By 1808Delaware
A new law does not always arrive with flashing lights.
Across Ohio, a series of laws has taken effect this spring and early summer, touching parts of daily life that range from cannabis and dangerous dogs to overdose treatment, underground utilities and college sports. Some of the biggest changes arrived March 20. Others followed in June.
We’ve got a rundown on them today on 1808Delaware.
A New Landscape For Cannabis And Intoxicating Hemp
One of the broadest changes came through Senate Bill 56, which took effect March 20. The legislation revised Ohio’s laws governing intoxicating hemp and adult-use marijuana, including where certain products may be sold and how they fit within the state’s regulated cannabis system. The measure has drawn particular attention because of its effect on intoxicating hemp products that had been available through ordinary retail channels outside licensed marijuana dispensaries. umers, retailers and businesses that built product lines around hemp-derived THC, the change is more than a technical rewrite. It alters the boundaries between broadly available hemp products and cannabis products subject to Ohio’s more tightly controlled system.
Avery’s Law Raises The Stakes For Dog Owners
Also effective March 20 is House Bill 247, known as Avery’s Law.
The measure overhauled portions of Ohio’s dog laws, including definitions and rules involving nuisance, dangerous and vicious dogs. It also strengthened consequences when owners fail to control dogs that seriously injure or kill people. Under one provision, negligent failure to prevent a dangerous or vicious dog from committing certain serious acts can carry significant criminal penalties. slation also places new attention on owner responsibility before a tragedy occurs, making the law relevant not only after a serious attack but also in how designated dangerous or vicious dogs are handled and controlled.
The Absentee Ballot Clock Now Stops On Election Day
Ohio voters face a major change under Senate Bill 293, effective March 20. For most absentee ballots, arrival now matters by Election Day itself. The legislation requires nonmilitary, nonoverseas absentee ballots to reach the appropriate board of elections by the close of polls at 7:30 PM on Election Day to be counted. Previously, some mailed ballots arriving after Election Day could still qualify if they met postmark and arrival requirements. The new law removes that grace period for most absentee voters, while separate rules remain for qualifying military and overseas ballots. tical message is simple: mailing a ballot close to Election Day now carries greater risk. The controlling question is generally no longer just when the ballot was sent, but whether it arrived on time.
New Disclosure Rules For Real Estate Wholesalers
Another change affects a corner of the housing market that many property owners may know little about until they receive an unsolicited offer. Senate Bill 155 revised Ohio’s real estate wholesaler law. The measure requires certain wholesalers involved in residential transactions to provide a conspicuous written disclosure to the property owner before entering into a covered contract. The Ohio Legislative Service Commission describes the law as applying to residential real property improved with one to four dwelling units. took effect March 2, placing it just outside a strict three-month lookback from early July but squarely within Ohio’s broader wave of 2026 changes. ers, the goal is greater clarity about who is on the other side of a deal and what role that person is actually playing.
Overdose Reversal Drugs Move Closer To The Point Of Discharge
A health care change arrived June 9 through Senate Bill 137.
The law requires hospitals to provide overdose reversal drugs under specified circumstances. The measure is aimed at patients presenting with signs connected to opioid overdose or opioid use disorder and addresses access to medications such as naloxone when patients leave hospital care. ing can be critical. The law effectively places another potential intervention point between emergency treatment and a patient’s return to the community.
Digging Rules Get An Update
House Bill 227, also effective June 9, revised Ohio’s excavation laws. The measure updates requirements surrounding underground utility protection and the state’s one-call notification system, commonly associated with the familiar instruction to call 811 before digging. The changes address responsibilities and procedures involving excavators and underground utility operators. ect may sound specialized, but the consequences of a mistake can be immediate. A damaged gas, electric, water or communications line can turn a routine project into an emergency.
New Rules Reach College Athletes Too
House Bill 184, effective March 20, includes changes affecting contracts involving intercollegiate athletes; among its provisions, the measure addresses limitations on athlete contracts and clarifies that Ohio’s name, image and likeness framework can include certain “personal services.” The law applies its contract provisions to agreements entered into on or after its effective date. lt is another adjustment to the rapidly changing legal world surrounding college athletics, where endorsement deals, representation agreements and NIL opportunities have become part of the ordinary business landscape.
A More Precise Rule For Women In Correctional Facilities
House Bill 29 also took effect March 20, but its requirements are narrower than a general mandate for daily hot showers for every inmate. The law addresses women incarcerated in county, municipal and state correctional facilities. It requires access to feminine hygiene products and provides for at least one shower per day with hot water for female inmates experiencing menstruation. tinction matters. The measure is a targeted correctional hygiene law, not a blanket statewide daily-shower requirement for all people in Ohio jails and prisons.
Small Sections Of Code, Broad Effects
Taken together, the laws show how a legislative session can reach deeply into ordinary routines without any single moment announcing that life has changed.
A ballot mailed too late may no longer count. A wholesaler must disclose more before a seller signs. A hospital may place overdose medication directly into a patient’s hands. An excavator faces updated requirements before the first shovel hits the ground. A retailer may find that a once-familiar hemp product no longer fits the same legal category.
For Ohioans, the larger point is that the law rarely changes in only one place at a time. This spring, it changed at the ballot box, the hospital door, the property closing table, the dispensary counter, the construction site and beyond.
