Page one says Ohio HB 614 created a statewide residential registration effective January 1, 2026. The legislative record says otherwise. Here is what Ohio law actually requires of home improvement contractors, state and local.
Search for Ohio home improvement contractor registration and you will find a confident, specific claim repeated across page one: that House Bill 614 created a statewide residential registration, that it was signed in 2024, and that it took effect on January 1, 2026 with a surety bond, a general liability minimum and a background check. We checked that claim against the Ohio Legislature's own record and the Revised Code on October 5, 2026. It is not accurate, and a contractor who plans around it will prepare for the wrong requirements.
At a glance
- No statewide residential registration exists. Ohio licenses five trades at the state level and nothing else; residential home improvement is regulated by municipalities and counties.
- HB 614 of the 135th General Assembly is not a contractor bill. Its long title is the Statehouse Nazi Symbol Removal Act. It was introduced on May 28, 2024, referred to House Government Oversight on June 11, 2024, and the record shows no action after that (Ohio Legislature, HB 614 status).
- The five state licenses. Heating, ventilating and air conditioning, refrigeration, electrical, plumbing and hydronics (ORC 4740.01(A)).
- State licensure is built around nonresidential work. A "construction project" under the chapter excludes a residential building, meaning a one, two or three family dwelling (ORC 4740.01(F) and ORC 3781.06).
- The real registration layer is local. Columbus, for example, issues its own Home Improvement General and Home Improvement Limited contractor licenses with experience minimums and an examination (City of Columbus).
What the legislative record actually shows
Two different bills carry the number 614, and neither one created a home improvement contractor registration.
| Bill | What the record shows | Status on October 5, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| HB 614, 135th General Assembly | Long title is the Statehouse Nazi Symbol Removal Act | Referred to committee June 11, 2024, no later action |
| HB 614, 136th General Assembly | Introduced November 25, 2025 | Referred to House Public Safety February 4, 2026 |
The 135th General Assembly bill was sponsored by Representative Elliot Forhan and concerned the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board. The 136th General Assembly bill is a different measure with different sponsors and remains in committee. Neither has been enacted, and neither appears in the Revised Code.
The underlying statutory chapter confirms the same thing from the other direction. Chapter 4740 of the Revised Code, which creates the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board, contains no home improvement contractor section. Its sections run from 4740.01 to 4740.17 plus a penalty section, and the most recent effective dates in the chapter predate 2026 entirely.
This matters beyond trivia. The circulating version of the claim comes with precise sounding numbers attached, including a bond amount and an insurance minimum. Those numbers are not in any enacted Ohio statute. For what Ohio does require of contractors generally, start with our Ohio contractor license guide.
What Ohio licenses at the state level
ORC 4740.01(A) defines a license, for this chapter, as a license the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board issues to an individual in one of five categories. The board sits within the Department of Commerce and operates through three specialty sections plus an administrative section.
| State license | Board section |
|---|---|
| Heating, ventilating and air conditioning | HVAC and refrigeration section |
| Refrigeration | HVAC and refrigeration section |
| Electrical | Electrical section |
| Plumbing | Plumbing and hydronics section |
| Hydronics | Plumbing and hydronics section |
There is no state general contractor license, no state remodeling license, and no state home improvement registration. A roofer, a siding company, a window installer, a deck builder, a basement waterproofer or a general remodeler holds no state credential in Ohio, because the state has never created one for that work.
For the three trade ladders Ohio does run, see our guides to the Ohio electrician license, the Ohio plumbing license and the Ohio HVAC license.
The statutory line that explains the whole structure
The reason Ohio's state licensing stops short of residential work is a definition, not a policy statement. ORC 4740.01(F) defines a construction project as one involving a building or structure subject to Chapter 3781 of the Revised Code, "but not an industrialized unit or a residential building as defined in section 3781.06 of the Revised Code."
ORC 3781.06 then defines a residential building as a one family, two family or three family dwelling house, and any accessory structure incidental to that dwelling house. The definition expressly includes a one to three family dwelling used as a model home, and expressly excludes industrialized units, manufactured homes and mobile homes.
Put those two sections together and the architecture becomes clear. The state board's licensing framework is built around construction projects, and one to three family dwellings are carved out of that term. Residential work on those dwellings is left to local building departments, which is why Ohio contractor requirements change at a city line rather than at the state border.
Practitioners should note what this carve out does not do. It does not mean trade work on a house is unregulated. Local jurisdictions commonly require a state license as a prerequisite for a local trade registration, and many require their own examination on top.
The penalty that does exist
Ohio does enforce its five trade licenses, and the exposure is per day rather than per job. ORC 4740.13(A) prohibits any person from acting as, or claiming to be, a type of contractor the chapter licenses without holding or being assigned the appropriate license.
ORC 4740.16(B) sets what follows a hearing. On an affirmative vote of a majority of the appropriate specialty section's members, the section may impose a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars per violation per day, and may file a complaint with the local prosecutor for criminal prosecution. The Attorney General may also bring a civil action for an injunction or restraining order at the board's request.
Two statutory allowances are worth knowing. A licensed contractor may install, service and maintain related control wiring for equipment tied to its own license where the wiring is under 25 volts. And a person is not an electrical contractor subject to licensure for work limited to fire or burglar alarm, cabling, tele data sound, communication, and landscape lighting and irrigation systems using less than 50 volts.
The registration that actually applies to home improvement
Because the state left this space open, Ohio's larger cities filled it. Columbus is the clearest example, and its structure is worth studying because it is the pattern other Ohio jurisdictions follow.
Under Columbus City Code Chapter 4114, the Department of Building and Zoning Services issues licenses and registrations, and every contractor performing work in the city must hold the appropriate one before applying for permits. The city runs two separate home improvement credentials plus a general contractor license.
| Columbus credential | Experience minimum | Examination |
|---|---|---|
| Home Improvement General Contractor | 3 full years hands on in one to three family home improvement | Required, test 767 |
| Home Improvement Limited Contractor | 1 full year hands on in the field applied for | Not listed as required |
| General Contractor | Not stated in the city packet | Not listed as required |
The Home Improvement General license is the residential credential most remodelers need. Columbus requires a passing score of 70 percent or higher on the 767 Ohio Home Improvement Contractor examination, scheduled through Pearson VUE under the International Code Council's non authorized contractor program. A passing score stays valid for one year from the date it was achieved unless an application for licensure has been made.
Scope matters as much as the credential. Columbus defines home improvement as repair, replacement, remodeling, alteration, conversion, modernization, improvement or addition to existing one, two or three family dwellings, and it expressly includes driveways, swimming pools, porches, garages and fallout shelters. It expressly excludes construction of a new home and the sale of goods by a seller who performs no installation work.
The Home Improvement Limited license covers a named list of specialties by board approval, including residential roofing, siding, windows and doors, decks, basement waterproofing, fencing, masonry and prefabricated fireplaces, sidewalks and driveway approaches, exterior lathing and stucco, swimming pools and spas, asphalt paving, irrigation sprinklers and gypsum board. One year of hands on experience in the specific field is the minimum.
Two structural details catch applicants out. Applications for both home improvement credentials go to the Board of General and Home Improvement Contractors, and must be submitted with payment no later than one week before the next scheduled board meeting. And the city's General Contractor license does not cover structural work on existing one to three family dwellings; that work requires the home improvement credential instead. A Columbus general contractor also carries a bond in the amount of $25,000 and a certificate of liability insurance naming the city department as certificate holder.
Fees are set by the board or testing vendor and can change. Verify the current amount with the provider before you pay.
The statewide law that does govern home improvement sales
One body of Ohio law reaches every home improvement contractor in the state regardless of local licensing, and it is consumer protection law rather than licensing law.
ORC 1345.23 governs home solicitation sales. Every such sale must be evidenced by a written agreement in the same language used in the oral sales presentation, must carry the seller's name and address, must state the date the buyer actually signed, and a signed copy must be left with the buyer.
The cancellation right is the part that generates disputes. The contract must carry, in bold face type of at least ten points and in immediate proximity to the buyer's signature line, a statement that the buyer may cancel the transaction at any time prior to midnight of the third business day after the date of the transaction. A completed notice of cancellation form, in duplicate and easily detachable, must be attached.
A remodeler operating in a city with no licensing requirement is still bound by this. It is the most commonly missed compliance obligation in Ohio residential contracting precisely because it is not a license.
What to do with this
- Stop planning around a statewide registration. As of October 5, 2026 there is nothing to register for at the state level for general residential work.
- Confirm whether your work falls in one of the five state licensed trades. If it does, the state license is not optional and the exposure under ORC 4740.16 runs per day.
- Pull the licensing requirements for every municipality and county you work in, individually. Assume they differ.
- If you work in Columbus, decide between the Home Improvement General and Home Improvement Limited credentials based on scope, and build the board meeting calendar into your timeline.
- Bring your contracts into compliance with ORC 1345.23 whether or not your jurisdiction licenses you.
- If a state trade license is the blocker, decide whether you are qualifying the company yourself or employing someone who can.
Where a qualifier fits in Ohio
Ohio's five state licenses are issued to individuals, not companies. That is the same structure that makes qualifying agents necessary everywhere, and it is the reason an HVAC, refrigeration, electrical, plumbing or hydronics company without a licensed individual cannot operate in that trade no matter how capable its crews are.
Our explainer on what a qualifying agent is covers the role, and the distinction between a trade license and the business authority to use it is laid out in contractor license versus business license. Every qualifier we place is a full time W-2 employee of the company that needs one.
If a licensed individual is what stands between your company and Ohio work, start at hire a qualifying agent. If you are not sure which credential your scope requires, consultation packages is the place to scope it.
Questions Ohio contractors ask
Is there an Ohio home improvement contractor license? Not at the state level. The credential exists in individual cities, such as the Columbus Home Improvement General and Home Improvement Limited licenses, and the requirements are set locally.
Did HB 614 take effect on January 1, 2026? No. HB 614 of the 135th General Assembly is the Statehouse Nazi Symbol Removal Act and was last acted on in June 2024. HB 614 of the 136th General Assembly was referred to committee in February 2026 and is not law.
Do I need an Ohio license to remodel a house? Not from the state, unless the work falls inside heating, ventilating and air conditioning, refrigeration, electrical, plumbing or hydronics. You will very likely need a local license or registration, and that is where to check first.
How much does it cost? State trade license costs and local license costs are set by the board and by each jurisdiction, and they are published. What varies by company is scope, how many jurisdictions you work in, and whether you need a licensed individual to qualify the business. See consultation packages to scope your own case.
What is the penalty for unlicensed trade work? Up to one thousand dollars per violation per day after a hearing, under ORC 4740.16(B), plus possible referral to a local prosecutor and civil action by the Attorney General.
Related reading
For the state overview, see the Ohio contractor license guide. For the trade ladders, see the Ohio electrician license, Ohio plumbing license and Ohio HVAC license guides. For how a city level home improvement regime looks when the state does regulate around it, compare the New York City home improvement contractor license. The state by state index covers the rest.
Marshall Schofield and Jeremiah Jaskulski founded The Licensing Company because requirements like these are easy to get wrong and expensive to get wrong twice. This article exists because the most repeated answer to its question is incorrect, and contractors were making plans on it.
Disclaimer: This article is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice, licensing guidance, or an offer of services. Licensing requirements vary by jurisdiction. For specific compliance questions, contact The Licensing Company for a confidential consultation.