Ohio Contract Templates

Ohio Independent Contractor Agreement

Worker-classification test

Direction-or-control test for unemployment, weighed with 20 factors in agency rules. Construction work is presumed controlled when 10 of 20 statutory criteria apply, for both unemployment and workers' comp.

Written contract required?

Not required by state law, but status turns on control under the contract and in fact, so the agreement alone does not decide it.

Payment deadline if the contract is silent

No general statutory default. For construction improvements, contractors must pay subcontractors within 10 days of receiving payment, or owe 18% annual interest.

Ohio Non-Compete Agreement

Are employee non-competes enforceable?

Yes, if reasonable under the Raimonde test. Senate Bill 11, which would ban most non-competes, has sat in the Senate Judiciary Committee since January 2025.

Governing law

Common law under Raimonde v. Van Vlerah: no greater than needed to protect the employer, no undue hardship on the employee, and no injury to the public. No general statute.

Salary or wage threshold

None. Ohio has no pay floor for non-competes.

Ohio Employment Offer Letter

At-will employment

Yes, by common law. A firing that violates a sufficiently clear public policy, from a statute or other source, supports a wrongful-discharge claim.

Pay-range disclosure

No statewide law. Locally, Cleveland (since Oct. 27, 2025) and Columbus (enforced from Jan. 1, 2027) require pay ranges in postings for employers with 15+ local employees.

Salary-history ban

No statewide ban. Several cities, including Cleveland and Columbus, ban salary-history questions by local ordinance.

Ohio Residential Lease Agreement

Updated for ORC Ch. 5321

Security deposit cap

No statewide cap. The part of a deposit above the greater of $50 or one month's rent earns 5% annual interest if the tenant stays six months or more.

Deposit return deadline

Within 30 days after the lease ends and possession is returned, deliver the balance with an itemized written notice of deductions. A tenant who gives no written forwarding address loses the right to extra damages and fees.

Required disclosures

The written lease must state the name and address of the owner and of any managing agent; for a company, its principal place of business in the county or Ohio. Oral leases need a written notice.

Ohio LLC Operating Agreement

Updated for Ohio R.C. 1706

Governing statute

Ohio Revised Limited Liability Company Act, governing all Ohio LLCs since February 11, 2022.

Operating agreement required?

Not required. It may be written or oral; for a single-member LLC, the operating agreement can be the sole member's written declaration.

Filing fee to form the LLC

$99 for Articles of Organization.