Who Has the Power of Eminent Domain in Ohio?

Eminent Domain
Written By Aaron Kenter

The nonelected persons or entities authorized by statute to use eminent domain power in Ohio include the following: 

  • Department of Administrative Services, Ohio Rev. Code §§ 123.01(A)(2); 

  • Ohio Public Facilities Commission, Ohio Rev. Code § 154.06(A); 

  • any incorporated association with purpose of preserving public parks and memorial sites, Ohio Rev. Code § 155.27; 

  • federal government, Ohio Rev. Code §§ 159.01, 159.03; 

  • county transit boards, Ohio Rev. Code § 306.04(C); 

  • regional transit authorities, Ohio Rev. Code §§ 306.35(J) & (K), 306.82(A) & (K);  

  • regional airport authority, Ohio Rev. Code §§ 308.06(H) & (I), 308.07; 

  • county hospital trustees or hospital commissions, Ohio Rev. Code § 339.01(C); 

  • county, municipal corporations, and township memorial boards of trustees, Ohio Rev. Code § 345.12; 

  • new community authorities, Ohio Rev. Code § 349.06(R); 

  • convention facilities authorities, Ohio Rev. Code §§ 351.06(L), 351.22; 

  • township park district boards of park commissioners, Ohio Rev. Code § 511.24; 

  • joint township district hospital boards, Ohio Rev. Code § 513.15; 

  • commissions for acquisition of land for city halls, Ohio Rev. Code § 735.11; 

  • commissions for acquisition of land for a market house or a public hall in cities, Ohio Rev. Code § 735.13; 

  • commissions to construct or rebuild a public hall, municipal waterworks, or municipal electric lighting system in cities, Ohio Rev. Code § 735.16; 

  • boards of rapid transit commissioners, Ohio Rev. Code §§ 747.08, 747.09; 

  • boards of park commissioners, Ohio Rev. Code § 755.08; 

  • boards of park trustees, Ohio Rev. Code § 755.28; 

  • officers having control and management of public cemeteries, Ohio Rev. Code §§ 759.45, 759.46, 759.48; 

  • Ohio Expositions Commission, Ohio Rev. Code § 991.07; 

  • Director of Natural Resources (ODNR), Ohio Rev. Code §§ 1501.01(G), 1519.02, 1520.03(A); 

  • conservancy district or park board, Ohio Rev. Code §§ 1506.45; 

  • board of park commissioners of metropolitan park districts (regardless of when the park district was created), Ohio Rev. Code § 1545.11, State ex rel. Coles v. Granville, 116 Ohio St. 3d 231, 877 N.E.2d 968, ¶¶ 24-29 (2007); 

  • any corporation organized under Ohio law for the purpose of transporting, selling, or storing gas, Ohio Rev. Code § 1571.17; 

  • county agricultural societies, Ohio Rev. Code § 1711.14; 

  • companies or associations incorporated for cemetery purposes, Ohio Rev. Code §§ 1721.01–1721.04; 

  • pipeline companies, Ohio Rev. Code § 1723; 

  • common carriers that operate a steam railroad, Ohio Rev. Code § 1743.02(D); 

  • any incorporated association that has for its purpose the preservation of public parks and memorial sites, Ohio Rev. Code § 1743.06; 

  • any incorporated association or society, maintained by and operating on behalf of the state for the preservation of historic or prehistoric sites or monuments, for exploration, examination, improvement, or preservation of those sites or monuments for educational, scientific, or memorial purposes, or for the collecting of relics or artifacts from those sites or monuments and placing those relics or artifacts in a public museum, Ohio Rev. Code § 1743.07; 

  • private colleges, universities, and other institutions of higher education, Ohio Rev. Code § 3333.08;  

  • community college districts, Ohio Rev. Code §§ 3354.03, 3354.09(B), 3354.13; 

  • university branch districts, Ohio Rev. Code §§ 3355.03, 3355.06(B), 3355.10; 

  • technical college districts, Ohio Rev. Code §§ 3357.04, 3357.09(B), 3357.12; 

  • state community college districts, Ohio Rev. Code § 3358.08(B); 

  • Ohio Air Quality Development Authority, Ohio Rev. Code § 3706.17; 

  • Director of Environmental Protection (OEPA), Ohio Rev. Code § 3734.23(A); 

  • metropolitan housing authorities, Ohio Rev. Code §§ 3735.31(B), 3735.32; 

  • Department of Transportation, Ohio Rev. Code § 4511.107; 

  • certain port authorities, Ohio Rev. Code § 4582.06(A)(8), 4582.31(A)(17); 

  • telegraph companies, Ohio Rev. Code § 4931.04; 

  • companies organized to supply electric light and power, Ohio Rev. Code § 4933.14; 

  • any company transmitting or distributing electricity for public or private use, Ohio Rev. Code § 4933.15; 

  • any company organized for supplying water for public and private use, Ohio Rev. Code § 4933.152; 

  • companies or persons granted the right to construct or extend a street, railway by a municipal corporation or county, Ohio Rev. Code § 4951.08; 

  • domestic or foreign corporations that own or operate a street railway in a municipal corporation, Ohio Rev. Code § 4951.11; 

  • street railway companies, Ohio Rev. Code § 4951.14; 

  • street railways and interurban or suburban railroads using other than steam power, Ohio Rev. Code § 4951.15; 

  • street railway companies with tracks running in or through a municipal corporation, Ohio Rev. Code § 4951.16; 

  • companies operating elevated or underground railroads pursuant to a grant from a city under Ohio Rev. Code § 4951.34 via Ohio Rev. Code § 4951.40; 

  • union terminal company, Ohio Rev. Code §§ 4953.03, 4953.08; 

  • union electric interurban terminal and depot companies, Ohio Rev. Code § 4953.15; 

  • board of directors of a domestic or foreign railroad corporation, Ohio Rev. Code § 4955.02; 

  • railroad companies, Ohio Rev. Code §§ 4957.04, 4957.23, 4961.10, 4961.16, 4961.17, 4961.25, 4961.26, § 5561.11, § 5591.13; 

  • domestic or foreign railroad companies, Ohio Rev. Code § 4961.13; 

  • former jointly owned, in whole or in part, railroads, Ohio Rev. Code §§ 4967.21-4967.26; 

  • Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC), Ohio Rev. Code §§ 4981.06, 4981.29(A)(5); 

  • Department of Mental Health, Ohio Rev. Code § 5119.431; 

  • Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, Ohio Rev. Code § 5120.46; 

  • Department of Developmental Disabilities, Ohio Rev. Code § 5123.22; 

  • Director of Transportation, Ohio Rev. Code §§ 5501.31, 5511.01, 5515.06, 5529.03(A), 5535.03; 

  • Director of Transportation or a state, county, or local zoning authority, Ohio Rev. Code § 5516.08; 

  • Director of Transportation or the ORDC, Ohio Rev. Code §§ 5519.01, 5519.04, 5519.05; 

  • Director of Transportation and railroad companies, Ohio Rev. Code § 5523.10; 

  • Ohio Turnpike Commission, Ohio Rev. Code §§ 5537.05, 5537.06; 

  • transportation improvement districts, Ohio Rev. Code § 5540.04; 

  • highway improvement commissions, Ohio Rev. Code § 5545.03; 

  • Director of Transportation, Ohio Rev. Code §§ 5579.01, 5579.02; 

  • county and city bridge commissions, Ohio Rev. Code §§ 5593.03, 5593.08(E) & (I); 

  • the Adjutant General, Ohio Rev. Code § 5911.05; 

  • conservancy districts, Ohio Rev. Code §§ 6101.08, 6101.15(K), 6101.17, 6101.18, 6101.181, 6101.25, 6101.26, 6101.35, 6101.36; 

  • sanitary districts, Ohio Rev. Code §§ 6115.08, 6115.18(H), 6115.21, 6115.22, 6115.221, 6115.28, 6115.37, 6115.38; 

  • regional water and sewer districts, Ohio Rev. Code §§ 6119.04(D), 6119.06(M), 6119.11; 

  • Ohio Water Development Authority, Ohio Rev. Code §§ 6121.04(J), 6121.041, 6121.18. 

Aaron Kenter
Previous

What Land Can Be Taken By Eminent Domain?
Next

Do All Pipeline Projects Have the Power of Eminent Domain?