Title 9, Title 9. Agriculture-Animals-Fences

(A) As used in this section, "financial transaction device" has the same meaning as in section 301.28 of the Revised Code. (B) A county auditor may establish procedures and take actions that are necessary to allow for either or both of the following: (1) The registration of dogs …

Whenever a county auditor registers a dangerous or vicious dog or receives a notification regarding an address change from an owner, keeper, or harborer of a dangerous or vicious dog, the county auditor shall notify in writing the applicable county dog warden of such registration…

Any dog that has been registered under sections 955.02 and 955.04 of the Revised Code and any dog not required to be registered under such sections shall be considered as personal property and have all the rights and privileges and be subject to like restraints as other livestock…

(A) Every owner of a dog kennel shall, in like manner as provided in division (A) of section 955.02 of the Revised Code, make application for the registration of such kennel, and pay to the county auditor a registration fee of ten dollars for each such kennel, unless a greater fe…

After the thirty-first day of January of any year, except as otherwise provided in section 955.022 or 955.16 of the Revised Code, every person, immediately upon becoming the owner, keeper, or harborer of any dog more than three months of age or brought from outside the state duri…

(A) The owner, keeper, or harborer of a dog becoming three months of age after the first day of July in a calendar year and the owner, keeper, or harborer of a dog purchased outside the state after the first day of July in a calendar year shall register the dog in accordance with…

(A) Upon the filing of the application for registration required by sections 955.02 and 955.04 of the Revised Code and upon the payment of the registration fee and the administrative fee, if applicable, the county auditor shall assign a distinctive number to every dog or dog kenn…

Certificates of registration and registration tags shall be valid only during the calendar year or years for which they are issued. Last updated March 23, 2026 at 9:37 PM

(A) No owner of a dog, except a dog constantly confined to a dog kennel registered under this chapter or licensed under Chapter 956. of the Revised Code, shall fail to require the dog to wear, at all times, a valid tag issued in connection with a certificate of registration under…

(A) For the purposes of this section, ordinances or resolutions to control dogs include, but are not limited to, ordinances or resolutions concerned with the ownership, keeping, or harboring of dogs, the restraint of dogs, dogs as public nuisances, and dogs as a threat to public …

(A) Upon the transfer of ownership of any dog, the seller of the dog shall give the buyer a transfer of ownership certificate that shall be signed by the seller. The certificate shall contain the registration number of the dog, the name of the seller, and a brief description of t…

(A) Except as provided in section 955.121 of Revised Code, a board of county commissioners shall appoint or employ a county dog warden and deputies in such number, for such periods of time, and at such compensation as the board considers necessary to enforce sections 955.01 to 95…

(A)(1) In lieu of appointing a county dog warden and deputies under section 955.12 of the Revised Code, a board of county commissioners may appoint the county sheriff to enforce sections 955.01 to 955.27 and 955.50 of the Revised Code. If a board chooses to appoint the county she…

(A) Notwithstanding section 955.02 of the Revised Code, a board of county commissioners by resolution may increase dog and kennel registration fees in the county. The amount of the fees shall not exceed an amount that the board, in its discretion, estimates is needed to pay all e…

(A) The board of county commissioners shall provide nets and other suitab le devices for the taking of dogs in a humane manner, provide a suitable place for impounding dogs, make proper provision for feeding and caring for the same, and provide humane methods for destroying dogs.…

(A) As used in this section: "Animal shelter" has the same meaning as in section 4729.01 of the Revised Code. "Certified officer" means an individual who meets the requirements established under section 4729.534 of the Revised Code. "Chemical capture" means using an anesthetic dr…

(A) Dogs that have been seized by the county dog warden and impounded shall be kept, housed, and fed for three days for the purpose of redemption, as provided by section 955.18 of the Revised Code, unless any of the following applies: (1) Immediate humane destruction of the dog i…

(A) Except as otherwise provided in divisions (B), (C), and (D) of this section, costs shall be assessed against the owner, keeper, or harborer of any dog seized and impounded under sections 955.12, 955.15, and 955.16 of the Revised Code as follows:(1)Filing affidavit and issuing…

Any dog that is seized and impounded under sections 955.12, 955.15, and 955.17 of the Revised Code may be redeemed by its owner, keeper, or harborer at any time prior to the expiration of the applicable redemption period as specified in sections 955.12 and 955.16 of the Revised C…

All funds received by the county dog warden or poundkeeper in connection with the administration of sections 955.01 to 955.18, inclusive, of the Revised Code, shall be deposited in the county treasury and placed to the credit of the dog and kennel fund.

The registration fees provided for in sections 955.02 to 955.14 of the Revised Code constitute a special fund known as "the dog and kennel fund." The fees shall be deposited by the county auditor in the county treasury daily as collected. Money in the fund shall be used for the p…

(A) As used in this section and in section 955.202 of the Revised Code, "Ohio pet fund" means a nonprofit corporation organized by that name under Chapter 1702. of the Revised Code that consists of humane societies, veterinarians, animal shelters, companion animal breeders, dog w…

(A) Except as provided in division (F) of this section, no owner, keeper, or harborer of any dog shall fail at any time to do either of the following: (1) Keep the dog physically confined or restrained upon the premises of the owner, keeper, or harborer by a leash, tether, adequa…

(A) As used in this section and sections 955.11, 955.23, and 955.24 of the Revised Code: (1) "Vicious dog act" means one of the following actions committed by a dog without provocation, other than by a police dog that is being used to assist one or more law enforcement officers i…

(A) As used in this section, "authorized person" means a person who is authorized to enforce this chapter. (B) If a dog warden or other authorized person has probable cause to believe that a dog in the person's jurisdiction committed a nuisance dog act, dangerous dog act, or vici…

(A) No owner, keeper, or harborer of a vicious or dangerous dog shall fail to do any of the following: (1) While that dog is outdoors, but on the premises of the owner, keeper, or harborer, securely confine the dog at all times in a locked pen that has a top, locked fenced yard w…

(A) Whenever, in the judgment of the director of health, any city or general health district board of health, or persons performing the duties of a board of health, rabies is prevalent, the director of health, the board, or those persons shall declare a quarantine of all dogs in …

(A)(1) No person shall remove a dog that has bitten any person from the county in which the bite occurred until a quarantine period as specified in division (B) of this section has been completed. No person shall transfer a dog that has bitten any person until a quarantine period…

Any corporation which violates section 955.26 of the Revised Code shall forfeit and pay to the municipal corporation a sum not to exceed three hundred dollars, to be collected in a civil action brought in the name of the municipal corporation. The judgment authorized in this sect…

After paying all necessary expenses of administering the sections of the Revised Code relating to the registration, seizing, impounding, and destroying of dogs, including the purchase, construction, and repair of vehicles and facilities necessary for the proper administration of …

(A) Subject to divisions (A)(2) and (3) of section 955.261 of the Revised Code, a dog that is chasing or approaching in a menacing fashion or apparent attitude of attack, that attempts to bite or otherwise endanger, or that kills or injures a person or a dog that chases, threaten…

The board of county commissioners, not later than the third regular meeting after it is presented with the account provided for by section 955.42 of the Revised Code, shall examine the account and, if it is found in whole or part correct and just, may order a payment in whole or …

A person bitten or injured by an animal afflicted with rabies, if the bite or injury has caused the person to employ medical or surgical treatment, may present, within four months after the bite or injury and at a regular meeting of the board of county commissioners of the county…

(A) As used in this section, "institutions of education" means any of the following: (1) Any state university or college as defined in section 3345.32 of the Revised Code; (2) Any private college or university that holds a certificate of authorization issued by the Ohio board of …

All fines collected for violations of sections 955.02, 955.09, 955.10, 955.11, 955.12, 955.21, 955.24, and 955.261 of the Revised Code shall be deposited in the county treasury to the credit of the dog and kennel fund. Last updated January 16, 2026 at 8:32 AM

(A) No person shall sell, offer to sell, or expose for sale, for the purpose of resale or receive for delivery within this state, or ship from any point within this state to any point outside this state, for sale to the general public at retail, any dog under the age of eight wee…

(A) No person who is convicted of or pleads guilty to a felony offense of violence committed on or after May 22, 2012, or a felony violation of any provision of Chapter 959., 2923., or 2925. of the Revised Code committed on or after May 22, 2012, shall knowingly own, possess, hav…

(A) Any person authorized to enforce this chapter shall investigate any complaint that indicates a possible violation of any provision of this chapter involving a dog. (B) If, after investigating an alleged violation of this chapter under division (A) of this section, an authoriz…

(A)(1) If a health care provider or a licensed veterinarian has knowledge of a person being bitten or injured as a result of an attack by a dog or other non-human mammal, the provider or veterinarian shall report the bite or injury, not later than twenty-four hours after obtainin…