Who can fix it in Ohio? Handyman and contractor license rules

Sources

1. Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board - Verifying Licensed Contractors — Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Industrial ComplianceNote: residential contractors are not required to be licensed in Ohio.
2. Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB) — Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Industrial ComplianceThe Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB) is a part of the Division of Industrial Compliance and is responsible for issuing licenses to qualified Electrical, Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC), Plumbing, Hydronics and Refrigeration Contractors who successfully pass the PSI licensing examination. The Licensing Board regulates commercial contractors who perform the above five specialty trades.
3. Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (local regulation of residential contractors) — Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Industrial ComplianceThe Ohio Contractor Licensing Law (Ohio Revised Code 4740) requires building and health departments that maintain registration programs to verify that a contractor holds a State License before issuing commercial permits. Local building and health departments regulate residential contractors. However, the law also allows these departments to require a State commercial license for residential work.
4. Ohio Rev. Code § 4740.01(F) — Ohio General Assembly (Ohio Revised Code)"Construction project" means a construction project involving a building or structure subject to Chapter 3781. of the Revised Code and the rules adopted under that chapter, but not an industrialized unit or a residential building as defined in section 3781.06 of the Revised Code.
5. Ohio Rev. Code § 3781.06 (residential building defined) — Ohio General Assembly (Ohio Revised Code)"Residential building" means a one-family, two-family, or three-family dwelling house, and any accessory structure incidental to that dwelling house.
6. Ohio Rev. Code § 3781.102(B) (county licensing of electrical and HVAC contractors) — Ohio General Assembly (Ohio Revised Code)Each board of county commissioners may adopt, by resolution, rules establishing standards and providing for the licensing of electrical and heating, ventilating, and air conditioning contractors who are not required to hold a valid and unexpired license pursuant to Chapter 4740. of the Revised Code.
7. Ohio Rev. Code § 715.27(A) (city licensing powers) — Ohio General Assembly (Ohio Revised Code)Any municipal corporation may: (1) Regulate the erection of fences, billboards, signs, and other structures, within the municipal corporation, and provide for the removal and repair of insecure billboards, signs, and other structures; (2) Regulate the construction and repair of wires, poles, plants, and all equipment to be used for the generation and application of electricity; (3) Provide for the licensing of house movers; plumbers; sewer tappers; vault cleaners; and specialty contractors who are not required to hold a valid license issued pursuant to Chapter 4740. of the Revised Code;
8. Ohio Rev. Code § 4722.01(B) (home construction service defined) — Ohio General Assembly (Ohio Revised Code)"Home construction service" means the construction of a residential building, including the creation of a new structure and the repair, improvement, remodel, or renovation of an existing structure.
9. Ohio Rev. Code § 4722.01(D) (supplier defined) — Ohio General Assembly (Ohio Revised Code)"Home construction service supplier" or "supplier" means a person who contracts with an owner to provide home construction services for compensation and who maintains in force a general liability insurance policy in an amount of not less than two hundred fifty thousand dollars.
10. Ohio Rev. Code § 4722.02(A) (written contract required) — Ohio General Assembly (Ohio Revised Code)no home construction service supplier shall perform any home construction service the cost of which equals or exceeds twenty-five thousand dollars unless the supplier enters into a written home construction services contract with the owner.
11. Ohio Rev. Code § 4722.02(A)(4)-(8) (what the contract must include) — Ohio General Assembly (Ohio Revised Code)(4) A general description of the home construction service, including the goods and services to be furnished as part of the service; (5) The anticipated date or time period the home construction service is to begin and the anticipated date or time period it is to be completed; (6) The total estimated cost of the home construction service; (7) Any cost of installation, delivery, or other cost that the total estimated cost does not cover; (8) A copy of the supplier's certificate of insurance showing general liability coverage in an amount of not less than two hundred fifty thousand dollars;
12. Ohio Rev. Code § 4722.02(B)(1) (excess costs) — Ohio General Assembly (Ohio Revised Code)If the total amount of reasonably unforeseen, but necessary, excess costs of a home construction service at any time exceeds five thousand dollars over the course of the entire home construction contract, prior to performing the work related to the excess costs, the home construction service supplier shall provide an owner with a notice that contains a written or oral estimate
13. Ohio Rev. Code § 1345.21(A) (home solicitation sale defined) — Ohio General Assembly (Ohio Revised Code)"Home solicitation sale" means a sale of consumer goods or services in which the seller or a person acting for the seller engages in a personal solicitation of the sale at a residence of the buyer, including solicitations in response to or following an invitation by the buyer, and the buyer's agreement or offer to purchase is there given to the seller or a person acting for the seller
14. Ohio Rev. Code § 1345.23(B)(1) (cancellation notice) — Ohio General Assembly (Ohio Revised Code)"You, the buyer, may cancel this transaction at any time prior to midnight of the third business day after the date of this transaction. See the attached notice of cancellation for an explanation of this right."
15. Ohio Rev. Code § 1345.21(A)(5) (emergency exception) — Ohio General Assembly (Ohio Revised Code)The buyer initiates the contact between the parties, the goods or services are needed to meet a bona fide immediate personal emergency of the buyer which will jeopardize the welfare, health, or safety of natural persons, or endanger property which the buyer owns or for which the buyer is responsible, and the buyer furnishes the seller with a separate, dated, and signed statement in the buyer's handwriting describing the situation requiring immediate remedy and expressly acknowledging and waiving the right to cancel the sale within three business days;
16. Ohio Senate Bill 54 (136th General Assembly) - summary — Ohio General AssemblyTo amend section 4740.99 and to enact section 4740.18 of the Revised Code to establish a certification for specialty residential construction contractors.
17. Ohio Senate Bill 54 (136th General Assembly) - bill text as introduced — Ohio General Assembly"Residential-only certification" means a certification the Ohio construction industry licensing board issues under this section to a residential heating, ventilating, and air conditioning contractor, residential refrigeration contractor, residential electrical contractor, residential plumbing contractor, or residential hydronics contractor.
18. Ohio Senate Bill 54 (136th General Assembly) - status — Ohio General Assembly1-29-2025 Senate Referred to committee Workforce Development
19. Ohio Senate Bill 54 (136th General Assembly) - committee activity — Ohio General AssemblyWorkforce Development April 14, 2026 4th Hearing
20. Ohio Rev. Code § 1345.21(A)(4) (exception: buyer contacts a seller with a fixed Ohio location) — Ohio General Assembly (Ohio Revised Code)The buyer initiates the contact between the parties for the purpose of negotiating a purchase and the seller has a business establishment at a fixed location in this state where the goods or services involved in the transaction are regularly offered or exhibited for sale.
21. Ohio Rev. Code § 1345.23 (how to cancel: written notice) — Ohio General Assembly (Ohio Revised Code)To cancel this transaction, mail, with return receipt requested, or deliver, in person or manually, a signed and dated copy of this cancellation notice or any other written notice of cancellation, or send notice by facsimile transmission or electronic mail
22. Ohio Rev. Code § 1345.21(A)(6) (exception: buyer asks seller to repair personal property) — Ohio General Assembly (Ohio Revised Code)The buyer has initiated the contact between the parties and specifically requested the seller to visit the buyer's home for the purpose of repairing or performing maintenance upon the buyer's personal property.
23. Ohio Rev. Code § 4722.02(C) (cost-plus contracts) — Ohio Legislative Service Commission (Ohio Revised Code)A home construction service supplier who enters into a cost-plus contract with an owner for a home construction service need not comply with the requirements in divisions (A) and (B) of this section.

Checked October 20, 2026. We used AI-assisted research, then separate review passes that tried to prove each claim wrong against the law and agency pages above. This is general information, not legal advice. Rules can change; confirm with the state board or your local building department before you hire or start work. See a mistake? Email [email protected].