Ohio: Rules by state

In Ohio, resale inspection rules are highly local. The state has a statewide residential property disclosure law, but point-of-sale, resale certificate, sewer/septic transfer, and occupancy-at-resale requirements are usually created by individual municipalities or county/local health districts rather than one uniform statewide program.

Checked against official sources on October 4, 2026. Rules and links change; confirm with the office listed before you act.

Official resources in Ohio

Ohio Revised Code 5302.30 / Ohio property disclosure form authority

State law behind Ohio’s residential property disclosure form, including sewage-treatment disclosure language and the reminder that the form is not a substitute for inspections.

Ohio Revised Code 3709.21 / local board of health authority

Shows that a general health district board may adopt orders and regulations for public health and nuisance abatement.

Summit County Public Health - Point of Sale

Official county program page for transfer inspections of homes with sewage treatment systems or private water systems in Summit County.

Cuyahoga County Board of Health - Household Sewage Downloads

Official page linking the county’s point-of-sale sewage evaluation application and related household sewage forms.

Cleveland Heights - Point of Sale Inspections

Official municipal page explaining Cleveland Heights point-of-sale inspection timing, certificate delivery, and validity.

Key facts for Ohio

Ohio has no single statewide resale-inspection mandate; local programs mainly come from municipal ordinances or health-district rules layered onto statewide disclosure law. (https://codes.ohio.gov/assets/laws/revised-code/authenticated/53/5302/5302.30/5-6-2005/5302.30-5-6-2005.pdf; https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-3709.21)
Summit County requires a pre-transfer inspection for any residential home using a sewage treatment system or private water system; the transfer itself is not blocked. (https://www.scph.org/water-quality/point-sale)
Cuyahoga County has an official sewage-treatment-system point-of-sale evaluation application for household sewage systems. (https://ccbh.net/household-sewage-downloads/)
Cleveland Heights requires a Point-of-Sale Certificate of Inspection before entering a sale agreement, and the certificate is valid for one year. (https://www.clevelandheights.gov/205/Point-of-Sale-Inspections)
University Heights allows buyer assumption of remaining violations and escrow, and says no new POS inspection is required if the property was bought less than a year ago. (https://www.universityheights.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Point-of-Sale-Before-Sale-Is-Completed-REV-1.pdf)
Ohio sewage law lets boards inspect for good-faith complaints, probable cause, or missing maintenance proof, and allows preexisting local inspection programs to continue. (https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-3718.02)

Cities with sale-triggered rules in Ohio

City	program	type	fee	valid	Details
Bedford Heights Cuyahoga	Point of Sale Inspection / Occupancy Permit	interior+exterior	$150.00 (which includes Dye Test)	Inspection valid for 1 year from compliance date; title transfer and dye test valid for 12 months	The building or structure shall not be occupied or title transferred until a time-limit or permanent occupancy permit is issued.
Brook Park Cuyahoga	Re-Occupancy Inspection	exterior only	$60 for 1, 2, 3 family home; $30 condo unit; $100 commercial property	6 months from initial inspection date	If the buyer intends to assume a violation report, a completed Certificate of Title Transfer must be submitted to the Building Department before closing.
Cleveland Heights Cuyahoga	Certificate of Inspection (Point-of-Sale)	interior+exterior	$200 for the first unit and $50 for each additional unit	1 year from the date of issuance	The seller must give the prospective purchaser a copy of the Certificate of Inspection before the contract of sale is executed.
East Cleveland Cuyahoga	Point of Sale (POS) Inspection	interior+exterior	$150.00 single-family; $200.00 two-family; $50.00 for each additional unit on 1-3 family property	—	The buyer may assume violations, but the City says the owner then has six months to correct them before a close-out and occupancy step is completed.
Eastlake Lake	Point of Sale Inspection	sewer lateral	$300 application fee; contractor fees are separate	—	If violations cannot be corrected before transfer, the homeowner may escrow the repairs, and escrow corrections must be completed within 90 days of certificate issuance.
Euclid Cuyahoga	Point of Sale Application and Certificate of Code Compliance	interior+exterior	Single-family home: $225.00; Homestead exempt home: $100.00; Duplex (single parcel): $260.00; 3-family dwelling: $295.00; 4+ units: $225.00 plus $35.00 per suite	6 months	A purchaser at sheriff's sale must obtain the point-of-sale application and certificate within 10 days of transfer and correct violations within 180 days.
Fairport Harbor Lake	Downspout & Sidewalk Inspection Approval (Point of Sale Approval)	exterior only	—	—	Point of sale approval must be filed with the title company prior to property transfer.
Garfield Heights Cuyahoga	Point-of-Sale Certificate of Inspection	exterior only	Residential property: $200.00	1 year from the date of the original inspection	A buyer assuming violations must return a notarized buyer affidavit, and the assumed violations must be corrected within 90 days from transfer.
Maple Heights Cuyahoga	Point of Sale / Property Maintenance Inspection	interior+exterior	Single-family dwelling: $100.00 plus $10.00 administrative fee; Two-family dwelling: $150.00 plus $10.00 administrative fee; Three-family dwelling: $210.00 plus $10.00 administrative fee	6 months from the issuance date of the violation notice	Owner-occupants who will live in the home after purchase may qualify for a waiver of the point-of-sale escrow requirements.
Mayfield Heights Cuyahoga	Residential Point of Sale Inspection	exterior only	$100.00	—	Condominium units and cluster homes where the owner is not responsible for exterior maintenance do not require a point-of-sale inspection.
Mentor-on-the-Lake Lake	Point of Sale Inspections	interior+exterior	$100 for the first dwelling or business unit; $40 for each additional unit	1 year	The certificate transfers to a subsequent bona fide purchaser if the resale occurs within the one-year validity period.
Richmond Heights Cuyahoga	Exterior Maintenance Inspection Program	exterior only	No fee	Does not expire at a set time if the property does not sell immediately	The City states this is not a point-of-sale inspection and there is no interior inspection.
Shaker Heights Cuyahoga	Point of Sale (POS) Process	interior+exterior	Single-family home: $200; Two-family home: $300; Condominium: $150; Apartment building: $200 for the first unit and $50 per additional unit	24 months from the date of the initial inspection	If violations remain at transfer, the City requires escrow equal to 150 percent of the estimated repair cost before issuing transfer authorization.
Sheffield Lake Lorain	Point of Sale Inspection / Transfer of Certificate of Occupancy	interior+exterior	$40	—	If sidewalks are needed, money must be escrowed with the City of Sheffield Lake to ensure the sidewalks are repaired or replaced.
South Euclid Cuyahoga	Vacant Building Registration and inspection before title transfer	interior+exterior	—	—	South Euclid does not have point of sale for occupied homes, but vacant residential properties need registration and an inspection prior to title transfer.
University Heights Cuyahoga	Point of Sale (POS) Inspection	interior+exterior	One-family dwelling: $250.00; Two-family dwelling: $300.00	1 year from the date of the initial inspection	Violations may be assumed by the buyer after filing an assumption form and depositing escrow funds commensurate with the violations.
Warrensville Heights Cuyahoga	Residential Point of Sale Inspection	interior+exterior	Residential point of sale inspection: $100; Condominiums and apartments point of sale/occupancy permit: $30 per unit	—	No escrow agent may transfer title or disburse sale funds unless the City's point-of-sale ordinance requirements have been satisfied.
Wickliffe Lake	Change of Ownership Requirements / Sewer Dye Test and Occupancy Certificate	U&O certificate	$300 base fee for sewer dye test; $60 occupancy certificate	—	If repairs cannot be completed before transfer, the seller may escrow 1.5 times the contractor estimate, and the City may direct the repair if the seller does not authorize it within 60 days after title transfer.
Willoughby Lake	Point of Sale Inspection	sewer lateral	Base charge $75; sidewalk $35; downspout $40; driveway drain $20; yard drain $20; sump pump $30 each; sanitary flush test $30 per stack; water $50 if the city provides water	—	The city warns that the first available inspection date may be 2-3 weeks from the date of call.
Willowick Lake	Point of Sale Inspections	interior+exterior	$80 point of sale certificate; plus applicable sewer permit/test-tee fees	Lateral sewer test valid for 2 years	No point of sale certificate is issued until the Tax Administrator certifies compliance with city income tax requirements or an agreement to comply.

What to do next

Check both the municipality and the local/county health district before listing or closing; in Ohio they may run separate resale or sewage-transfer requirements.
If the property has a septic or private water system, ask the local health district first whether a transfer inspection, evaluation application, or occupancy history is required.
If a municipal POS program finds violations, ask immediately whether that city allows seller repairs, buyer assumption, escrow, or a recent-inspection exemption; those options vary locally.

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