Skip to main content
Back To Top Top Back To Top
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 721 | Sale Or Lease Of Property

 
 
 
Section
Section 721.01 | Lease or sale of municipal property.
 

Municipal corporations have special power to sell or lease real estate or to sell personal property belonging to the municipal corporation, when such real estate or personal property is not needed for any municipal purpose. Such power shall be exercised in the manner provided by this chapter.

Section 721.02 | Conveyance of real property to board of education.
 

A municipal corporation may, by ordinance, authorize the transfer and conveyance by deed of any real property, owned by it and not needed for municipal purposes, to the board of education of any such municipal corporation, to be used as an athletic field, a playground for children, or for school sites, upon such terms as are agreed to between the municipal corporation and the board. When the property is so conveyed it shall be under the control and supervision of the board.

Section 721.03 | Lease or sale of real estate - advertisement for bids.
 

No contract, except as provided in section 721.28 of the Revised Code, for the sale or lease of real estate belonging to a municipal corporation shall be made unless authorized by an ordinance, approved by a two-thirds vote of the members of the legislative authority of such municipal corporation, and by the board or officer having supervision or management of such real estate. When the contract is so authorized, it shall be made in writing by such board or officer, and, except as provided in section 721.27 or 721.29 of the Revised Code, only with the highest bidder, after advertisement once a week for five consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation within the municipal corporation or as provided in section 7.16 of the Revised Code. Such board or officer may reject any bids and readvertise until all such real estate is sold or leased.

Section 721.04 | Use and control of waters and soil of Lake Erie.
 

Any municipal corporations within the limits of which there is included a part of the shore of the waters of Lake Erie may, in aid of navigation and water commerce, construct, maintain, use, and operate, piers, docks, wharves, and connecting ways, places, tracks, and other water terminal improvements with buildings and appurtenances necessary or incidental to such use, on any land belonging to the municipal corporation held under title permitting such use, and also over and on any submerged or artificially filled land made by accretion resulting from artificial encroachments, title to which is in the state, within the territory covered or formerly covered by the waters of Lake Erie in front of littoral land within the limits of such municipal corporation, whether such littoral land is privately owned or not.

Any such municipal corporation may, by ordinance, subject to federal legislation, establish harbor lines and other regulations for such territory and prohibit the placing, maintaining, or causing or permitting to be placed therein any unlawful encroachments on such territory.

The territory to which this section applies is limited to that within the limits of the municipal corporation and extending into Lake Erie to the distance of two miles from the natural shore line. For all purposes of government and exercise of such powers the limits of any such municipal corporation shall be held to extend out, in, over, and under such water and land made or that may be made within such territory. This section does not limit the now existing boundaries of any municipal corporation. Where two municipal corporations have upland territory fronting on such waters, and there is a conflict because of the curve of the shore line or otherwise as to such two mile boundary, the boundaries of each such municipal corporation may be determined by agreement between the municipal corporations concerned.

All powers granted by this section shall be exercised subject to the powers of the United States government and the public rights of navigation and fishery in any such territory. All mineral rights or other natural resources existing in the soil or waters in such territory, whether now covered by water or not, are reserved to the state.

Section 721.05 | Limitations of rights of municipal corporation regarding lake front.
 

When any part of the territory mentioned in section 721.04 of the Revised Code is in front of privately owned upland and has been filled in or improved by the owner or his predecessor in title to such upland, a municipal corporation shall not take possession such part of the public domain so filled or improved, without the consent of such upland owner, until the municipal corporation has complied with sections 719.01 to 719.21, inclusive, of the Revised Code. In any such proceeding to appropriate there shall be no compensation allowed to the upland owner for the site of such fill or improvements.

Section 721.08 | Control and management of territory.
 

The legislative authority of a municipal corporation may, when not otherwise prescribed by the charter of such municipal corporation, provide by ordinance for the manner and by what executive officials the ordinances and laws governing the administration of the territory described in section 721.04 of the Revised Code shall be administered and for the management of such territory and improvements placed thereon.

Section 721.09 | Application of rentals.
 

All rentals or charges made or collected by a municipal corporation for the use of any part of the territory described in section 721.04 of the Revised Code, or for improvements thereon, shall be used only to maintain, improve, or add to improvements in aid of navigation and water commerce.

Section 721.10 | No retroactive effect.
 

Sections 721.04 to 721.09 of the Revised Code have no retroactive effect to validate or add to the effect of any previous act of a municipal corporation concerning territory or public rights described in section 721.04 of the Revised Code. Those sections have no effect, except as expressly provided in sections 721.04 to 721.11 and 1506.10 of the Revised Code, to give any littoral or riparian owner any rights in any territory covered or formerly covered by the waters of Lake Erie or other navigable waters of the state.

Section 721.11 | Waterfront development - leases - assessments on improvements.
 

Any municipal corporation having jurisdiction over any part of the territory mentioned in section 721.04 of the Revised Code, whether in front of privately owned upland or otherwise, as provided in that section, may, in aid of navigation and water commerce, adopt plans for the development of that waterfront, construct bulkheads at such locations as it approves between the shoreline and the harbor line as fixed by the United States government, make fills with earth or other suitable materials out to those bulkheads, and construct public highways on the filled portions.

Leases made pursuant to section 1506.11 of the Revised Code are subject to the right of the municipal corporation to maintain a highway, a marginal railroad, and other agreed reasonable means of access to the waters of Lake Erie in conformity with the waterfront plan of that municipal corporation, in aid of navigation and water commerce, provided that an adequate means of access to those waters shall be provided to the lessees.

The municipal corporation may assess, in any one of the three methods authorized by section 727.01 of the Revised Code, against the littoral land and other specially benefited property, such part or all of the cost of constructing the bulkheads, filling, highway, and other improvements, in aid of navigation and water commerce, as is agreed upon by the owners of the littoral lands and the legislative authority of the municipal corporation. The municipal corporation may issue bonds in anticipation of the collection of the assessments and use the proceeds thereof in paying the cost of constructing the improvements of the waterfront.

Section 721.12 | Procedure when for passenger railroad station.
 

When a municipal corporation owns real estate suitable for the location of a passenger railroad station, and the legislative authority of such municipal corporation, by ordinance, declares it necessary that such land be devoted to such use, the municipal corporation may sell, lease or exchange such land to a railroad for such purpose as provided in section 721.13 of the Revised Code.

Section 721.13 | Ordinance for deed or lease of land for passenger railroad station.
 

An ordinance shall be passed authorizing the mayor of a municipal corporation to deed or lease land as provided by section 721.12 of the Revised Code. In the ordinance the legislative authority of such municipal corporation shall fix by metes and bounds the amount of land to be sold, leased, or exchanged, the quantity of interest to be sold, leased, or exchanged, and the consideration to be paid or exchanged therefor by the railroad, and in the ordinance shall call thereon a special election, to be held upon a day fixed by such ordinance, not less than thirty days from the passage thereof.

Section 721.14 | Election.
 

A majority of all the votes cast on the proposition for the sale, lease, or exchange of land under section 721.13 of the Revised Code shall be necessary to its ratification. When so ratified, the ordinance provided for in such section shall be effective, and the mayor shall proceed to execute a deed of conveyance or lease of the property as therein provided. In holding the special election, sections 133.01 to 133.65, inclusive, of the Revised Code apply.

Section 721.15 | Disposition of property unneeded, obsolete or unfit for municipal purposes.
 

(A) Personal property not needed for municipal purposes, the estimated value of which is less than one thousand dollars, may be sold by the board or officer having supervision or management of that property. If the estimated value of that property is one thousand dollars or more, it shall be sold only when authorized by an ordinance of the legislative authority of the municipal corporation and approved by the board, officer, or director having supervision or management of that property. When so authorized, the board, officer, or director shall make a written contract with the highest and best bidder after advertisement for not less than two nor more than four consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation within the municipal corporation or as provided in section 7.16 of the Revised Code, or with a board of county commissioners upon such lawful terms as are agreed upon, as provided by division (B)(1) of section 721.27 of the Revised Code.

(B) When the legislative authority finds, by resolution, that the municipal corporation has vehicles, equipment, or machinery which is obsolete, or is not needed or is unfit for public use, that the municipal corporation has need of other vehicles, equipment, or machinery of the same type, and that it will be in the best interest of the municipal corporation that the sale of obsolete, unneeded, or unfit vehicles, equipment, or machinery be made simultaneously with the purchase of the new vehicles, equipment, or machinery of the same type, the legislative authority may offer to sell, or authorize a board, officer, or director of the municipal corporation having supervision or management of the property to offer to sell, those vehicles, equipment, or machinery and to have the selling price credited against the purchase price of other vehicles, equipment, or machinery and to consummate the sale and purchase by a single contract with the lowest and best bidder to be determined by subtracting from the selling price of the vehicles, equipment, or machinery to be purchased by the municipal corporation the purchase price offered for the municipally-owned vehicles, equipment, or machinery. When the legislative authority or the authorized board, officer, or director of a municipal corporation advertises for bids for the sale of new vehicles, equipment, or machinery to the municipal corporation, they may include in the same advertisement a notice of willingness to accept bids for the purchase of municipally-owned vehicles, equipment, or machinery which is obsolete, or is not needed or is unfit for public use, and to have the amount of those bids subtracted from the selling price as a means of determining the lowest and best bidder.

(C) If the legislative authority of the municipal corporation determines that municipal personal property is not needed for public use, or is obsolete or unfit for the use for which it was acquired, and that the property has no value, the legislative authority may discard or salvage that property.

(D) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in division (A) or (B) of this section and regardless of the property's value, the legislative authority of a municipal corporation may sell personal property, including motor vehicles acquired for the use of municipal officers and departments, and road machinery, equipment, tools, or supplies, which is not needed for public use, or is obsolete or unfit for the use for which it was acquired, by internet auction. The legislative authority shall adopt, during each calendar year, a resolution expressing its intent to sell that property by internet auction. The resolution shall include a description of how the auctions will be conducted and shall specify the number of days for bidding on the property, which shall be no less than ten days, including Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. The resolution shall indicate whether the municipal corporation will conduct the auction or the legislative authority will contract with a representative to conduct the auction and shall establish the general terms and conditions of sale. If a representative is known when the resolution is adopted, the resolution shall provide contact information such as the representative's name, address, and telephone number.

After adoption of the resolution, the legislative authority shall publish, in a newspaper of general circulation in the municipal corporation or as provided in section 7.16 of the Revised Code, notice of its intent to sell unneeded, obsolete, or unfit municipal personal property by internet auction. The notice shall include a summary of the information provided in the resolution and shall be published twice. The second notice shall be published not less than ten nor more than twenty days after the previous notice. A similar notice also shall be posted continually throughout the calendar year in a conspicuous place in the offices of the village clerk or city auditor, and the legislative authority. If the municipal corporation maintains a web site on the internet, the notice shall be posted continually throughout the calendar year at that web site.

When the property is to be sold by internet auction, the legislative authority or its representative may establish a minimum price that will be accepted for specific items and may establish any other terms and conditions for the particular sale, including requirements for pick-up or delivery, method of payment, and sales tax. This type of information shall be provided on the internet at the time of the auction and may be provided before that time upon request after the terms and conditions have been determined by the legislative authority or its representative.

Section 721.16 | Sale of refuse.
 

Refuse, street scrapings, or ashes not necessary for the improvement of municipal property, and other personal property, under the charge of the street cleaning department of a municipal corporation, and no longer necessary for the purposes of such department, shall be sold in the manner provided in section 721.15 of the Revised Code, by the board or officer having the supervision or management of such department.

Section 721.17 | Disposition of money arising from sale.
 

Money arising from a sale under section 721.16 of the Revised Code shall be deposited in the treasury of the municipal corporation, in the street cleaning fund, and shall be immediately available, in addition to the appropriations by the legislative authority of such municipal corporation, for the current expenses of the street cleaning department, and may be withdrawn from the treasury upon the warrant of the auditor or clerk of the municipal corporation for such purpose. Such money shall not be considered a source of revenue subject to appropriation by the legislative authority, and may be expended as provided by this section without having been appropriated by such legislative authority.

Section 721.18 | Exchange of lots for school purposes.
 

When any lot of land lying within the limits of a municipal corporation has been dedicated, given, or granted thereto, and set apart for the use and support of schools, the court of common pleas, on the application of the mayor or legislative authority thereof, may authorize an exchange of such lot for such other lot within the limits of the municipal corporation as the interest of the schools therein require. All lots so taken in exchange, shall be held for the same purposes and subject to the same conditions as the original lots.

Section 721.19 | Petition.
 

Each application for the exchange of lots under section 721.18 of the Revised Code shall be by petition verified by the mayor. The board of education of the municipal corporation and such other persons as the court of common pleas orders shall be made party defendants. The petition shall set forth an accurate description of each lot proposed to be given or taken in exchange, the specific circumstances which render the exchange necessary, and a prayer for such order as is required.

Section 721.20 | Notice of petition to be published.
 

Notice of the filing, pendency, and prayer of the petition provided for by section 721.19 of the Revised Code shall be published for four consecutive weeks or as provided in section 7.16 of the Revised Code, prior to the day of hearing, in a newspaper of general circulation in such municipal corporation.

Section 721.21 | Hearing and order.
 

If, upon the hearing of the petition provided for in section 721.19 of the Revised Code, it appears to the court of common pleas that notice of the filing, pendency, and prayer thereof has been given as provided by section 721.20 of the Revised Code, and that an exchange of lots is necessary and will promote the interests of the schools, and that such an order would not be inconsistent with the terms of the original grant or device, the court shall authorize the exchange to be made, and order the mayor of the municipal corporation to execute and deliver such deed, in fee simple, as is necessary to effect the exchange.

Section 721.22 | Transfer and lease of property by municipal corporation for library purposes.
 

A municipal corporation may, by ordinance, transfer, lease, or permit the use of any property, real or personal, suitable for library purposes, to the board of trustees of any free public library or any library association rendering free library service to the inhabitants of the municipal corporation, upon such lawful terms as are agreed upon between the municipal corporation and the trustees of such library or library association.

Section 721.23 | Use of public buildings.
 

The legislative authority of a municipal corporation may permit the use of public buildings under its control, upon such terms as it provides by ordinance.

Section 721.24 | Realty for school farms.
 

A municipal corporation may, by ordinance, sell or lease any real property, suitable for school farms, upon which it has acquired, established, erected, or maintained or may acquire, establish, erect, or maintain correctional institutions, houses of refuge, or like institutions, together with any personal property suitable for school farms, to any board of education upon such lawful terms as are agreed to between the municipal corporation and the board of education.

Section 721.25 | Boards of education may acquire realty for school farms.
 

Boards of education may acquire, lease, and maintain real property as provided by section 721.24 of the Revised Code, either within or without the school district of such board. When such property is conveyed it shall be under the control and supervision of the board of education, and all the powers, duties, and jurisdiction, relative to such institutions, vested in such municipal corporation or any officer thereof, shall be terminated and abolished. No advertisement of the ordinance or other legislative proceeding for the sale or lease of such property is required.

Section 721.26 | Conveyance or exchange of land by municipal corporation to the United States.
 

Any municipal corporation may sell, lease, or dedicate any land owned or acquired by it, to the United States for use by the United States public health service, or it may trade or exchange such property for property owned by the United States. Any such sale, lease, dedication, or exchange shall be authorized by ordinance of the legislative authority of such municipal corporation, approved by a two-thirds vote of all members elected thereto. Such ordinance shall authorize the mayor and clerk or other designated official of the municipal corporation to execute and deliver the necessary deed without advertising as required by section 721.03 of the Revised Code.

Section 721.27 | Transfer, lease or conveyance of hospital property by municipal corporation to county.
 

(A) The actions specified in division (B) of this section may be taken without competitive bidding as required by sections 721.03 and 721.15 of the Revised Code.

(B) A municipal corporation may, by ordinance, authorize the transfer, lease, or conveyance of any real property, upon which it has acquired, established, erected, or maintained a hospital, together with any personal property suitable for such hospital, to either of the following:

(1) A board of county commissioners, upon such lawful terms as are agreed upon between the municipal corporation and the board of county commissioners;

(2) Any person for purposes of providing medical services other than hospital services, if the municipal corporation determines that the transfer, lease, or conveyance is reasonably related to the proper operation of the hospital.

Section 721.28 | Contracts for urban redevelopment or urban renewal.
 

The legislative authority of a municipal corporation may authorize the transfer, lease, or conveyance of any real property in accordance with and for the purposes of a plan adopted by the legislative authority for urban redevelopment or urban renewal upon such lawful terms and conditions and in such manner as are prescribed by the legislative authority, without competitive bidding as required by section 721.03 of the Revised Code.

Section 721.29 | Sale of real estate without bidding.
 

The legislative authority of a city may sell to a board of county commissioners real estate belonging to the city that is no longer needed for city purposes upon such lawful terms as are agreed upon between the city and the board of county commissioners, without competitive bidding as required by section 721.03 of the Revised Code. No such sale shall be made unless the contract for the sale is authorized by ordinance, approved by a two-thirds vote of the members of the legislative authority of the city, and by the board or officer having supervision or management of the real estate.