer.

If the sheriff fails to make reports at the time and in the manner required by this section, he shall forfeit and pay not less than fifty nor more than one hundred dollars, to be recovered in a civil action in the name of the board.

Section 311.17 | Fees.

• Effective: May 22, 2012
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 268 - 129th General Assembly

Except as provided in a contract entered into under division (A) of section 3125.141 of the Revised Code, for the services specified in this section, the sheriff shall charge the following fees, which the court or its clerk shall tax in the bill of costs against the judgment debtor or those legally liable therefor for the judgment:

(A) For the service and return of the following writs and orders:

(1) Execution:

(a) When money is paid without levy or when no property is found, thirty dollars;

(b) When levy is made on real property, for the first tract, twenty-five dollars, and for each additional tract, ten dollars;

(c) When levy is made on goods and chattels, including inventory, fifty dollars.

(2) Writ of attachment of property, except for purpose of garnishment, forty dollars;

(3) Writ of attachment for the purpose of garnishment, ten dollars;

(4) Writ of replevin, forty dollars;

(5) Warrant to arrest, for each person named in the writ, twenty dollars;

(6) Attachment for contempt, for each person named in the writ, six dollars;

(7) Writ of possession or restitution, sixty dollars;

(8) Subpoena, for each person named in the writ, in either a civil or criminal case, ten dollars;

(9) Summoning each juror, six dollars;

(10) Writ of partition, twenty-five dollars;

(11) Order of sale on partition, for the first tract, fifty dollars, and for each additional tract, twenty-five dollars;

(12) Other order of sale of real property, for the first tract, fifty dollars, and for each additional tract, twenty-five dollars;

(13) Administering oath to appraisers, three dollars each;

(14) Furnishing copies for advertisements, one dollar for each hundred words;

(15) Copy of indictment, for each defendant, five dollars;

(16) All summons, writs, orders, or notices, for the first name, six dollars, and for each additional name, one dollar.

(B) In addition to the fee for service and return:

(1) On each summons, writ, order, or notice, a fee of two dollars per mile for the first mile, and one dollar per mile for each additional mile, going and returning, actual mileage to be charged on each additional name;

(2) Taking bail bond, three dollars;

(3) Jail fees, as follows:

(a) For receiving a prisoner, five dollars each time a prisoner is received, and for discharging or surrendering a prisoner, five dollars each time a prisoner is discharged or surrendered. The departure or return of a prisoner from or to a jail in connection with a program established under section 5147.28 of the Revised Code is not a receipt, discharge, or surrender of the prisoner for purposes of this division.

(b) Taking a prisoner before a judge or court, per day, five dollars;

(c) Calling action, one dollar;

(d) Calling jury, three dollars;

(e) Calling each witness, three dollars;

(f) Bringing prisoner before court on habeas corpus, six dollars.

(4) Poundage on all moneys actually made and paid to the sheriff on execution, decree, or sale of real estate, one and one-half per cent;

(5) Making and executing a deed of land sold on execution, decree, or order of the court, to be paid by the purchaser, fifty dollars.

When any of the services described in division (A) or (B) of this section are rendered by an officer or employee, whose salary or per diem compensation is paid by the county, the applicable legal fees and any other extraordinary expenses, including overtime, provided for the service shall be taxed in the costs in the case and, when collected, shall be paid into the general fund of the county.

The sheriff shall charge the same fees for the execution of process issued in any other state as the sheriff charges for the execution of process of a substantively similar nature that is issued in this state.

Section 311.171 | Fees for sex offender registration and notification.

• Effective: January 1, 2008
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 10 - 127th General Assembly

(A) As used in this section:

(1) "Federal poverty level" means the income level represented by the poverty guidelines as revised annually by the United States department of health and human services in accordance with section 673(2) of the "Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1981," 95 Stat. 511, 42 U.S.C.A. 9902, as amended, for a family size equal to the size of the family of the person whose income is being determined.

(2) "Registration year" of an offender means one of the following:

(a) The twelve-month period beginning on the anniversary, occurring on or after January 1, 2004, of the date on which an offender's registration period began in accordance with section 2950.07 of the Revised Code;

(b) The twelve-month period beginning on the date on which an offender's registration period begins, on or after January 1, 2004, in accordance with section 2950.07 of the Revised Code.

(3) "Sexually oriented offense," "child-victim oriented offense," and "tier III sex offender/child-victim offender" have the same meanings as in section 2950.01 of the Revised Code.

(B) The sheriff may charge a fee each time a person does any of the following:

(1) Registers under section 2950.04 or 2950.041 of the Revised Code;

(2) Registers a new residence address under section 2950.05 of the Revised Code;

(3) Verifies a current residence address under section 2950.06 of the Revised Code.

(C) If the sheriff charges one or more fees provided for in division (B) of this section, all of the following apply:

(1) The sheriff shall not require the payment of any fee from a delinquent child until the delinquent child reaches eighteen years of age. When a delinquent child reaches eighteen years of age and the sheriff charges a fee to the delinquent child, the provisions of this section applicable to "offenders" shall be construed to apply to the delinquent child.

(2) For an offender who is a tier III sex offender/child-victim offender, the fees may not exceed a total of one hundred dollars for each registration year.

(3) For an offender who has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to a sexually oriented offense or a child-victim offense and who is not described in division (C)(2) of this section, the fees may not exceed a total of twenty-five dollars for each registration year.

(4) An offender who is required to pay a fee shall retain the receipts received under section 325.28 of the Revised Code for payments made during the offender's registration year to establish that the payment of any fee will exceed the maximum annual amount permissible under this division.

(5) The sheriff shall not refuse to register a person, register a new residence address of a person, or verify the current residence address of a person, who does not pay a fee the sheriff requires under this section.

(6) The sheriff shall report unpaid fees in accordance with division (C) of section 325.31 of the Revised Code, and the county may recover those fees in a civil action in the same manner as other money due the county.

(D) Each time a person appears before the sheriff to provide any registration or verification specified in division (B) of this section for which the sheriff charges a fee, the sheriff shall determine whether the person is able to pay the fee. In making that determination, the sheriff shall determine whether the person's income is less than one hundred twenty-five per cent of the federal poverty level. A person whose income is equal to or greater than one hundred twenty-five per cent of the federal poverty level shall be considered able to pay the fee.

(E) If a sheriff determines a person's income is less than one hundred twenty-five per cent of the federal poverty level, the sheriff shall waive payment of the fee. If the sheriff determines a person's income is equal to or greater than one hundred twenty-five per cent of the federal poverty level, the sheriff may allow the person to pay the fee in accordance with a payment schedule the sheriff establishes based on the person's ability to pay. The sheriff shall document any waiver or alternative fee arrangement in the official registration records of the sheriff's office and shall provide the offender with a written copy of any waiver or alternative fee arrangement.

(F) All fees paid to a sheriff under this section shall be paid into the county treasury to the credit of the county general fund and shall be allocated to the sheriff to be used to defray the costs of registering sex offenders and child-victim offenders and providing community notification under Chapter 2950. of the Revised Code.

(G) If an offender has registered with a sheriff and subsequently relocates to a different county during a registration year, the annual maximum amounts set forth in division (C) of this section shall apply to the sheriff in the new county, and that sheriff shall consider any payments already made by the offender for purposes of determining when the applicable maximum has been met for the offender's registration year.

Section 311.172 | Fees for sexual offender registration.

• Effective: September 29, 2013
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 59 - 130th General Assembly

(A) The sheriff shall charge a one-time fee of one hundred dollars when a person who, on or after the effective date of this section, is convicted of an offense for which registration is required under section 2950.04 or 2950.041 of the Revised Code registers for the first time. The fee shall be in addition to any fee that may be charged under section 311.171 of the Revised Code.

(B) The sheriff shall not refuse to register a person who does not pay the fee required by this section. At the end of each calendar year, the sheriff shall report to the attorney general all fees that have been due and unpaid for more than one year and that the sheriff has not previously reported. The attorney general may recover those fees in a civil action.

(C) The sheriff shall transmit on or before the twentieth day of the following month all money collected during a month under this section to the county treasurer. Within sixty days after receipt, the county treasurer shall transmit the money to the treasurer of state to be credited to the rape crisis program trust fund created by section 109.921 of the Revised Code.

Section 311.18 | Mileage fees on foreign process.

• Effective: October 1, 1953
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly

When a sheriff returns, in any manner other than by himself or his deputy personally, any process issued from the court of common pleas or other court of a county other than that in which he resides, such sheriff shall receive only mileage on such return of process, to be computed from his office to the place of service and back to his office.

Section 311.19 | Fees of appraisers.

• Effective: October 1, 1953
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly

In all cases in which an attachment is issued, the freeholders required to be called by the sheriff to appraise property shall be allowed such fees for their services as the court directs.

Section 311.20 | Allowance for prisoners.

• Effective: July 6, 1982
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 23 - 114th General Assembly

On or before the twenty-first day of June of each year, the sheriff shall prepare and submit to the board of county commissioners a budget estimating the cost of operating the jail and feeding its inmates for the ensuing fiscal year.

On the fifth day of each month the sheriff shall render to the board an itemized and accurate account, with all bills attached, showing the actual cost of keeping and feeding prisoners and other persons placed in his charge and the number of meals served to each such prisoner or other person during the preceding month. The number of days for which allowance shall be made shall be computed on the basis of one day for each three meals actually served.

Section 311.21 | Fees in cases relating to dower.

• Effective: October 1, 1953
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly

The sheriff shall be allowed fees as follows for service relating to dower: For summoning and swearing the board of county commissioners, traveling fees, to be computed from the place of return of his proceedings to the place where the land lies in which dower is to be assigned, at the rate of ten cents per mile.

Section 311.22 | Service of process.

• Effective: October 1, 1953
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly

The court or judge may, for good cause, appoint a person to serve a particular process or order, and such person shall have the same power to execute such process or order which the sheriff has Such person may be appointed on the motion of the party who obtains the process or order, and the return must be verified by affidavit. He shall be entitled to the fees allowed to the sheriff for similar services.

Section 311.23 | Adjournment of court.

• Effective: August 6, 1976
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 390 - 111th General Assembly

If the judge of the court of common pleas, or a quorum of the judges of the court of appeals, fails to attend at the time and place appointed for holding such court, or if, after the calling of the court, the judge of the court of common pleas or a quorum of the judges of the court of appeals is unable, on account of sickness or from any other cause, to attend the daily sessions of such court, the sheriff shall adjourn the court from day to day, until such judge attends or such quorum is convened.

Section 311.25 | County sheriffs' standard car-marking and uniform commission.

• Effective: October 23, 1959
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 257 - 103rd General Assembly

A commission is hereby established to be known as the county sheriffs' standard car-marking and uniform commission. It shall consist of three members, not more than two of whom shall be members of the same political party. To be eligible for appointment a person shall be an elected and acting county sheriff. Each member shall be appointed by the governor, with the advice and consent of the senate, and shall serve at the pleasure of the governor.

Section 311.26 | Organization of commission.

• Effective: September 27, 1963
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 127 - 105th General Assembly

The county sheriffs' standard car-marking and uniform commission shall elect one of its members as president, who shall preside at its meetings and who may call meetings. The commission may make its own bylaws.

Section 311.27 | Members receive no compensation.

• Effective: September 27, 1963
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 127 - 105th General Assembly

The members of the county sheriffs' standard car-marking and uniform commission shall receive no compensation for their services.

Section 311.28 | Duties.

• Effective: January 9, 1961
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 104th General Assembly

The county sheriffs' standard car-marking and uniform commission shall prescribe a uniform of standard design and color for the use of all county sheriffs and shall prescribe a standard color and design of car-marking for all motor vehicles used by county sheriffs.

On and after January 1, 1961, the standard uniform shall be worn by the county sheriffs and their deputies and the standard car-markings shall be used on all cars operated by the county sheriffs and their deputies while in the performance of their duties.

Section 311.281 | Use of sheriff's uniform and vehicle markings prohibited.

• Effective: July 1, 1996
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 2 - 121st General Assembly

(A) No person, except a county sheriff or the deputies of a county sheriff, shall wear the badge, the standard uniform, or any distinctive part of the standard uniform prescribed for county sheriffs and their deputies by the county sheriffs' standard car-marking and uniform commission.

(B) No person, except a county sheriff or the deputies of a county sheriff, shall mark a motor vehicle in a manner similar to that prescribed for county sheriffs and their deputies by the county sheriffs' standard car-marking and uniform commission.

(C) Whoever violates division (A) of this section is guilty of a violation of section 2921.51 of the Revised Code. Whoever violates division (B) of this section is guilty of a violation of section 2913.441 of the Revised Code.

Section 311.29 | Contracts for police services.

• Effective: March 23, 2018
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 8 - 132nd General Assembly

(A) As used in this section:

(1) "Chartered nonpublic school" has the same meaning defined in section 3310.01 of the Revised Code.

(2) "Chautauqua assembly" has the same meaning as in section 4511.90 of the Revised Code.

(3) "Community preventative education program" has the meaning defined in division (D) of section 2981.13 of the Revised Code.

(4) "Community school" means a community school established under Chapter 3314. of the Revised Code.

(B) The sheriff may, from time to time, enter into contracts with any municipal corporation, township, township police district, joint police district, metropolitan housing authority, port authority, water or sewer district, school district, community school governing authority, library district, health district, park district created pursuant to section 511.18 or 1545.01 of the Revised Code, soil and water conservation district, water conservancy district, or other taxing district or with the board of county commissioners of any contiguous county with the concurrence of the sheriff of the other county, and such subdivisions, authorities, and counties may enter into agreements with the sheriff pursuant to which the sheriff undertakes and is authorized by the contracting subdivision, authority, or county to perform any police function, exercise any police power, or render any police service in behalf of the contracting subdivision, authority, or county, or its legislative authority, that the subdivision, authority, or county, or its legislative authority, may perform, exercise, or render.

Upon the execution of an agreement under this division and within the limitations prescribed by it, the sheriff may exercise the same powers as the contracting subdivision, authority, or county possesses with respect to such policing that by the agreement the sheriff undertakes to perform or render, and all powers necessary or incidental thereto, as amply as such powers are possessed and exercised by the contracting subdivision, authority, or county directly.

Any agreement authorized by division (A), (B), or (C) of this section shall not suspend the possession by a contracting subdivision, authority, or county of any police power performed or exercised or police service rendered in pursuance to the agreement nor limit the authority of the sheriff.

(C) The sheriff may enter into contracts with any Chautauqua assembly that has grounds located within the county, and the Chautauqua assembly may enter into agreements with the sheriff pursuant to which the sheriff undertakes to perform any police function, exercise any police power, or render any police service upon the grounds of the Chautauqua assembly that the sheriff is authorized by law to perform, exercise, or render in any other part of the county within the sheriff's territorial jurisdiction. Upon the execution of an agreement under this division, the sheriff may, within the limitations prescribed by the agreement, exercise such powers with respect to such policing upon the grounds of the Chautauqua assembly, provided that any limitation contained in the agreement shall not be construed to limit the authority of the sheriff.

(D) Contracts entered into under division (A), (B), (C), or (F) of this section shall provide for the reimbursement of the county for the costs incurred by the sheriff for such policing including, but not limited to, the salaries of deputy sheriffs assigned to such policing, the current costs of funding retirement pensions and of providing workers' compensation, the cost of training, and the cost of equipment and supplies used in such policing, to the extent that such equipment and supplies are not directly furnished by the contracting subdivision, authority, county, or Chautauqua assembly. Each such contract shall provide for the ascertainment of such costs and shall be of any duration, not in excess of four years, and may contain any other terms that may be agreed upon. All payments pursuant to any such contract in reimbursement of the costs of such policing shall be made to the treasurer of the county to be credited to a special fund to be known as the "sheriff's policing revolving fund," hereby created. Any moneys coming into the fund shall be used for the purposes provided in divisions (A) to (D) and (F) of this section and paid out on vouchers by the county commissioners as other funds coming into their possession. Any moneys credited to the fund and not obligated at the termination of the contract shall be credited to the county general fund.

The sheriff shall assign the number of deputies as may be provided for in any contract made pursuant to division (A), (B), (C), or (F) of this section. The number of deputies regularly assigned to such policing shall be in addition to and an enlargement of the sheriff's regular number of deputies. Nothing in divisions (A) to (D) or (F) of this section shall preclude the sheriff from temporarily increasing or decreasing the deputies so assigned as emergencies indicate a need for shifting assignments to the extent provided by the contracts.

All such deputies shall have the same powers and duties, the same qualifications, and be appointed and paid and receive the same benefits and provisions and be governed by the same laws as all other deputy sheriffs.

Contracts under division (A), (B), (C), or (F) of this section may be entered into jointly with the board of county commissioners, and sections 307.14 to 307.19 of the Revised Code apply to this section insofar as they may be applicable.

(E)(1) As used in division (E) of this section:

(a) "Ohio prisoner" has the same meaning as in section 5120.64 of the Revised Code.

(b) "Out-of-state prisoner" and "private contractor" have the same meanings as in section 9.07 of the Revised Code.

(2) The sheriff may enter into a contract with a private person or entity for the return of Ohio prisoners who are the responsibility of the sheriff from outside of this state to a location in this state specified by the sheriff, if there are adequate funds appropriated by the board of county commissioners and there is a certification pursuant to division (D) of section 5705.41 of the Revised Code that the funds are available for this purpose. A contract entered into under this division is within the coverage of section 325.07 of the Revised Code. If a sheriff enters into a contract as described in this division, subject to division (E)(3) of this section, the private person or entity in accordance with the contract may return Ohio prisoners from outside of this state to locations in this state specified by the sheriff. A contract entered into under this division shall include all of the following:

(a) Specific provisions that assign the responsibility for costs related to medical care of prisoners while they are being returned that is not covered by insurance of the private person or entity;

(b) Specific provisions that set forth the number of days, not exceeding ten, within which the private person or entity, after it receives the prisoner in the other state, must deliver the prisoner to the location in this state specified by the sheriff, subject to the exceptions adopted as described in division (E)(2)(c) of this section;

(c) Any exceptions to the specified number of days for delivery specified as described in division (E)(2)(b) of this section;

(d) A requirement that the private person or entity immediately report all escapes of prisoners who are being returned to this state, and the apprehension of all prisoners who are being returned and who have escaped, to the sheriff and to the local law enforcement agency of this state or another state that has jurisdiction over the place at which the escape occurs;

(e) A schedule of fines that the sheriff shall impose upon the private person or entity if the private person or entity fails to perform its contractual duties, and a requirement that, if the private person or entity fails to perform its contractual duties, the sheriff shall impose a fine on the private person or entity from the schedule of fines and, in addition, may exercise any other rights the sheriff has under the contract.

(f) If the contract is entered into on or after the effective date of the rules adopted by the department of rehabilitation and correction under section 5120.64 of the Revised Code, specific provisions that comport with all applicable standards that are contained in those rules.

(3) If the private person or entity that enters into the contract fails to perform its contractual duties, the sheriff shall impose upon the private person or entity a fine from the schedule, the money paid in satisfaction of the fine shall be paid into the county treasury, and the sheriff may exercise any other rights the sheriff has under the contract. If a fine is imposed under this division, the sheriff may reduce the payment owed to the private person or entity pursuant to any invoice in the amount of the fine.

(4) Upon the effective date of the rules adopted by the department of rehabilitation and correction under section 5120.64 of the Revised Code, notwithstanding the existence of a contract entered into under division (E)(2) of this section, in no case shall the private person or entity that is a party to the contract return Ohio prisoners from outside of this state into this state for a sheriff unless the private person or entity complies with all applicable standards that are contained in the rules.

(5) Divisions (E)(1) to (4) of this section do not apply regarding any out-of-state prisoner who is brought into this state to be housed pursuant to section 9.07 of the Revised Code in a correctional facility in this state that is managed and operated by a private contractor.

(F)(1) A sheriff may enter into contracts with a chartered nonpublic school, located in the sheriff's territorial jurisdiction, to provide community preventive education programs.

(2) A sheriff may enter into contracts with a private institution of higher education, located in the sheriff's territorial jurisdiction, to provide police services.

Under these contracts, the sheriff may undertake to perform any police function, exercise any police power, or render any police service upon the grounds of the chartered nonpublic school or private institution of higher education that the sheriff is authorized by law to perform, exercise, or render in any other part of the county within the sheriff's territorial jurisdiction. Upon the execution of a contract under this division, the sheriff may, within the limitations prescribed by the contract, exercise such powers with respect to such policing provided that any limitation contained in the contract shall not be construed to limit the authority of the sheriff.

(G) A sheriff may enter into contracts with a county court or a municipal court located in the sheriff's territorial jurisdiction for the transportation of persons between the county jail and a county court or municipal court. Each contract shall provide for the costs of providing transportation services from the county jail to the court and shall not apply to a period in excess of four years.

Section 311.30 | Parking enforcement unit.

• Effective: July 13, 1990
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 174 - 118th General Assembly

(A) The board of county commissioners may establish, by resolution, a parking enforcement unit within the office of the sheriff to operate in the unincorporated areas of the county, and may provide for the regulation of parking enforcement officers. The sheriff shall be the executive head of the parking enforcement unit, shall make all appointments and removals of parking enforcement officers, subject to any general rules prescribed by the board of county commissioners by resolution, and shall prescribe rules for the organization, training, administration, control, and conduct of the parking enforcement unit. The sheriff may appoint parking enforcement officers who agree to serve for nominal compensation, and persons with physical disabilities may receive appointments as parking enforcement officers.

(B) The authority of the parking enforcement officers shall be limited to the enforcement of section 4511.69 of the Revised Code and any other parking laws specified in the resolution creating the parking enforcement unit. Parking enforcement officers shall have no other powers.

(C) The training the parking enforcement officers shall receive shall include instruction in general administrative rules and procedures governing the parking enforcement unit, the role of the judicial system as it relates to parking regulation and enforcement, proper techniques and methods relating to the enforcement of parking laws, human interaction skills, and first aid.

Section 311.31 | Voluntary motor vehicle decal registration program.

• Effective: September 29, 2011
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 153 - 129th General Assembly

(A) The board of county commissioners of a county may establish, by resolution, a voluntary motor vehicle decal registration program to be controlled and conducted by the sheriff within the unincorporated areas of the county. The board may establish a fee for participation in the program in an amount sufficient to cover the cost of administering the program and the cost of the decals. The board shall coordinate its program with any pre-existing program established by a township located within the county under section 505.67 of the Revised Code.

(B) Any resident of the county may enroll a motor vehicle that the resident owns in the program by signing a consent form, displaying the decal issued under this section, and paying the prescribed fee. The motor vehicle owner shall remove the decal to withdraw from the program and also prior to the sale or transfer of ownership of the vehicle. Any law enforcement officer may conduct, at any place within this state at which the officer would be permitted to arrest the person operating the vehicle, an investigatory stop of any motor vehicle displaying a decal issued under this section when the vehicle is being driven between the hours of one a.m. and five a.m. A law enforcement officer may conduct an investigatory stop under this division regardless of whether the officer observes a violation of law involving the vehicle or whether the officer has probable cause to believe that any violation of law involving the vehicle has occurred.

(C) The consent form required under division (B) of this section shall:

(1) Describe the conditions for participation in the program, including a description of an investigatory stop and a statement that any law enforcement officer may conduct, at any place within this state at which the officer would be permitted to arrest the person operating the vehicle, an investigatory stop of the motor vehicle when it is being driven between the hours of one a.m. and five a.m.

(2) Contain other information identifying the vehicle and owner as the sheriff considers necessary.

(D) The state director of public safety, in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, shall adopt rules governing the color, size, and design of decals issued under this section and the location where the decals shall be displayed on vehicles that are enrolled in the program.

(E) Divisions (A) to (D) of this section do not require a law enforcement officer to conduct an investigatory stop of a vehicle displaying a decal issued under this section.

(F) As used in this section:

(1) "Investigatory stop" means a temporary stop of a motor vehicle and its operator and occupants for purposes of determining the identity of the person who is operating the vehicle and, if the person who is operating it is not its owner, whether any violation of law has occurred or is occurring. An "investigatory stop" is not an arrest, but, if an officer who conducts an investigatory stop determines that illegal conduct has occurred or is occurring, an "investigatory stop" may be the basis for an arrest.

(2) "Law enforcement officer" means a sheriff, deputy sheriff, constable, police officer of a township or joint police district, marshal, deputy marshal, municipal police officer, or state highway patrol trooper.

Section 311.37 | Regulation of transient vendors.

• Effective: June 21, 2002
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 143 - 124th General Assembly

(A) No transient vendor, as defined in section 5739.17 of the Revised Code, who obtains a transient vendor's license pursuant to section 5739.17 of the Revised Code, intending to provide goods and services of a retail value of more than five hundred dollars, shall negligently fail to file with the county sheriff all of the following before doing business as a transient vendor anywhere in that county:

(1) Proof of the transient vendor's identity and proof that a transient vendor's license has been obtained in this state;

(2) A statement describing the goods or services to be provided by the transient vendor and an estimate of the amount of the goods or services that the vendor expects to sell in that county, as documented by invoices indicating the wholesale value of goods to be sold;

(3) The transient vendor's permanent business address;

(4) The times and days during which, and the temporary places of business, as defined in section 5739.17 of the Revised Code, at which the transient vendor plans to do business in that county.

(B) The sheriff shall maintain a record of the information required under division (A) of this section for a period of two years, which shall be open to the inspection of any person. The sheriff shall be allowed a fee of up to one hundred dollars for collection of the bond required by this section. The bond shall be fifty per cent of the wholesale value of the goods and services provided, but in no case shall the bond exceed ten thousand dollars. The bond shall be in a form approved by the attorney general. The bond shall remain in effect for two years after the transient vendor last does business in that county.

(C) No transient vendor, as defined in section 5739.17 of the Revised Code, intending to provide goods and services of a retail value of more than five hundred dollars, shall negligently fail to file a bond within ten days before doing business as a transient vendor anywhere in that county.

(D) The bond filed by any transient vendor pursuant to this section shall be given to the attorney general by the county sheriff within ten working days after a transient vendor ceases to do business in that county, and shall be in favor of the state for the benefit of any person who suffers loss or damage as a result of the purchase of goods from the transient vendor or as the result of the negligent or intentionally tortious acts of the transient vendor in the conduct of business in the county. The bond may be used to compensate any state or local agency for damages caused by the transient vendor, for costs incurred by the agency for the illegal acts of the transient vendor, or for failure to pay any amount owed by the transient vendor to the state or local agency. The bond also may be used to compensate the state for any sales tax not paid by the transient vendor. Except for the amount of unpaid sales taxes to be deducted from the bond, if any, the attorney general shall pay any portion of the bond to any person or agency in accordance with the order of a court without making an independent finding as to the amount of the bond that is payable to that person or agency.

(E) This section does not apply to any of the following:

(1) A transient vendor making retail sales at a temporary exhibition, show, fair, world trade center, flea market, or similar event, as permitted by section 5739.17 of the Revised Code;

(2) Any nonprofit corporation, community chest, fund, or foundation organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, literary, or educational purposes when no part of the entity's earnings benefit any private shareholder or individual;

(3) Any person who operates a permanent business in this state, occupies temporary premises, and prominently displays the permanent business' name and permanent address while business is conducted from the temporary premises.

(4) Any person who sells goods by sample, brochure, or catalog for future delivery or any person who makes sales as the result of the invitation of an owner or occupant of a residence to the person.

(5) Any person who sells handmade or handcrafted items, or who sells fresh farm produce.

Nothing in this section shall prohibit the legislative authority of a municipal corporation from adopting an ordinance regulating transient vendors, as defined in section 5739.17 of the Revised Code, except that a municipal corporation may not require a transient vendor who obtains a bond in compliance with this section to obtain or pay for any additional bond or require that persons exempt pursuant to division (E) of this section obtain a bond. A municipal corporation may require that a transient vendor exhibit the transient vendor's license and any proof of bond required to such officer or employee of the municipal corporation as the municipal corporation designates by ordinance.

Section 311.41 | Criminal records check and incompetency check of applicant.

• Effective: March 23, 2015
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 234 - 130th General Assembly

(A)(1) Upon receipt of an application for a concealed handgun license under division (C) of section 2923.125 of the Revised Code, an application to renew a concealed handgun license under division (F) of that section, or an application for a concealed handgun license on a temporary emergency basis under section 2923.1213 of the Revised Code, the sheriff shall conduct a criminal records check and an incompetency check of the applicant to determine whether the applicant fails to meet the criteria described in division (D)(1) of section 2923.125 of the Revised Code. As part of any such criminal records check, the sheriff shall contact the national instant criminal background check system to verify that the applicant is eligible lawfully to receive or possess a firearm in the United States. The sheriff shall conduct the criminal records check and the incompetency records check required by this division through use of an electronic fingerprint reading device or, if the sheriff does not possess and does not have ready access to the use of an electronic fingerprint reading device, by requesting the bureau of criminal identification and investigation to conduct the checks as described in this division.

In order to conduct the criminal records check and the incompetency records check, the sheriff shall obtain the fingerprints of at least four fingers of the applicant by using an electronic fingerprint reading device for the purpose of conducting the criminal records check and the incompetency records check or, if the sheriff does not possess and does not have ready access to the use of an electronic fingerprint reading device, shall obtain from the applicant a completed standard fingerprint impression sheet prescribed pursuant to division (C)(2) of section 109.572 of the Revised Code. The fingerprints so obtained, along with the applicant's social security number, shall be used to conduct the criminal records check and the incompetency records check. If the sheriff does not use an electronic fingerprint reading device to obtain the fingerprints and conduct the records checks, the sheriff shall submit the completed standard fingerprint impression sheet of the applicant, along with the applicant's social security number, to the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation and shall request the bureau to conduct the criminal records check and the incompetency records check of the applicant and, if necessary, shall request the superintendent of the bureau to obtain information from the federal bureau of investigation as part of the criminal records check for the applicant. If it is not possible to use an electronic fingerprint reading device to conduct an incompetency records check, the sheriff shall submit the completed standard fingerprint impression sheet of the applicant, along with the applicant's social security number, to the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation and shall request the bureau to conduct the incompetency records check. The sheriff shall not retain the applicant's fingerprints as part of the application.

(2) Except as otherwise provided in this division, if at any time the applicant decides not to continue with the application process, the sheriff immediately shall cease any investigation that is being conducted under division (A)(1) of this section. The sheriff shall not cease that investigation if, at the time of the applicant's decision not to continue with the application process, the sheriff had determined from any of the sheriff's investigations that the applicant then was engaged in activity of a criminal nature.

(B) If a criminal records check and an incompetency records check conducted under division (A) of this section do not indicate that the applicant fails to meet the criteria described in division (D)(1) of section 2923.125 of the Revised Code, except as otherwise provided in this division, the sheriff shall destroy or cause a designated employee to destroy all records other than the application for a concealed handgun license, the application to renew a concealed handgun license, or the affidavit submitted regarding an application for a concealed handgun license on a temporary emergency basis that were made in connection with the criminal records check and incompetency records check within twenty days after conducting the criminal records check and incompetency records check. If an applicant appeals a denial of an application as described in division (D)(2) of section 2923.125 of the Revised Code or challenges the results of a criminal records check pursuant to section 2923.127 of the Revised Code, records of fingerprints of the applicant shall not be destroyed during the pendency of the appeal or the challenge and review. When an applicant appeals a denial as described in that division, the twenty-day period described in this division commences regarding the fingerprints upon the determination of the appeal. When required as a result of a challenge and review performed pursuant to section 2923.127 of the Revised Code, the source the sheriff used in conducting the criminal records check shall destroy or the chief operating officer of the source shall cause an employee of the source designated by the chief to destroy all records other than the application for a concealed handgun license, the application to renew a concealed handgun license, or the affidavit submitted regarding an application for a concealed handgun license on a temporary emergency basis that were made in connection with the criminal records check within twenty days after completion of that challenge and review.

(C) If division (B) of this section applies to a particular criminal records check or incompetency records check, no sheriff, employee of a sheriff designated by the sheriff to destroy records under that division, source the sheriff used in conducting the criminal records check or incompetency records check, or employee of the source designated by the chief operating officer of the source to destroy records under that division shall fail to destroy or cause to be destroyed within the applicable twenty-day period specified in that division all records other than the application for a concealed handgun license, the application to renew a concealed handgun license, or the affidavit submitted regarding an application for a concealed handgun license on a temporary emergency basis made in connection with the particular criminal records check or incompetency records check.

(D) Whoever violates division (C) of this section is guilty of failure to destroy records, a misdemeanor of the second degree.

(E) As used in this section:

(1) "Concealed handgun license" and "handgun" have the same meanings as in section 2923.11 of the Revised Code.

(2) "National instant criminal background check system" means the system established by the United States attorney general pursuant to section 103 of the "Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act," Pub. L. No. 103-159.

Section 311.42 | Sheriff's concealed handgun license issuance expense fund.

• Effective: October 17, 2019
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 166 - 133rd General Assembly

(A) Each county shall establish in the county treasury a sheriff's concealed handgun license issuance expense fund. The sheriff of that county shall deposit into that fund all fees paid by applicants for the issuance or renewal of a concealed handgun license or duplicate concealed handgun license under section 2923.125 of the Revised Code and all fees paid by the person seeking a concealed handgun license on a temporary emergency basis under section 2923.1213 of the Revised Code. The county shall distribute all fees deposited into the fund except forty dollars of each fee paid by an applicant under division (B) of section 2923.125 of the Revised Code, fifteen dollars of each fee paid under section 2923.1213 of the Revised Code, and thirty-five dollars of each fee paid under division (F) of section 2923.125 of the Revised Code to the attorney general to be used to pay the cost of background checks performed by the bureau of criminal identification and investigation and the federal bureau of investigation and to cover administrative costs associated with issuing the license.

(B) The sheriff, with the approval of the board of county commissioners, may expend any county portion of the fees deposited into the sheriff's concealed handgun license issuance expense fund for any of the following:

(1) Any costs incurred by the sheriff in connection with performing any administrative functions related to the issuance of concealed handgun licenses under section 2923.125 or 2923.1213 of the Revised Code, including, but not limited to, personnel expenses and any costs associated with a firearm safety education program, or a firearm training or qualification program that the sheriff chooses to fund;

(2) Ammunition and firearms to be used by the sheriff and the sheriff's employees;

(3) Any costs incurred in constructing, maintaining, or renovating a shooting range to be used by the sheriff or the sheriff's employees, including costs incurred for equipment associated with the shooting range.

Section 311.43 | Certification by a chief law enforcement officer.

• Effective: March 23, 2015
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 234 - 130th General Assembly

(A) As used in this section:

(1) "Certification" means the participation and assent of the chief law enforcement officer necessary under federal law for the approval of an application to make or transfer a firearm.

(2) "Chief law enforcement officer" means any official the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and explosives, or any successor agency, identifies by regulation or otherwise as eligible to provide any required certification for the making or transfer of a firearm.

(3) "Concealed handgun license" has the same meaning as in section 2923.11 of the Revised Code.

(B) A resident of this state may submit to the sheriff of the county in which the resident resides or to the sheriff of any county adjacent to the county in which the resident resides any federal form that requires a law enforcement certification by a chief law enforcement officer.

(C) The sheriff shall accept and process the certification in the same manner as an application for a concealed handgun license is processed under section 2923.125 of the Revised Code, including the requirement for a background check, except as follows:

(1) If a resident of this state submits one or more federal forms, the sheriff shall charge the resident no more than the applicable fee described in division (B)(1)(a) of section 2923.125 of the Revised Code, without regard to how many federal forms are submitted at the same time.

(2) If a resident of this state submits one or more federal forms and currently has a concealed handgun license or the sheriff has previously approved a federal form for that resident, the sheriff shall charge the resident no more than the applicable fee described in division (F)(4) of section 2923.125 of the Revised Code, without regard to how many federal forms are submitted at the same time.

Section 311.99 | Penalty.

• Effective: June 21, 2002
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 143 - 124th General Assembly

(A) Whoever violates section 311.13 of the Revised Code shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars and imprisoned in the county jail not less than thirty days or more than two years.

(B) Whoever violates division (A) or (C) of section 311.37 of the Revised Code is guilty of failure to file a transient vendor's information or bond, a minor misdemeanor. If the offender previously has been convicted of a violation of division (A) of section 311.37 of the Revised Code, failure to file a transient vendor's information or bond is a misdemeanor of the second degree. If the offender previously has been convicted of two or more violations of division (A) of section 311.37 of the Revised Code, failure to file a transient vendor's information or bond is a misdemeanor of the first degree. A sheriff or police officer in a municipal corporation may enforce this division. The prosecuting attorney of a county shall inform the tax commissioner of any instance when a complaint is brought against a transient vendor pursuant to this division.