Chapter 5804 | Creation, Modification, Revocation, And Termination

Section
Section 5804.01 \| Methods of creation of trusts. Effective: January 1, 2007 Latest Legislation: House Bill 416 - 126th General Assembly PDF: Download Authenticated PDF A trust may be created by any of the following methods: (A) Transfer of property to another person as trustee during the settlor's lifetime or by will or other disposition taking effect upon the settlor's death; (B) Declaration by the owner of property that the owner holds identifiable property as trustee; (C) Exercise of a power of appointment in favor of a trustee; (D) A court order.
Section 5804.02 \| General requirements for creation of trust. Effective: April 6, 2017 Latest Legislation: House Bill 432 - 131st General Assembly PDF: Download Authenticated PDF (A) A trust is created only if all of the following apply: (1) Subject to division (F) of this section, the settlor of the trust, other than the settlor of a trust created by a court order, has capacity to create a trust. (2) Subject to division (F) of this section, the settlor of the trust, other than the settlor of a trust created by a court order, indicates an intention to create the trust. (3) The trust has a definite beneficiary or is one of the following: (a) A charitable trust; (b) A trust for the care of an animal, as provided in section 5804.08 of the Revised Code; (c) A trust for a noncharitable purpose, as provided in section 5804.09 of the Revised Code. (4) The trustee has duties to perform. (5) The same person is not the sole trustee and sole beneficiary. (B) A beneficiary is definite if the beneficiary can be ascertained now or in the future, subject to any applicable rule against perpetuities. (C) A power in a trustee or other person to select a beneficiary from an indefinite class is valid. If the power is not exercised within a reasonable time, the power fails, and the property subject to the power passes to the persons who would have taken the property had the power not been conferred. (D) A trust is valid regardless of the existence, size, or character of the corpus of the trust. This division applies to any trust instrument that was executed prior to, or is executed on or after, January 1, 2007. (E) A trust is not invalid because a person, including, but not limited to, the creator of the trust, is or may become the sole trustee and the sole holder of the present beneficial enjoyment of the corpus of the trust, provided that one or more other persons hold a vested, contingent, or expectant interest relative to the enjoyment of the corpus of the trust upon the cessation of the present beneficial enjoyment. A merger of the legal and equitable titles to the corpus of a trust described in this division does not occur in its creator, and, notwithstanding any contrary provision of Chapter 2107. of the Revised Code, the trust is not a testamentary trust that is required to comply with that chapter in order for its corpus to be legally distributed to other beneficiaries in accordance with the provisions of the trust upon the cessation of the present beneficial enjoyment. This division applies to any trust that satisfies the provisions of this division, whether the trust was executed prior to, on, or after October 10, 1991. (F) An agent under a power of attorney may create a trust for the principal, whether or not the principal has capacity to create the trust and indicates an intention to create the trust, but only as provided in sections 1337.21 to 1337.64 of the Revised Code, including sections 1337.42 and 1337.58 of the Revised Code and their limitations on creation of trusts and on gifts of property of the principal and the duty of the agent to attempt to preserve the principal's estate plan.
Section 5804.03 \| Validity of nontestamentary trusts. Effective: January 1, 2007 Latest Legislation: House Bill 416 - 126th General Assembly PDF: Download Authenticated PDF A trust not created by will is validly created if its creation complies with the law of the jurisdiction in which the trust instrument was executed or the law of the jurisdiction in which, at the time of creation, any of the following applies: (A) The settlor was domiciled in, had a place of abode in, or was a national of the jurisdiction. (B) A trustee was domiciled or had a place of business in the jurisdiction. (C) Any trust property was located in the jurisdiction.
Section 5804.04 \| Trust purposes must be legitimate. Effective: January 1, 2007 Latest Legislation: House Bill 416 - 126th General Assembly PDF: Download Authenticated PDF A trust may be created only to the extent that its purposes are lawful, not contrary to public policy, and possible to achieve. A trust exists, and its assets shall be held, for the benefit of its beneficiaries in accordance with the interests of the beneficiaries in the trust.
Section 5804.05 \| Purposes of charitable trust - enforcement. Effective: January 1, 2007 Latest Legislation: House Bill 416 - 126th General Assembly PDF: Download Authenticated PDF (A) A charitable trust may be created for the relief of poverty, the advancement of education or religion, the promotion of health, governmental or municipal purposes, or other purposes the achievement of which is beneficial to the community. (B) If the terms of a charitable trust do not indicate a particular charitable purpose or beneficiary, the court may select one or more charitable purposes or beneficiaries. The selection must be consistent with the settlor's intention to the extent it can be ascertained. (C) The settlor of a charitable trust, among others, may maintain a proceeding to enforce the trust.
Section 5804.06 \| Trust induced by fraud, duress, or undue influence void. Effective: January 1, 2007 Latest Legislation: House Bill 416 - 126th General Assembly PDF: Download Authenticated PDF A trust is void to the extent its creation was induced by fraud, duress, or undue influence. As used in this section, "fraud," "duress," and "undue influence" have the same meanings for trust validity purposes as they have for purposes of determining the validity of a will.
Section 5804.07 \| Written instrument not required. Effective: January 1, 2007 Latest Legislation: House Bill 416 - 126th General Assembly PDF: Download Authenticated PDF Except as required by any section of the Revised Code not in Chapters 5801. to 5811. of the Revised Code, a trust is not required to be evidenced by a trust instrument, but the creation of an oral trust and its terms may be established only by clear and convincing evidence.
Section 5804.08 \| Trust to provide for care of animal. Effective: January 1, 2007 Latest Legislation: House Bill 416 - 126th General Assembly PDF: Download Authenticated PDF (A) A trust may be created to provide for the care of an animal alive during the settlor's lifetime. The trust terminates upon the death of the animal or, if the trust was created to provide for the care of more than one animal alive during the settlor's lifetime, upon the death of the last surviving animal. (B) A person appointed in the terms of a trust or, if no person is so appointed, a person appointed by the court may enforce a trust authorized by this section. A person having an interest in the welfare of an animal that is provided care by a trust authorized by this section may request the court to appoint a person to enforce the trust or to remove a person appointed. (C) The property of a trust authorized by this section may be applied only to its intended use, except to the extent the court determines that the value of the trust property exceeds the amount required for the intended use. Except as otherwise provided in the terms of the trust, property not required for the intended use must be distributed to the settlor if then living or to the settlor's successors in interest.
Section 5804.09 \| Trust created for noncharitable purpose. Effective: January 1, 2007 Latest Legislation: House Bill 416 - 126th General Assembly PDF: Download Authenticated PDF Except as otherwise provided in section 5804.08 of the Revised Code or any other section of the Revised Code: (A) A trust may be created for a noncharitable purpose without a definite or definitely ascertainable beneficiary or for a noncharitable but otherwise valid purpose to be selected by the trustee. A trust created for a noncharitable purpose may not be enforced for more than twenty-one years. (B) A trust authorized by this section may be enforced by a person appointed in the terms of the trust or, if no person is so appointed, by a person appointed by the court. (C) The property of a trust authorized by this section may be applied only to its intended use, except to the extent the court determines that the value of the trust property exceeds the amount required for the intended use. Except as otherwise provided in the terms of the trust, property not required for the intended use must be distributed to the settlor if then living or to the settlor's successors in interest.
Section 5804.10 \| Termination of trust by revocation or by terms. Effective: January 1, 2007 Latest Legislation: House Bill 416 - 126th General Assembly PDF: Download Authenticated PDF (A) In addition to the methods of termination prescribed by sections 5804.11 to 5804.14 of the Revised Code, a trust terminates to the extent the trust is revoked or expires pursuant to its terms, a court determines that no purpose of the trust remains to be achieved, or a court determines that the purposes of the trust have become unlawful or impossible to achieve. (B) A trustee or beneficiary may commence a proceeding to approve or disapprove a proposed modification or termination under sections 5804.11 to 5804.16 of the Revised Code or to approve or disapprove a trust combination or division under section 5804.17 of the Revised Code. The settlor may commence a proceeding to approve or disapprove a proposed modification or termination under section 5804.11 of the Revised Code. The settlor of a charitable trust may maintain a proceeding to modify the trust under section 5804.13 of the Revised Code.
Section 5804.11 \| Termination or modification of noncharitable irrevocable trust. Effective: August 17, 2021 Latest Legislation: House Bill 7 - 134th General Assembly PDF: Download Authenticated PDF (A) If upon petition the court finds that the settlor and all beneficiaries consent to the modification or termination of a noncharitable irrevocable trust, that all consents, including any given by representatives under Chapter 5803. of the Revised Code, are valid, and that all parties giving consent are competent to do so, the court shall enter an order approving the modification or termination even if the modification or termination is inconsistent with a material purpose of the trust. An agent under a power of attorney may exercise a settlor's power to consent to a trust's modification or termination only to the extent expressly authorized by both the power of attorney and the terms of the trust. The settlor's guardian of the estate may exercise a settlor's power to consent to a trust's modification or termination with the approval of the court supervising the guardianship if an agent is not so authorized. The guardian of the settlor's person may exercise a settlor's power to consent to a trust's modification or termination with the approval of the court supervising the guardianship if an agent is not so authorized and a guardian of the estate has not been appointed. This division does not apply to a noncharitable irrevocable trust described in 42 U.S.C. 1396p(d)(4). (B) A noncharitable irrevocable trust may be terminated upon consent of all of the beneficiaries if the court concludes that continuance of the trust is not necessary to achieve any material purpose of the trust. A noncharitable irrevocable trust may be modified, but not to remove or replace the currently serving trustee, upon consent of all of the beneficiaries if the court concludes that modification is not inconsistent with a material purpose of the trust. A spendthrift provision in the terms of the trust may, but is not presumed to, constitute a material purpose of the trust. In determining what constitutes a material purpose of a trust, a court may but is not required to consider extrinsic evidence indicating a settlor's intent at the time the instrument was executed. (C) Upon termination of a trust under division (A) or (B) of this section, the trustee shall distribute the trust property as agreed by the beneficiaries. (D) If not all of the beneficiaries consent to a proposed modification or termination of the trust under division (A) or (B) of this section, the court may approve the modification or termination if the court is satisfied of both of the following: (1) That if all of the beneficiaries had consented, the trust could have been modified or terminated under this section; (2) That the interests of a beneficiary who does not consent will be adequately protected. Last updated May 20, 2021 at 2:21 PM
Section 5804.12 \| Judicial action due to change of circumstances. Effective: March 22, 2012 Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 117 - 129th General Assembly PDF: Download Authenticated PDF (A) The court may modify the administrative or dispositive terms of a trust or terminate the trust if because of circumstances not anticipated by the settlor modification or termination will further the purposes of the trust. To the extent practicable, the court shall make the modification in accordance with the settlor's probable intention. (B) The court may modify the administrative terms of a trust if continuation of the trust on its existing terms would be impracticable or impair the trust's administration. (C) Upon termination of a trust under this section, the trustee shall distribute the trust property in a manner consistent with the purposes of the trust. (D) The court may modify or interpret the terms of a trust, including, but not limited to, a charitable trust or a trust having as a beneficiary an organization with one or more purposes that are described in division (A) of section 5804.05 of the Revised Code, that refer to the federal estate tax, federal generation-skipping transfer tax, or Ohio estate tax, or that contain a division of property based on the imposition or amount of one or more of those taxes, to give effect to the intent of the settlor.
Section 5804.13 \| Judicial action where charitable purpose frustrated. Effective: September 12, 2008 Latest Legislation: House Bill 499 - 127th General Assembly PDF: Download Authenticated PDF (A) Except as otherwise provided in division (B) of this section, if a particular charitable purpose becomes unlawful, impracticable, or impossible to achieve, all of the following apply: (1) The trust does not fail in whole or in part. (2) The trust property does not revert to the settlor or the settlor's successors in interest. (3) The court may apply cy pres to modify or terminate the trust by directing that the trust property be applied or distributed, in whole or in part, in a manner consistent with the settlor's charitable purposes. In accordance with section 109.25 of the Revised Code, the attorney general is a necessary party to a judicial proceeding brought under this section. (B) A provision in the terms of a charitable trust for an alternative charitable purpose or for the distribution of the trust property to a noncharitable beneficiary prevails over the power of the court under division (A) of this section to apply cy pres to modify or terminate the trust.
Section 5804.14 \| Termination or modification where costs exceed value. Effective: September 12, 2008 Latest Legislation: House Bill 499 - 127th General Assembly PDF: Download Authenticated PDF (A)(1) Except as provided in division (A)(2) of this section, after notice to the qualified beneficiaries, the trustee of an inter vivos trust consisting of trust property having a total value of less than one hundred thousand dollars may terminate the trust if the trustee concludes that the value of the trust property is insufficient to justify the cost of administration. (2) Division (A)(1) of this section does not apply to any of the following: (a) A charitable trust that has one or more charitable organizations as qualified beneficiaries; (b) A charitable trust the terms of which authorize or direct the trustee to distribute trust income or principal to one or more charitable organizations to be selected by the trustee, or for one or more charitable purposes described in division (A) of section 5804.05 of the Revised Code, if any of the following apply: (i) The distributions may be made on the date that the trust would be terminated under division (A)(1) of this section. (ii) The distributions could be made on the date that the trust would be terminated under division (A)(1) of this section if the interests of the current beneficiaries of the trust terminated on that date, but the termination of those interests would not cause the trust to terminate. (iii) The distributions could be made on the date that the trust would be terminated under division (A)(1) of this section, if the trust terminated on that date but not under that division. (B) If an inter vivos trust consists of trust property having a total value of less than one hundred thousand dollars, the court may modify or terminate the trust or remove the trustee and appoint a different trustee if it determines that the value of the trust property is insufficient to justify the cost of administration. (C) Upon the termination of a trust pursuant to division (A)(1) of this section, the trustee shall distribute the trust estate in accordance with any provision specified in the terms of the trust for the premature termination of the trust. If there is no provision of that nature in the terms of the trust, the trustee shall distribute the trust estate among the beneficiaries of the trust in accordance with their respective beneficial interests and in a manner that the trustee determines to be equitable. For purposes of distributing the trust estate among the beneficiaries of the trust under this division, the trustee shall consider all of the following: (1) The existence of any agreement among the beneficiaries with respect to their beneficial interests; (2) The actuarial values of the separate beneficial interests of the beneficiaries; (3) Any expression of preference of the beneficiaries that is contained in the terms of the trust. (D) Upon the termination of a trust pursuant to division (B) of this section, the court shall order the distribution of the trust estate in accordance with any provision specified in the terms of the trust for the premature termination of the trust. If there is no provision of that nature in the terms of the trust, the court shall order the distribution of the trust estate among the beneficiaries of the trust in accordance with their respective beneficial interests and in a manner that the court determines to be equitable. For purposes of ordering the distribution of the trust estate among the beneficiaries of the trust under this division, the court shall consider the three factors listed in division (C) of this section. (E) The existence of a spendthrift or similar provision in the terms of a trust or will does not preclude the termination of a trust pursuant to this section. (F) This section does not apply to an easement for conservation or preservation.
Section 5804.15 \| Reformation to conform to settlor's intention. Effective: January 1, 2007 Latest Legislation: House Bill 416 - 126th General Assembly PDF: Download Authenticated PDF The court may reform the terms of a trust, even if they are unambiguous, to conform the terms to the settlor's intention if it is proved by clear and convincing evidence that both the settlor's intent and the terms of the trust were affected by a mistake of fact or law, whether in expression or inducement.
Section 5804.16 \| Modification to achieve settlor's tax objectives. Effective: January 1, 2007 Latest Legislation: House Bill 416 - 126th General Assembly PDF: Download Authenticated PDF To achieve the settlor's tax objectives, the court may modify the terms of a trust in a manner that is not contrary to the settlor's probable intention. The court may provide that the modification has retroactive effect.
Section 5804.17 \| Combination or division of trusts. Effective: September 12, 2008 Latest Legislation: House Bill 499 - 127th General Assembly PDF: Download Authenticated PDF After notice to the qualified beneficiaries, a trustee may combine two or more trusts into a single trust or divide a trust into two or more separate trusts if the result does not substantially impair the rights of any beneficiary or have a materially adverse effect on the achievement of the purposes of the trust.
Section 5804.18 \| When certain trust is irrevocable. Effective: January 1, 2007 Latest Legislation: House Bill 416 - 126th General Assembly PDF: Download Authenticated PDF A trust described in 42 U.S.C. 1396p(d)(4) is irrevocable if the terms of the trust prohibit the settlor from revoking it, whether or not the settlor's estate or the settlor's heirs are named as the remainder beneficiary or beneficiaries of the trust upon the settlor's death.