Franklin County Rental Registration

Ohio law requires owners of residential rental property in Franklin County to register that property with the County Auditor. This isn’t optional paperwork for large management companies only — it applies to most landlords, including owners of a single rented house or apartment, and it exists independently of anything related to property taxes or valuation.

What Is Franklin County Rental Registration?

Rental registration comes from Ohio Revised Code Section 5323.02, which requires owners of residential rental property to file certain information with the county auditor. The requirement applies specifically in Ohio counties with more than 200,000 residents — Franklin County is one of them — rather than statewide. According to the Franklin County Auditor, the information collected helps the county maintain accurate property and ownership records, and rent data collected through the process (which isn’t required under Ohio law, but is requested) supports the county’s mass appraisal work.

Who Needs to Register a Rental Property?

The owner of a qualifying residential rental property is responsible for registration, with a few specifics depending on ownership structure:

• Individual owner: you register directly.
• Multiple individual owners (for example, co-owners of one property): only one owner needs to file, as the designated contact.
• Business entity owner (LLC, corporation, or similar): a specific individual — a member, manager, or officer of that entity — must register as the contact person.

Which Properties Are Subject to Rental Registration?

According to the Franklin County Auditor, residential rental property is any residential property where money is exchanged — meaning a dwelling unit is leased or otherwise rented to tenants solely for residential purposes. That includes apartments, single-family homes, and multi-family units. Hotels and college or university dormitories are specifically excepted.

One detail worth knowing: a parcel counts as residential rental property if at least one residential unit on it is rented, even if the parcel includes other uses — the Auditor’s own guidance gives the example of an apartment situated over retail space. The whole parcel is treated as subject to registration in that case.

How to Register a Rental Property in Franklin County

1. Confirm the property fits the definition above — a residential unit leased or rented to tenants.
2. Gather the required owner and property information (below).
3. Obtain the current Residential Rental Property Registration form from the Franklin County Auditor.
4. Complete the required fields.
5. Submit it to the Auditor’s Office through the currently accepted method.
6. Keep confirmation of your submission for your records.

Registration is a one-time filing per property rather than something you renew annually, though you should update it if the required information changes (see below).

Information You May Need for Rental Registration

Depending on ownership structure, the Auditor’s Office generally asks for:

• The property’s street address (for buildings with 20 or more units, the main address is sufficient)
• Number of rental units on the parcel
• For an individual owner: name, address, and phone number
• For multiple individual owners: the same information for whichever owner is filing as contact
• For a business entity owner: name, address, and phone number of the registering member, manager, or officer
• Management contact details, if the owner is based out of state or chooses to have a management contact published on the Auditor’s website
• Average unit rent — this specific field is not required under Ohio law; it’s requested to help the county’s mass appraisal process, and you can register without providing it

Rental Registration Exemptions and Exceptions

Not every non-owner-occupied residential property is a “rental” for this purpose. The Franklin County Auditor provides a separate Rental Exception Form for properties that don’t qualify as owner-occupied and aren’t actually being rented — so neither the Owner-Occupancy tax reduction nor rental registration applies. Recognized reasons include:

• The property is a secondary residence (not the owner’s primary home, but also not rented out)
• No rent is charged — for example, a family member living there, or a parsonage
• The property is used for short-term rental (such as Airbnb)
• The property is vacant — for sale, under renovation, in foreclosure, or used for storage

If one of these describes your situation, the exception form — not the standard rental registration form — is the correct document to file.

How to Update Rental Registration Information

If ownership, contact information, or a property’s rental status changes after you’ve registered, that’s the kind of update the Auditor’s Office handles going forward. Because the exact current process for submitting an update isn’t the same question as initial registration, contact the Auditor’s Office directly or check their current rental registration resources for how to submit a change, rather than assuming the original filing method automatically applies to updates.

What Happens If a Rental Property Is Not Registered?

Ohio Revised Code Section 5323.02 provides for a penalty — up to $150 — against a property whose owner fails to file the required registration information in a timely manner. This is a statutory provision rather than a guaranteed outcome for every late filer, and current enforcement practice is something to confirm directly with the Auditor’s Office rather than assume. Registering is straightforward and, per the Auditor’s Office, involves no filing fee — there’s little upside to skipping it.

Official Franklin County Rental Registration Resources

• Rental Registration overview — the Auditor’s main page for this program
• Rental Registration form (PDF)
• Rental Exception form (PDF) — for properties that are neither owner-occupied nor actually rented
• Franklin County Auditor’s Office: 614-525-HOME (4663)

Frequently Asked Questions