LibGuides: Ohio State & Local Election Law: Running for Local/Municipal Office

Popular Municipal Codes

Cincinnati Code of Ordinances
Election and nomination laws for Cincinnati can be found in Article IX
Cleveland Code of Ordinances
Nomination and election laws can be found in the Charter of the City of Cleveland at Chapter 3.
Columbus Code of Ordinances
Election rules can be found in the Charter of the City of Columbus at Section 41.
Dayton Code of Ordinances
Nomination and election laws can be found in Article II §§ 7-8 of the Charter of the City of Dayton
Toledo Municipal Code
Nomination and election information can be found in Chapter III of the Charter of the City of Toledo.

Municipal Election Requirements

In terms of candidate requirements for municipal offices, municipalities are broken into two categories:

Villages with less than 2,000 residents and
Villages with between 2,000 and 4,999 residents; Cities with over 5,000 residents

Full requirements for municipal offices including: mayors, municipal court judges, municipal court clerks, township office, and board of education members can be found in the 2022 Ohio Candidate Requirement Guide published by the Secretary of State.

Election rules may vary by municipality as well, so it is important to check the constitutional and statutory provisions of the municipality in which the candidate desires to run for office. Most municipal codes are available free online through third party services. To find the code for your desired municipality, either go to the municipalitie's webpage or by searching for the code on Google.

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