Remove residency requirements for certain city director positions
Summary
To amend sections 735.01 and 737.01 of the Revised Code to remove residency requirements for the city director of public service and the city director of public safety.
Bill status
passed
3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Aug 2025
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House Passage
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Aug 28, 2025
Last action Mar 4, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
As Introduced
→
As Passed by the House
·
5 edits
·
Feb 25, 2026
MODERATE
The bill was amended to expand its scope from amending only two sections of the Revised Code to also include section 9.481, which addresses residency requirements for political subdivision employees. The House version adds new definitions and provisions that allow political subdivisions to require employees to reside in specific areas under certain conditions, while maintaining the original intent to remove residency barriers for city directors of public service and public safety.
Scope change
The bill's scope expanded from amending sections 735.01 and 737.01 to also include section 9.481 of the Revised Code, broadening the legislative focus to include general residency requirements for political subdivision employees beyond just city directors.
DEFINITION
Added new definitions for 'political subdivision' and 'volunteer' to clarify who the new provisions apply to.
REQUIREMENT
Added new provisions allowing political subdivisions to require employees to reside in specific counties under certain conditions, with exceptions for volunteers.
Added specific authority for cities to require directors of public service and public safety to reside within the city within six months of appointment.
SCOPE
Expanded the bill to include section 9.481, which establishes general rules about residency requirements for political subdivision employees across the state.
TECHNICAL
Added new cosponsors to the bill and updated the title to reflect the expanded scope of amendments.
Floor votes · House Feb 26, 2026
How they voted
90–0
Passed
Total votes 90
Feb 26, 2026
D
Democratic27
100% Yea
R
Republican63
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
7
Key actions
2
Committee
2
Amendments
1
Mar 4, 2026
Committee
Referred to committee
upper
Feb 26, 2026
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (90-0)
house
Feb 26, 2026
Introduced
Introduced
upper
Feb 25, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed
lower
Feb 18, 2026
Introduced
Reported - Amended
lower
Sep 15, 2025
Committee
Referred to committee
lower
Aug 28, 2025
Introduced
Introduced
lower
2 primary · 4 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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