Central Ohio Landlord Policy Updates | Week of May 4, 2026

This was a heavy week for landlords with property anywhere from Plain City out to Lancaster. Five suburbs moved consequential housing-related items, and another eight took action worth knowing about. The headline: Plain City is preparing to shift from complaint-driven property maintenance to active enforcement, Granville is layering bed taxes onto short-term rentals, and Powell formally kicked off a comprehensive zoning code rewrite that will run through mid-2026.

The pattern across these items is that most of them sit at the work-session or commission-recommendation stage. Public comment now is worth more than public comment after a first reading, and far more than public comment after adoption. If you own rentals in any of the municipalities below, the next two to four weeks are the cheapest window to influence the language.

Below: five featured updates with full context, then eight quick-hit items covering everything else that moved this week.

 

Plain City prepares to shift from complaint-driven to active code enforcement

Status: Under discussion (no vote scheduled). Plain City has not yet voted, so written comment now will land harder than written comment at first reading.

At the May 6 Council Work Session, the Plain City Village Planner presented a near-complete draft of a new property maintenance code, paired with a proposed tool lending program for residents. Adoption is contingent on the village funding and hiring a dedicated code enforcement officer (a position that does not currently exist). The companion agenda item bundled the code with the lending program, so the two are moving together.

This is a significant operational shift. Plain City currently handles property maintenance reactively. Tall grass, trash, inoperable vehicles, and similar issues are addressed when a neighbor or resident files a complaint. Adding a written code with a dedicated officer changes the model from reactive to active. Routine drive-by inspections, courtesy notices, and formal violation letters all become possible once the code is adopted and the officer is hired.

For owners with rentals in Plain City, the practical implication is that exterior maintenance items that have been on the back burner (gutters, porch boards, siding, fence panels, lawn condition during transition periods) will likely surface faster once enforcement is funded. The work-session stage is the right window to ask whether the draft includes any specific treatment for rental properties (rental registration, periodic inspections, separate fee structure) and whether there is a notice-and-cure period before fines accrue.

Pull the packet and read pages covering the property maintenance code and the code enforcement officer position. If the draft contemplates a rental registration component or differential treatment for non-owner-occupied properties, that is worth flagging in writing before it advances.

Source: Plain City Council Work Session Packet (May 6, 2026)

 

Granville moves toward a permit-and-bed-tax framework for short-term rentals

Status: Under discussion (no vote scheduled). Council reviewed implementation of an STR code that contemplates permits and bed taxes layered on state lodging tax.

Granville Council reviewed implementation of a Short-Term Rental Code at its May 6 meeting. The discussion contemplated a permit framework and a bed-tax structure on top of the state-level lodging tax. Granville’s existing Codified Ordinances Chapter 1182 already requires STR permits, so this revision is expected to modify or extend those provisions rather than create them from scratch.

The math on this matters. A bed tax that adds 3 to 6 percent on top of state lodging tax (Ohio’s combined state and county rates often run 6 to 8 percent) plus an annual permit fee can move a marginal STR unit from profitable to break-even. For operators with one or two units near Denison University, that calculation should be run before adoption, not after.

Because the discussion is at the work-session level, no ordinance text has been drafted yet. That is the right window for written comment. Specific things worth raising in writing: whether the bed tax applies to direct bookings as well as platform bookings, whether permit fees scale with unit count or are flat per operator, what the renewal cycle looks like, and whether any grandfathering applies to existing permitted operators.

Granville is one of the smaller markets in this update, but the policy direction here often previews what neighboring suburbs consider next. Worth a read even if you do not own in Granville.

Source: Granville Council Packet (May 6, 2026)

 

Powell formally begins consultant-led zoning code rewrite, expected through mid-2026

Status: Under discussion (no vote scheduled). The rewrite is consultant-led (ZoneCo), expected to run through mid-2026, and will eliminate undefined or overly specific uses in favor of modern classifications.

Powell Council reviewed the formal process for a comprehensive Zoning Code rewrite at its May 6 meeting. The same agenda included an earlier review-process item, so two related zoning items moved through the chamber on the same night. The rewrite is being executed by ZoneCo, a planning consultancy retained by the city, and is expected to release draft documents and design guidelines in stages. Powell has set up a public StoryMap as the project hub.

A full rewrite is the rare moment when use definitions, density rules, parking ratios, accessory dwelling unit treatment, and short-term-rental classifications all get re-examined at once. Owners and operators get more leverage during drafting than after adoption, and the leverage is concrete: written comments on specific use definitions tend to result in changed language when commissioners can see the operational rationale.

The action items for Powell landlords are straightforward. First, follow the StoryMap and subscribe to project updates. Second, review each draft round when it is released and submit written comment on use definitions that affect your portfolio (especially anything that touches single-family rental, ADUs, or short-term rentals). Third, watch for the moment the draft is bundled into an ordinance for first reading. That is the deadline for substantive comment.

Sources: Powell Zoning Rewrite Review Document | City of Powell Zoning Code Rewrite StoryMap

 

Gahanna Council passes zoning amendments touching chapters 1103 through 1123

Status: Just passed. The amendments grew from Planning Commission item CC-0001-2026, which recommended changes to chapters 1103, 1105, 1107, 1109, 1111, 1113, 1117, and 1123 of the Codified Ordinances.

Gahanna City Council passed an ordinance at its May 4 meeting amending multiple sections of the Gahanna Zoning Code. The chapters affected span general provisions (1103) through specific district standards (1123). The procedural origin is Planning Commission item CC-0001-2026, which recommended the slate of changes earlier in the spring.

The breadth of chapters touched (general provisions, definitions, district regulations, supplemental standards) means this is more than housekeeping. Anyone with a permit application, conditional-use request, or non-conforming-use matter pending in Gahanna should pull the adopted ordinance text and verify their filing references the updated chapter language. Submitting under stale chapter numbers is the most common avoidable error after a multi-chapter amendment.

Two specific things to check. First, whether any definitions you rely on (single-family dwelling, dwelling unit, family, lodging house, short-term rental, accessory use) were modified. Definition changes propagate through the rest of the code. Second, whether any setback, lot coverage, or supplemental standards in your district changed numerically. Those changes can affect what a conforming addition or accessory structure looks like.

This ordinance is now in effect. Pull the agenda materials below for the full text.

Sources: Gahanna Council Agenda (May 4, 2026) | Gahanna New Legislation portal

 

Canal Winchester targets October 2026 for new zoning code adoption

Status: Upcoming meeting (scheduled for May 11, 2026). The Planning & Zoning Commission received a progress report on the city’s 18-month zoning rewrite, with adoption planned for October 2026.

The Canal Winchester Planning & Zoning Commission received a progress report on the city’s comprehensive zoning code rewrite. Two structural changes are on the table. First, the new code is expected to create two distinct industrial districts (replacing a more general industrial classification). Second, the new code is expected to remove the ability for owners to apply for “planned” districts, a flexibility lever that some operators have used to handle non-conforming sites or unusual configurations.

Adoption is targeted for October 2026, which means the comment window is open now and will close as drafting tightens through summer. Before Canal Winchester council meets on May 11, owners with property near planned-district boundaries (or anyone considering a planned-district application for a future project) should review the progress report. If a planned-district application would help your situation, the calendar question is whether to file under the existing rules before they are removed.

The removal of “planned” applications closes a flexibility lever that has been used productively in the past. That is not necessarily wrong as a policy choice, but it is a substantive change worth understanding before it is finalized.

Source: Canal Winchester P&Z Agenda (May 11, 2026)

 

Also On the Radar This Week

Eight more Central Ohio municipalities took action worth tracking. None rise to the depth of the featured items above, but each merits a quick look if you operate in that jurisdiction.

Worthington, OH [Introduced, public hearings pending]. Multiple new ordinances were introduced at the May 4 council meeting with public hearings to follow. Pull the council packet and identify any items touching housing, building maintenance, or zoning before the next meeting. Worthington Council Agenda

Pickerington, OH [Just passed]. Council waived the multi-reading requirement on May 5 and adopted an ordinance in a single sitting. The full text and supporting memos are in the agenda packet. Read the ordinance now and check whether it touches your portfolio. Pickerington Agenda Packet (May 5)

Sunbury, OH [Under discussion (no vote scheduled)]. Council tabled Ordinances 2026.08 and 2026.12 on May 6, delaying changes to local regulations. Worth re-checking the next council agenda. Sunbury Council Agenda (May 6)

Gahanna, OH [Recently passed]. Separately from the May 4 ordinance, council adopted a related set of zoning amendments on April 27. Now in effect. Gahanna Council Minutes (April 27)

Powell, OH [Under discussion (no vote scheduled)]. The same May 6 agenda included an earlier review-process item for the zoning code rewrite, separate from the formal launch. Track both. Powell Planning & Zoning Agenda (May 6)

Whitehall, OH [Passed on emergency basis (in effect now)]. Ordinance 036-2026 amended Ordinance 129-2025 on emergency basis at the May 6 council meeting. Public records suggest 129-2025 governs the city’s 2026 salary schedule, so this is administrative rather than a property regulation. Worth noting for completeness; no landlord action required. Whitehall Council Agenda (May 6)

Canal Winchester, OH [Just passed]. Two separate items on the May 4 agenda approved the editing and inclusion of finance and other ordinances into the codified codes. Administrative, but compliance language may shift. Finance Ordinances Agenda | Codified Ordinances Editing Agenda

Lancaster, OH [Just passed]. An ordinance editing and incorporating certain ordinances into the codified laws was approved May 4. Administrative housekeeping; check your operating practices for any references to old chapter numbers. Lancaster Council Agenda (May 4)

 

What to Do With This Information

If you own property in any of the 13 municipalities above, the practical actions break down into three buckets this week. First, for the items in comment-window stage (Plain City, Granville, Powell, Canal Winchester), submit written comment now while the language is still flexible. Public comment at first reading is half as effective as public comment during work session. Second, for the items already adopted (Gahanna May 4, Gahanna April 27, Pickerington, Whitehall, Canal Winchester finance items, Lancaster), pull the ordinance text and verify your operating practices and pending filings reference the updated language. Third, for Worthington, watch the next council agenda for hearing dates on the introduced ordinances.

Tracking 13 municipalities in real time is not realistic for most owners. That is a reasonable thing to outsource, either to a property manager who reads these agendas as part of the job or to a paid service that aggregates municipal updates. If you would rather have someone else watching the agendas while you focus on your portfolio, schedule a consultation or call 614.725.3059.