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SB 104OHIOSession 136State Billin committee
High Impact

Ohio Senate Bill 104 restricts local short-term rental regulations, extends lodging taxes to platforms, and mandates electronic real estate licenses

Original title: Regards local regulation, taxing of short-term rental properties

Last action · February 19, 2025: Referred to Local GovernmentSponsor: Andrew Brenner

Companion · HB 109same policy, House version
Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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Public stanceCommunity reactions are separate from the official record and reporting.

What This Bill Would Do

Ohio Senate Bill 104 prohibits local governments from banning short-term rentals, enforcing owner-occupancy rules, or capping the number of rentals, while requiring s to collect local lodging taxes. Additionally, the measure mandates that real estate licenses be issued in an electronic format and caps local short-term rental registration fees at $20 per year.

Why it matters

Property owners gain statewide protections against municipal bans and caps on short-term rentals, while local governments are restricted in how they regulate and tax these properties. Online booking platforms assume the legal requirement to collect and remit local lodging taxes for all listed stays.

Background
  • Short-term rental properties have driven ongoing policy debates across Ohio municipalities regarding housing availability, neighborhood character, and municipal tax collection. context
  • Local lodging taxes in Ohio are authorized under various statutory sections to fund convention facilities, tourism bureaus, and local government operations. context

Who It Would Affect

Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Short-term rental property owners

Property owners are protected from municipal bans and ownership caps, while becoming subject to a maximum $20 annual local registration fee.

Directly affected

Short-term rental platforms

Platforms must collect and remit local lodging taxes on all hosted transactions.

Directly affected

Local governments

Municipalities and townships lose the authority to ban short-term rentals, restrict property counts, or enforce owner-occupancy mandates, but gain explicit authorization to levy lodging taxes and charge up to $20 annually for registration.

Directly affected

Real estate licensees

Brokers, dealers, and salespersons will receive their professional licenses in an electronic format.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a local city or township completely ban short-term rentals under this bill?
No. The bill explicitly prohibits local governments from adopting or enforcing regulations that ban short-term rental properties or use zoning requirements to prohibit them in areas zoned for residential use.
Who is responsible for collecting local lodging taxes for short-term rental bookings?
Operators of s are required to collect and remit the applicable local lodging taxes on all transactions where lodging is furnished to through the platform.
What is the maximum registration fee a local government can charge a short-term rental property owner?
Local governments may charge a registration or licensing fee not to exceed twenty dollars per year for each short-term rental property, and these fees must be used exclusively to enforce short-term rental regulations.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

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Where This Stands

Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.

Procedural history

2 actions
  1. Feb 19, 2025SenateCommittee
    Referred to Local Government
  2. Feb 14, 2025SenateIntroduced
    Introduced

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Sponsors

Andrew BrennerSenate · District 19RepublicanPrimary sponsor

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift98% confidence

State Preemption of Local Short-Term Rental Governance

The bill shifts regulatory authority over short-term rentals from municipal and township governments to the state level by stripping local entities of banning and zoning restriction powers.

Revised CodeSenate

Connected Entities

Andrew Brenner, Revised Code, Ohio real estate commission and 1 more
PersonAndrew Brenner“Republican Senator for District 19, sponsor of Senate Bill 104.”Map →
OrganizationRevised Code“State statutory code amended by the bill.”Map →
OrganizationOhio real estate commission“Prescribes the form and size of electronic real estate licenses.”Map →
OrganizationSenate“Origin chamber of the bill.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.legislature.ohio.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance75
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy80
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz60
    Current news / social attention level

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