Sources checked:
Quick answer. Ohio: no deposit cap in the law read; deposit returned within 30 days; 30-day notice to end month-to-month; 3-day notice for unpaid rent; 24-hour entry notice; $6,000 small claims limit. 22 of 23 items are confirmed on official pages; 1 is marked not confirmed, with the page to check.
Key numbers
- Deposit limit
- No cap in the law read
- Deposit back within
- 30 days
- Month-to-month notice (landlord)
- 30 days
- Unpaid rent notice
- 3 days
- Entry notice
- 24 hours
- Filing fee
- Varies by county
- Time to answer or appear
- At the hearing
- Judgment to writ
- No wait stated
- Writ to lockout
- Up to 10 days
- Small claims limit
- $6,000
Security deposit (6 of 6 confirmed)
Law read: Ohio Rev. Code 5321.16.
Need the other side served? Process serving with an affidavit of service.
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ConfirmedDeposit limit
No maximum in 5321.16.
Source: Ohio Laws: Revised Code 5321.16, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedReturn deadline
Within 30 days after the rental agreement ends and possession is delivered: the balance with an itemized written notice, sent to the forwarding address the tenant gives in writing (5321.16(B)).
Source: Ohio Laws: Revised Code 5321.16, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedItemized list of deductions
An itemized written notice of deductions (5321.16(B)).
Source: Ohio Laws: Revised Code 5321.16, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedInterest on the deposit
5% a year on the part of the deposit above $50 or one month's rent, whichever is greater, if the tenant stays six months or more; computed and paid yearly (5321.16(A)).
Source: Ohio Laws: Revised Code 5321.16, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedWhere the deposit is held
None stated in 5321.16.
Source: Ohio Laws: Revised Code 5321.16, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedPenalty the law states
The money owed plus damages equal to the amount wrongfully withheld and reasonable attorney fees; not available to a tenant who gave no forwarding address (5321.16(C)).
Source: Ohio Laws: Revised Code 5321.16, checked November 2026
More: Security deposit rules by state · Deposit return deadline calculator
Notice periods (6 of 6 confirmed)
What the official text says about each notice. Cities and counties can add their own notice, just-cause or rent rules. Check local rules too.
| Notice | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ending month-to-month (landlord) | Notice at least 30 days before the periodic rental date (7 days before the termination date for week-to-week). Either side may give it. | Source: Ohio Revised Code 5321.17 (Termination of tenancy), checked November 2026 (R.C. 5321.17(B)) |
| Ending month-to-month (tenant) | Notice at least 30 days before the periodic rental date (7 days before the termination date for week-to-week). Either side may give it. | Source: Ohio Revised Code 5321.17 (Termination of tenancy), checked November 2026 (R.C. 5321.17(B)) |
| Rent increase notice | R.C. chapter 5321, read in full, sets no notice period for rent increases; rent terms are left to the rental agreement (5321.06). | Source: Ohio Revised Code Chapter 5321 (Landlords and tenants), full chapter, checked November 2026 |
| Unpaid rent notice | Written notice to leave three or more days before filing, with the wording the statute requires, delivered by certified mail (return receipt), in person, or left at the home or premises. | Source: Ohio Revised Code 1923.04 (Notice to leave premises), checked November 2026 (R.C. 1923.04(A)) |
| Entry notice | Reasonable notice and reasonable times; 24 hours is presumed reasonable. Exceptions for emergencies or where impracticable. | Source: Ohio Revised Code 5321.04 (Landlord obligations), checked November 2026 (R.C. 5321.04(A)(8)) |
| Late fee limits | R.C. chapter 5321, read in full, sets no late fee limit. | Source: Ohio Revised Code Chapter 5321 (Landlords and tenants), full chapter, checked November 2026 |
More: Notice periods by state · Notice date calculator
Eviction case, in order (9 of 10 confirmed)
- Notice before filing The written notice comes first; its length is in the notice table above.
Unpaid rent: Written notice to leave three or more days before filing, with the wording the statute requires, delivered by certified mail (return receipt), in person, or left at the home or premises.
- Filing the case Where the case goes and what it costs to start.
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ConfirmedCourt
A county or municipal court, or the court of common pleas, in its area.
any judge of a county or municipal court or a court of common pleas, within the judge's proper area of jurisdiction
Source: Ohio Revised Code Chapter 1923, Forcible Entry and Detainer, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedFiling fee
No statewide amount: each municipal court sets its own schedule of fees and costs by local rule, so the filing fee depends on the court. Check the court's fee schedule.
by rule, shall establish a schedule of fees and costs to be taxed in any civil or criminal action or proceeding.
Source: Ohio Revised Code 1901.26, municipal court costs (effective November 25, 2025), checked November 2026
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- The tenant's answer or appearance
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ConfirmedTime to answer or appear
For the possession claim, any defense can be raised at the trial; no written answer is required before it. Money claims filed with it have their own answer date.
Any defense in an action under this chapter may be asserted at trial.
Source: Ohio Revised Code Chapter 1923, Forcible Entry and Detainer, checked November 2026
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- Hearing or trial
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ConfirmedHearing after filing
Trial can be no sooner than the seventh day after service is complete (the earliest date here assumes service on the filing day).
in no event sooner than the seventh day from the date service is complete
Source: Ohio Revised Code 1923.06, checked November 2026
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- Judgment and the writ The order that lets the officer act.
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ConfirmedJudgment to writ
After a judgment for possession, the court issues a writ of execution when the landlord asks; 1923.13 sets no waiting period (a local court rule or a stay on appeal can add time).
shall issue a writ of execution on the judgment
Source: Ohio Revised Code 1923.13 (effective September 29, 2017), checked November 2026
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- Lockout Carried out by an officer, not by either side.
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ConfirmedWrit to lockout
The officer executes the writ within ten days of receiving it; no minimum wait is stated.
within ten days after receiving a writ of execution described in division (A) or (B) of section 1923.13
Source: Ohio Revised Code Chapter 1923, Forcible Entry and Detainer, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedWho carries out the lockout
The sheriff, a police officer, a constable or a bailiff executes the writ.
the sheriff, police officer, constable, or bailiff shall execute it by restoring the plaintiff
Source: Ohio Revised Code Chapter 1923, Forcible Entry and Detainer, checked November 2026
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- Along the way Paying to stop the case, counsel and diversion programs.
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Not confirmedPaying to stop the case
Not confirmed — check Ohio Revised Code Chapter 1923, Forcible Entry and Detainer. Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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ConfirmedRight to counsel (statewide)
No statewide right to counsel for tenants in eviction cases (as of November 2026, per the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel): its tracker of enacted laws lists no statewide law here. Local: Cleveland (2019), Toledo (2021) and Columbus (2024) have their own right-to-counsel laws, and Cincinnati (2023) has an eviction defense program.
An eviction right to counsel is created by an enacted law that, at a minimum:
Source: National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel (secondary source): National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel: Enacted Eviction Right to Counsel and Eviction Defense Programs (last modified November 2026), checked November 2026
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ConfirmedDiversion or mediation (statewide)
Diversion programs are run locally, each tailored to its court; the Supreme Court's guide describes no single statewide program.
diversion programs are uniquely tailored to the jurisdiction's needs and resources.
Source: Supreme Court of Ohio: Judicial Guide to Eviction Diversion, checked November 2026
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Other claims filed with the possession claim have an answer day 28 days after service (1923.06(H)(2)).
Example: a case filed Monday, March 1, 2027
The earliest date of each stage the confirmed rules allow, from our eviction timeline estimator. Earliest under the statute; courts' calendars often take longer.
| Stage | Earliest date |
|---|---|
| Case filed | Monday, March 1, 2027 |
| Answer or appear | Monday, March 8, 2027 |
| Hearing or trial | Monday, March 8, 2027 |
| Judgment | Monday, March 8, 2027 |
| Writ or warrant of possession | Monday, March 8, 2027 |
| Earliest lockout | Monday, March 8, 2027 |
More: Ohio eviction process · Eviction timeline estimator
Deposit disputes: small claims
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ConfirmedSmall claims limit (for a deposit dispute)
$6,000: the most a small claims case can ask for.
ORC 1925.02 (current version effective April 9, 2025, SB 237, 135th General Assembly): small claims divisions hear actions for recovery of money and taxes for amounts not exceeding $6,000, exclusive of interest and costs. No jurisdiction over libel, slander, replevin, malicious prosecution, abuse of process, claims by assignees or agents (limited tax/prosecutor exceptions), or punitive/exemplary damages. Counterclaims/cross-claims over $6,000 are transferred to the regular docket (ORC 1925.10).
Source: Ohio Revised Code Chapter 1925 Small Claims Divisions, checked November 2026
More: Ohio small claims court
Still to confirm
- Paying to stop the case: check Ohio Revised Code Chapter 1923, Forcible Entry and Detainer
General information, not legal advice. We are not lawyers, and MCC Solutions is not a law firm. The same rules apply whichever side of the lease you are on; this page describes them and doesn't take a side. Rules change, cities and counties can add their own, a lease can add terms, and the official source has the final word.
Common questions
How much can a security deposit be in Ohio?
No maximum in 5321.16.
How long does a Ohio landlord have to return a deposit?
Within 30 days after the rental agreement ends and possession is delivered: the balance with an itemized written notice, sent to the forwarding address the tenant gives in writing (5321.16(B)). What goes with it: An itemized written notice of deductions (5321.16(B)).
How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in Ohio?
From the landlord: Notice at least 30 days before the periodic rental date (7 days before the termination date for week-to-week). Either side may give it. From the tenant: Notice at least 30 days before the periodic rental date (7 days before the termination date for week-to-week). Either side may give it.
What notice comes before an unpaid-rent case in Ohio?
Written notice to leave three or more days before filing, with the wording the statute requires, delivered by certified mail (return receipt), in person, or left at the home or premises.
How much notice before a landlord enters a rental in Ohio?
Reasonable notice and reasonable times; 24 hours is presumed reasonable. Exceptions for emergencies or where impracticable.
How long does an eviction case take in Ohio?
Time to answer or appear: At the hearing. Hearing after filing: At least 7 days. Judgment to writ: No wait stated. Writ to lockout: Up to 10 days. These are the stated rules; the court's calendar often takes longer.
What does it cost to file an eviction case in Ohio?
No statewide amount: each municipal court sets its own schedule of fees and costs by local rule, so the filing fee depends on the court. Check the court's fee schedule.
Related: Landlord rules by state · Kits for landlords