Title 7, Title 7. Municipal Corporations

The powers of the legislative authority of a city shall be legislative only, it shall perform no administrative duties, and it shall neither appoint nor confirm any officer or employee in the city government except those of its own body, unless otherwise provided in Title VII of …

(A) The legislative authority of a city shall subdivide the city into wards, equal in number to the members of the legislative authority to be elected from wards, within ninety days after:(1) The first day of October of the year following the decennial census year;(2) The approva…

The salary of any officer of a city shall not be increased or diminished during the term for which he was elected or appointed. This section does not prohibit the payment of any increased costs of continuing to provide the identical benefits provided to an officer at the commence…

Except as otherwise provided in Title VII of the Revised Code, the legislative authority of a city, by ordinance or resolution, shall determine the number of officers, clerks, and employees in each department of the city government, and shall fix, by ordinance or resolution, thei…

(A) Except as otherwise provided in division (B) or (C) of this section, the legislative power of each village shall be vested in, and exercised by, a legislative authority, composed of six members, who shall be elected by the electors of the village at large, for terms of four y…

(A) The legislative authority of a village may, by the adoption of an ordinance or resolution to eliminate staggered terms of office, determine that all members of the legislative authority shall be elected at the same municipal election as provided for in this section. (B) At th…

At the first meeting in January of each year, the legislative authority of a village shall immediately proceed to elect a president pro tempore from its own number, who shall serve until the first meeting in January next after his election. The legislative authority may provide s…

When the president pro tempore of the legislative authority of a village becomes the mayor, the vacancy thus created shall be filled as provided in section 731.43 of the Revised Code, and the legislative authority shall elect another president pro tempore from its own number, who…

Each member of the legislative authority of a village shall have resided in the village one year immediately preceding the member's election, and shall be an elector of the village. No member of the legislative authority shall hold any other public office, be interested in any co…

The legislative authority of a village shall fix the compensation and bonds of all officers, clerks, and employees of the village except as otherwise provided by law. The legislative authority shall, in the case of elective officers, fix their compensation for the ensuing term of…

All contracts made by the legislative authority of a village shall be executed in the name of the village and signed on its behalf by the mayor and clerk. Except where the contract is for equipment, services, materials, or supplies to be purchased under division (D) of section 71…

In those villages that have established the position of village administrator, as provided by section 735.271 of the Revised Code, the village administrator shall make contracts, purchase supplies and materials, and provide labor for any work under the administrator's supervision…

Each bid on any contract under section 731.14 or 731.141 of the Revised Code shall contain the full name of every person interested in such bid. If the bid is for a contract for the construction, demolition, alteration, repair, or reconstruction of an improvement, it shall meet t…

When it becomes necessary in the opinion of the legislative authority of a village, or, in the event a village administrator has been appointed as provided by section 735.271 of the Revised Code, the village administrator, in the prosecution of any work under contract, to make al…

(A) The following procedures shall apply to the passage of ordinances and resolutions of a municipal corporation:(1) Each ordinance and resolution shall be read by title only, provided the legislative authority may require any reading to be in full by a majority vote of its membe…

The style of all ordinances shall be, "Be it ordained by the __________ filling the blank with the name of the legislative authority of the city or village) of _______________state of Ohio," (filling the blank with the name of the city or village.)

No ordinance, resolution, or bylaw shall contain more than one subject, which shall be clearly expressed in its title. No bylaw or ordinance, or section thereof, shall be revived or amended, unless the new bylaw or ordinance contains the entire bylaw, ordinance, or section revive…

Ordinances, resolutions, and bylaws shall be authenticated by the signature of the presiding officer and clerk of the legislative authority of the municipal corporation. A succinct summary of ordinances of a general nature or providing for improvements shall be published as provi…

(A) A succinct summary of each municipal ordinance or resolution and all statements, orders, proclamations, notices, and reports required by law or ordinance to be published shall be published using at least one of the following methods: (1) In a newspaper of general circulation …

In accordance with Section 9 of Article XVIII, Ohio Constitution, notice of proposed amendments to municipal charters shall be given in one of the following ways: (A) Not less than thirty days prior to the election at which the amendment is to be submitted to the electors, the cl…

The publication required in section 731.21 of the Revised Code shall be for the following times: (A) Summaries of ordinances or resolutions, and proclamations of elections, once a week for two consecutive weeks; (B) Notices, not less than two nor more than four consecutive weeks;…

When ordinances are revised, codified, rearranged, published in book form, and certified as correct by the clerk of the legislative authority of a municipal corporation and the mayor, such publication shall be a sufficient publication, and the ordinances so published, under appro…

The legislative authority of a municipality may adopt standard ordinances and codes, prepared and promulgated by the state, or any department, board, or other agency thereof or any code prepared and promulgated by a public or private organization which publishes a model or standa…

Immediately after the expiration of the period of publication of summaries of ordinances required by section 731.22 of the Revised Code, the clerk of the legislative authority of a municipal corporation shall enter on the record of ordinances, in a blank to be left for such purpo…

It is a sufficient defense to any suit or prosecution under an ordinance, to show that no publication or posting was made as required by sections 731.21 to 731.24, inclusive, of the Revised Code. Last updated October 5, 2023 at 4:44 AM

Every ordinance or resolution of a legislative authority of a city shall, before it goes into effect, be presented to the mayor for approval. The mayor, if he approves such ordinance or resolution, shall sign and return it forthwith to the legislative authority. If he does not ap…

Ordinances and other measures providing for the exercise of any powers of government granted by the constitution or delegated to any municipal corporation by the general assembly may be proposed by initiative petition. Such initiative petition must contain the signatures of not l…

Any ordinance or other measure passed by the legislative authority of a municipal corporation shall be subject to the referendum except as provided by section 731.30 of the Revised Code. No ordinance or other measure shall go into effect until thirty days after it is filed with t…

If a proposed ordinance establishes or modifies planned-unit development regulations, the following apply in lieu of the contrary provisions of section 731.29 of the Revised Code: (A) The board of elections shall determine the sufficiency and validity of the petition not later th…

Whenever the legislative authority of a municipal corporation is required to pass more than one ordinance or other measure to complete the legislation necessary to make and pay for any public improvement, sections 731.28 to 731.41, inclusive, of the Revised Code shall apply only …

Any initiative or referendum petition may be presented in separate parts, but each part of any initiative petition shall contain a full and correct copy of the title and text of the proposed ordinance or other measure, and each part of any referendum petition shall contain the nu…

Whoever seeks to propose an ordinance or measure in a municipal corporation by initiative petition or files a referendum petition against any ordinance or measure shall, before circulating such petition, file a certified copy of the proposed ordinance or measure with the city aud…

At the top of each part of the petition mentioned in section 731.32 of the Revised Code, the following words shall be printed in red:NOTICEWhoever knowingly signs this petition more than once, signs a name other than his own, or signs when not a legal voter is liable to prosecuti…

The petitioners may designate in any initiative or referendum petition a committee of not less than three of their number, who shall be regarded as filing the petition. After a petition has been filed with the city auditor or village clerk it shall be kept open for public inspect…

(A) The circulator of an initiative or referendum petition, or his agent, shall, within five days after such petition is filed with the city auditor or village clerk, file an itemized statement, made under penalty of election falsification, showing in detail:(1) All moneys or thi…

No person shall, directly or indirectly:(A) Willfully misrepresent the contents of any initiative or referendum petition;(B) Pay or offer to pay any elector anything of value for signing an initiative or referendum petition;(C) Promise to help another person to obtain appointment…

No person shall accept anything of value for signing an initiative or referendum petition.

No person shall, directly or indirectly, by intimidation or threats, influence or seek to influence any person to sign or abstain from signing, or to solicit signatures to or abstain from soliciting signatures to an initiative or referendum petition.

Sections 731.28 to 731.41, inclusive, of the Revised Code do not apply to any municipal corporation which adopts its own charter containing an initiative and referendum provision for its own ordinances and other legislative measures.

The printed copies of the bylaws or ordinances of a municipal corporation, published under its authority, and transcripts of any bylaws, resolutions, or ordinances, or of any act or proceeding of a municipal corporation, recorded in any book or entered on any minutes or journal k…

(A)(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (A)(2) of this section, when the office of a member of the legislative authority of a village becomes vacant, the vacancy shall be filled by election by the legislative authority for the unexpired term. If the legislative authority …

The legislative authority of a municipal corporation shall be the judge of the election and qualification of its members. A majority of all the members elected shall be a quorum, but a less number may adjourn from day to day and compel attendance of absent members in such manner …

The legislative authority of a municipal corporation shall determine its own rules and keep a journal of its proceedings. It may punish or expel any member for disorderly conduct or violation of its rules, and declare his seat vacant for absence without valid excuse, where such a…

The legislative authority of a municipal corporation shall not be required to hold more than one regular meeting in each week. The meetings may be held at such time and place as is prescribed by ordinance and shall, at all times, be open to the public. The mayor, or any three mem…

The legislative authority shall have the management and control of the finances and property of the municipal corporation, except as otherwise provided.

The legislative authority of a municipal corporation shall not enter into any contract which is not to go into full operation during the term for which all the members of such legislative authority are elected.