Ohio Revised Code
Chapter 1 | Definitions; Rules of Construction
Section 1.08 | Blighted Area Defined - Excluded Considerations.

Effective: October 10, 2007
Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 7 - 127th General Assembly
As used in the Revised Code:
(A) "Blighted area" and "slum" mean an area in which at least seventy per cent of the parcels are blighted parcels and those blighted parcels substantially impair or arrest the sound growth of the state or a political subdivision of the state, retard the provision of housing accommodations, constitute an economic or social liability, or are a menace to the public health, safety, morals, or welfare in their present condition and use.
(B) "Blighted parcel" means either of the following:
(1) A parcel that has one or more of the following conditions:
(a) A structure that is dilapidated, unsanitary, unsafe, or vermin infested and that because of its condition has been designated by an agency that is responsible for the enforcement of housing, building, or fire codes as unfit for human habitation or use;
(b) The property poses a direct threat to public health or safety in its present condition by reason of environmentally hazardous conditions, solid waste pollution, or contamination;
(c) Tax or special assessment delinquencies exceeding the fair value of the land that remain unpaid thirty-five days after notice to pay has been mailed.
(2) A parcel that has two or more of the following conditions that, collectively considered, adversely affect surrounding or community property values or entail land use relationships that cannot reasonably be corrected through existing zoning codes or other land use regulations:
(a) Dilapidation and deterioration;
(b) Age and obsolescence;
(c) Inadequate provision for ventilation, light, air, sanitation, or open spaces;
(d) Unsafe and unsanitary conditions;
(e) Hazards that endanger lives or properties by fire or other causes;
(f) Noncompliance with building, housing, or other codes;
(g) Nonworking or disconnected utilities;
(h) Is vacant or contains an abandoned structure;
(i) Excessive dwelling unit density;
(j) Is located in an area of defective or inadequate street layout;
(k) Overcrowding of buildings on the land;
(l) Faulty lot layout in relation to size, adequacy, accessibility, or usefulness;
(m) Vermin infestation;
(n) Extensive damage or destruction caused by a major disaster when the damage has not been remediated within a reasonable time;
(o) Identified hazards to health and safety that are conducive to ill health, transmission of disease, juvenile delinquency, or crime;
(p) Ownership or multiple ownership of a single parcel when the owner, or a majority of the owners of a parcel in the case of multiple ownership, cannot be located.
(C) When determining whether a property is a blighted parcel or whether an area is a blighted area or slum for the purposes of this section, no person shall consider whether there is a comparatively better use for any premises, property, structure, area, or portion of an area, or whether the property could generate more tax revenues if put to another use.
(D)(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, absent any environmental or public health hazard that cannot be corrected under its current use or ownership, a property is not a blighted parcel because of any condition listed in division (B) of this section if the condition is consistent with conditions that are normally incident to generally accepted agricultural practices and the land is used for agricultural purposes as defined in section 303.01 or 519.01 of the Revised Code, or the county auditor of the county in which the land is located has determined under section 5713.31 of the Revised Code that the land is "land devoted exclusively to agricultural use" as defined in section 5713.30 of the Revised Code.
(2) A property that under division (D)(1) of this section is not a blighted parcel shall not be included in a blighted area or slum.