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The Legislative Service Commission staff updates the Revised Code on an ongoing basis, as it completes its act review of enacted legislation. Updates may be slower during some times of the year, depending on the volume of enacted legislation.

Chapter 4999 | Crimes Relating To Railroads

 
 
 
Section
Section 4999.01 | Drawing, driving, or moving vehicle on railroad track.
 

No person shall draw, drive, or cause to be moved any vehicle on or between the rails or tracks or on or along the graded roadway of a railroad without the knowledge and consent of the owner or controller of such railroad, unless compelled by necessity to do so. Whoever violates this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor.

Section 4999.02 | Climbing upon railroad cars.
 

No person shall climb, jump, step, or stand upon, or cling or attach himself to, a locomotive, engine, or car upon the track of a railroad, unless in compliance with law or by permission under the rules of the corporation managing such railroad. Whoever violates this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor.

Section 4999.03 | Riding or driving into enclosures of railroads.
 

No person shall, at a place other than a private crossing or for a purpose other than crossing a railroad, ride or drive a horse or other domestic animal into an enclosure of a railroad or knowingly permit such animal to go into or remain in such enclosure, or place feed, salt, or other thing within such enclosure to induce such animal to enter into it or upon the track of such railroad, or, while constructing a private crossing or crossing a railroad at a private crossing, permit a fence to remain down or open for a longer time than is necessary to construct or use such crossing. Whoever violates this section shall be fined not more than ten dollars or imprisoned for not less than ten nor more than thirty days.

Each ten hours such animal is knowingly permitted to remain in such enclosure or upon such track is an additional offense. Such animal is not exempt from execution for a fine or costs imposed under this section.

Section 4999.04 | Failure to stop.
 

(A) No person in charge of a locomotive shall fail to bring the locomotive to a full stop at least two hundred feet before arriving at a crossing with another track, or proceed through the crossing before signaled to do so or before the way is clear.

(B)(1) Whoever violates this section or fails to comply with division (B)(1) of section 4955.32 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. If the violation or failure to comply causes physical harm to any person, whoever violates this section or fails to comply with division (B)(1) of section 4955.32 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the third degree.

(2) With respect to a charge of violating division (B)(1) of this section for a failure to comply with division (B)(1) of section 4955.32 of the Revised Code, it is an affirmative defense that an alternative audible warning system described in division (B)(2) of that section was activated.

Section 4999.05 | Flagmen on railroads.
 

No person or company owning, operating, or controlling a railroad shall employ as a flagman, hostler, or assistant hostler, a person who cannot read, write, and speak the English language. Whoever violates this section shall be fined not less than five hundred nor more than one thousand dollars. This section does not apply to flagmen at street or highway crossings.

Section 4999.06 | Running passenger trains with less than full crew.
 

No superintendent, trainmaster, or other employee of a railroad shall send or cause to be sent outside of yard limits, a passenger train of not more than five cars, any one of which carries passengers, with a crew consisting of less than one engineer, one fireman, one conductor, and one brakeman. If four of said cars are day coaches carrying passengers, or if in a train of more than five cars, three or more cars are day coaches carrying passengers, of if in a train of more than six cars, four cars carrying passengers, or if in a train of more than seven cars, two or more cars are carrying passengers, of if any train, six or more cars are carrying passengers, such crew shall consist of at least one additional brakeman, regularly employed as such. When such train consists of more than two cars, either of which carries passengers, no such superintendent, trainmaster, or other employee shall require a brakeman to perform the duties of baggage master or express agent. Whoever violates this section shall be fined not less than twenty-five dollars for each offense.

For the purpose of this section, a combination mail or baggage and passenger car is a day coach, but straight dining cars and private cars are not cars carrying passengers.

This section does not apply to trains picking up a car between terminals in this state, or to cars propelled by electricity.

Mayors and county court judges have jurisdiction under this section. The public utilities commission shall enforce this section.

Section 4999.09 | Two-person crew.
 

(A) The requirements set forth in division (B) of this section are solely related to safety, including ensuring that no train or light engine used in connection with the movement of freight in this state is left without a functional crew person as a result of a medical emergency.

(B) A train or light engine used in connection with the movement of freight shall have a crew that consists of at least two individuals. No superintendent, trainmaster, or other employee of a railroad shall order or otherwise require a train or light engine used in connection with the movement of freight to be operated unless it has a crew that consists of at least two individuals.

As used in this division, "train or light engine used in connection with the movement of freight" does not include hostler service or utility employees.

(C)(1) The public utilities commission may assess a civil penalty against a person who willfully violates division (B) of this section. If the commission assesses a civil penalty, the commission shall do so as follows:

(a) If, within three years of the violation, the commission has not previously assessed a civil penalty against the person under this section, in an amount not less than two hundred fifty, but not more than one thousand dollars;

(b) If, within three years of the violation, the commission has previously assessed one civil penalty against the person under this section, in an amount not less than one thousand, but not more than five thousand dollars;

(c) If, within three years of the violation, the commission has previously assessed two or more civil penalties against the person under this section, in an amount not less than five thousand, but not more than ten thousand dollars.

(2) The attorney general, upon the request of the public utilities commission, shall bring a civil action to collect the penalties described in division (C)(1) of this section. All penalties collected under the division shall be deposited into the state treasury to the credit of the public utilities fund created in section 4905.10 of the Revised Code.

(D) The requirements of this section do not apply on and after the date a federal law or regulation takes effect requiring a train or light engine used in connection with the movement of freight in this state to have a crew of at least two individuals.

Last updated May 3, 2023 at 1:08 PM

Section 4999.10 | Constructing bridges over tracks.
 

No person, railroad company, private corporation, county, municipal corporation, or township shall violate any law relating to the height of bridges, viaducts, overhead roadways, footbridges, wires, or other structures constructed over the tracks of a railroad. Whoever violates this section shall be fined not less than one hundred nor more than one thousand dollars. Each day such structure or wire is permitted to so remain constitutes a separate offense.

Section 4999.11 | Mail cranes - livestock chutes.
 

No person or company owning, operating, or controlling a railroad shall erect or permit to be erected, place, or maintain along said railroad, a mail crane or livestock chute, any portion of which approaches nearer than eighteen inches to the nearest point of contact with the cab of the widest locomotive used on such railroad. Whoever violates this section shall be fined not less than five hundred nor more than one thousand dollars.

Section 4999.13 | Couplers and brakes on railroads.
 

No superintendent, conductor, or other officer or employee of a railroad company, shall refuse or neglect, upon receiving notice from the inspector appointed by the public utilities commission, of a defective coupler or brake, to have it repaired forthwith or, on receiving notice from such inspector condemning a car, tender, or engine, shall fail to put it out of service at the first freight division terminal. No superintendent, conductor, or other officer or employee shall violate any other law relating to automatic couplers and air brakes. Whoever violates this section shall be fined not less than twenty-five nor more than five hundred dollars. Such person is also personally liable for any injuries resulting to any employee from such violation.

Section 4999.16 | Examination of employee for color blindness.
 

No railroad company shall contract to employ a person in a position which requires such person to distinguish form or color signals, unless within two years preceding such date he has been examined for color blindness, in the distinct colors in actual use by such company by a competent person employed and paid by such company, and has received a certificate that he is not disqualified for such position by color blindness in the colors used by the company. No such company shall fail to require such person to be re-examined at least once each two years at the expense of such company. This section does not prevent a railroad company from continuing in its employment an employee having defective sight when such defective sight can be fully remedied by the use of glasses or by other means satisfactory to the person making such examination. Whoever violates this section shall be fined one hundred dollars.

Section 4999.17 | Discipline or discharge of employee without hearing.
 

No railroad company, or its superintendent, or manager, employing any special agent, detective, or person commonly known as "spotter" for the purpose of investigating, obtaining, and reporting to the employer, its agent, superintendent, or manager, information concerning its employees, shall discipline or discharge any employee in its service, where such act of discipline or the discharge is based upon a report by such special agent, detective, or spotter, which report involves a question of integrity, honesty, or a breach of rules of the employer, unless such employer, its agent, superintendent, or manager, before disciplining or discharging such employee, grants such employee a fair opportunity to be heard in defense or explanation of the complaint against him, at which hearing said employer shall state specific charges on which said act or discharge is based and at which the accused employee has the right to furnish testimony in his defense.

Whoever violates this section shall be fined not less than fifty nor more than three hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than one year, or both. Such imprisonment, when imposed, shall be imposed upon the officers or agents of such company committing such offense.

Section 4999.18 | Demanding compensation when telegraph or telephone wires not working.
 

No officer, agent, or other person acting for or in behalf of a railroad company operating ten or more miles of its railroad for the carrying or transporting of passengers or freight over its railroad within this state which fails to erect and maintain telegraph or telephone wires in complete working order for use and operation along its railroad, with an office and proper means of communication by such wires at each of its principal railway stations, shall order, direct, advise, ask, demand, or receive compensation for transportation of passengers or freight. Whoever violates this section shall be fined not less than one hundred nor more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned for not less than thirty nor more than ninety days, or both.

Section 4999.19 | Diverting freight.
 

No agent of a railroad company shall knowingly divert or permit freight under his control to be diverted from the railroads over which it is ordered to be conveyed by the shipper of such freight. Whoever violates this section shall be fined not more than one hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days, or both.

Section 4999.20 | Seniority roster date of railroad employee.
 

No railroad employee who has a seniority roster date on the effective date of the repeal of sections 4999.07 and 4999.08 of the Revised Code shall be removed from his employment or have his seniority rights or vacation or other fringe benefits reduced by reason of such repeal.

Any carrier which violates this section shall be fined not less than one hundred nor more than five thousand dollars. The public utilities commission shall enforce this section and prosecute any violations thereof.