Ohio Property Tax — Assessment Rules

Assessment basis

TAXABLE (assessed) VALUE = 35% of true value (Tax Commissioner rule under R.C. 5715.01; the statutory ceiling). Two reduction-factor classes: Class I (residential/agricultural) and Class II (all other). Ag land may elect CAUV (current agricultural use value).

Reassessment cycle

In Ohio the County Auditor's office handles property values (Cuyahoga and Summit call it the Fiscal Officer) — every link on this card goes there. Taxable value = 35% of true value; SEXENNIAL full reappraisal + TRIENNIAL statistical update, staggered by county under Tax Commissioner supervision; two reduction-factor classes (I residential/ag, II all other); CAUV for ag.

Reassessment trigger

The 6/3-year clock plus off-cycle corrections (sales); improvements over $2,000 must be reported to the auditor within 60 days. HB 920 governs what a value change actually costs: VOTED levies are revenue-flat (your exposure is your deviation from the class average) — inside mills, bonds, new levies, and 20-MILL-FLOOR school districts ride values fully; HB 186 (signed Dec 2025, eff. March 2026) adds an inflation-cap credit at the floor (implementing now).

Personal & intangible property

General business personal property tax PHASED OUT (2005-09; the Commercial Activity Tax replaced it) — no BPP filings for ordinary businesses; public-utility personal property remains taxed.

CRE forecasting note

Know which school districts sit at the 20-mill floor — that is where value increases become real dollars. Commercial rides Class II factors, separately from residential. Appeals: Board of Revision complaint (DTE Form 1) JANUARY 1 - MARCH 31, free but jurisdictional, USPS POSTMARK ONLY, generally one complaint per triennium; then the Board of Tax Appeals in 30 days. HB 126 (2022) sharply curtailed school-district complaints and counters — commercial appeal risk is structurally lower than pre-2022. Reform in flight: levy politics + an abolition initiative circulating.

Residential note

Homestead exemption (DTE 105A): 65+/disabled, income-tested (Ohio AGI ≤ $40,000 for TY2025, indexed), a reduction of market value before the 35% ratio — $29,000 for TY2025 ($58,000, with no income test, for qualifying disabled veterans and surviving spouses of officers killed in the line of duty); figures index annually, so check the current year with the county auditor; apply by Dec 31. Owner-occupancy 2.5% credit (DTE 105C) and the 10% non-business credit apply to qualifying levies. BOR complaints are free and pro-se friendly; deadline Mar 31, USPS postmark.

Ohio — all 88 jurisdictions