Section 319.54 | Fees to compensate for auditor's services.
(A) On all moneys collected by the county treasurer on any tax duplicate of the county, other than estate tax duplicates, and on all moneys received as advance payments of personal property and classified property taxes, the county auditor, on settlement with the treasurer and tax commissioner, on or before the date prescribed by law for such settlement or any lawful extension of such date, shall be allowed as compensation for the county auditor's services the following percentages:
(1) On the first one hundred thousand dollars, two and one-half per cent;
(2) On the next two million dollars, eight thousand three hundred eighteen ten-thousandths of one per cent;
(3) On the next two million dollars, six thousand six hundred fifty-five ten-thousandths of one per cent;
(4) On all further sums, one thousand six hundred sixty-three ten-thousandths of one per cent.
If any settlement is not made on or before the date prescribed by law for such settlement or any lawful extension of such date, the aggregate compensation allowed to the auditor shall be reduced one per cent for each day such settlement is delayed after the prescribed date. No penalty shall apply if the auditor and treasurer grant all requests for advances up to ninety per cent of the settlement pursuant to section 321.34 of the Revised Code. The compensation allowed in accordance with this section on settlements made before the dates prescribed by law, or the reduced compensation allowed in accordance with this section on settlements made after the date prescribed by law or any lawful extension of such date, shall be apportioned ratably by the auditor and deducted from the shares or portions of the revenue payable to the state as well as to the county, townships, municipal corporations, and school districts.
(B) For the purpose of reimbursing county auditors for the expenses associated with the increased number of applications for reductions in real property taxes under sections 323.152 and 4503.065 of the Revised Code that result from the amendment of those sections by Am. Sub. H.B. 119 of the 127th general assembly, there shall be paid from the state's general revenue fund to the county treasury, to the credit of the real estate assessment fund created by section 325.31 of the Revised Code, an amount equal to one per cent of the total annual amount of property tax relief reimbursement paid to that county under sections 323.156 and 4503.068 of the Revised Code for the preceding tax year. Payments made under this division shall be made at the same times and in the same manner as payments made under section 323.156 of the Revised Code.
(C) From all moneys collected by the county treasurer on any tax duplicate of the county, other than estate tax duplicates, and on all moneys received as advance payments of personal property and classified property taxes, there shall be paid into the county treasury to the credit of the real estate assessment fund created by section 325.31 of the Revised Code, an amount to be determined by the county auditor, which shall not exceed the percentages prescribed in divisions (C)(1) and (2) of this section.
(1) For payments made after June 30, 2007, and before 2011, the following percentages:
(a) On the first five hundred thousand dollars, four per cent;
(b) On the next five million dollars, two per cent;
(c) On the next five million dollars, one per cent;
(d) On all further sums not exceeding one hundred fifty million dollars, three-quarters of one per cent;
(e) On amounts exceeding one hundred fifty million dollars, five hundred eighty-five thousandths of one per cent.
(2) For payments made in or after 2011, the following percentages:
(a) On the first five hundred thousand dollars, four per cent;
(b) On the next ten million dollars, two per cent;
(c) On amounts exceeding ten million five hundred thousand dollars, three-fourths of one per cent.
Such compensation shall be apportioned ratably by the auditor and deducted from the shares or portions of the revenue payable to the state as well as to the county, townships, municipal corporations, and school districts.
(D) Each county auditor shall receive four per cent of the amount of tax collected and paid into the county treasury, on property omitted and placed by the county auditor on the tax duplicate.
(E) On all estate tax moneys collected by the county treasurer, the county auditor, on settlement annually with the tax commissioner, shall be allowed, as compensation for the auditor's services under Chapter 5731. of the Revised Code, the following percentages:
(1) Four per cent on the first one hundred thousand dollars;
(2) One-half of one per cent on all additional sums.
Such percentages shall be computed upon the amount collected and reported at each annual settlement, and shall be for the use of the general fund of the county.
(F) On all cigarette license moneys collected by the county treasurer, the county auditor, on settlement semiannually with the treasurer, shall be allowed as compensation for the auditor's services in the issuing of such licenses one-half of one per cent of such moneys, to be apportioned ratably and deducted from the shares of the revenue payable to the county and subdivisions, for the use of the general fund of the county.
(G) The county auditor shall charge and receive fees as follows:
(1) For deeds of land sold for taxes to be paid by the purchaser, five dollars;
(2) For the transfer or entry of land, lot, or part of lot, or the transfer or entry on or after January 1, 2000, of a used manufactured home or mobile home as defined in section 5739.0210 of the Revised Code, fifty cents for each transfer or entry, to be paid by the person requiring it;
(3) For receiving statements of value and administering section 319.202 of the Revised Code, one dollar, or ten cents for each one hundred dollars or fraction of one hundred dollars, whichever is greater, of the value of the real property transferred or, for sales occurring on or after January 1, 2000, the value of the used manufactured home or used mobile home, as defined in section 5739.0210 of the Revised Code, transferred, except no fee shall be charged when the transfer is made:
(a) To or from the United States, this state, or any instrumentality, agency, or political subdivision of the United States or this state;
(b) Solely in order to provide or release security for a debt or obligation;
(c) To confirm or correct a deed previously executed and recorded or when a current owner on any record made available to the general public on the internet or a publicly accessible database and the general tax list of real and public utility property and the general duplicate of real and public utility property is a peace officer, parole officer, prosecuting attorney, assistant prosecuting attorney, correctional employee, youth services employee, firefighter, EMT, or investigator of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation and is changing the current owner name listed on any record made available to the general public on the internet or a publicly accessible database and the general tax list of real and public utility property and the general duplicate of real and public utility property to the initials of the current owner as prescribed in division (B)(1) of section 319.28 of the Revised Code;
(d) To evidence a gift, in trust or otherwise and whether revocable or irrevocable, between husband and wife, or parent and child or the spouse of either;
(e) On sale for delinquent taxes or assessments;
(f) Pursuant to court order, to the extent that such transfer is not the result of a sale effected or completed pursuant to such order;
(g) Pursuant to a reorganization of corporations or unincorporated associations or pursuant to the dissolution of a corporation, to the extent that the corporation conveys the property to a stockholder as a distribution in kind of the corporation's assets in exchange for the stockholder's shares in the dissolved corporation;
(h) By a subsidiary corporation to its parent corporation for no consideration, nominal consideration, or in sole consideration of the cancellation or surrender of the subsidiary's stock;
(i) By lease, whether or not it extends to mineral or mineral rights, unless the lease is for a term of years renewable forever;
(j) When the value of the real property or the manufactured or mobile home or the value of the interest that is conveyed does not exceed one hundred dollars;
(k) Of an occupied residential property, including a manufactured or mobile home, being transferred to the builder of a new residence or to the dealer of a new manufactured or mobile home when the former residence is traded as part of the consideration for the new residence or new manufactured or mobile home;
(l) To a grantee other than a dealer in real property or in manufactured or mobile homes, solely for the purpose of, and as a step in, the prompt sale of the real property or manufactured or mobile home to others;
(m) To or from a person when no money or other valuable and tangible consideration readily convertible into money is paid or to be paid for the real estate or manufactured or mobile home and the transaction is not a gift;
(n) Pursuant to division (B) of section 317.22 of the Revised Code, or section 2113.61 of the Revised Code, between spouses or to a surviving spouse pursuant to section 5302.17 of the Revised Code as it existed prior to April 4, 1985, between persons pursuant to section 5302.17 or 5302.18 of the Revised Code on or after April 4, 1985, to a person who is a surviving, survivorship tenant pursuant to section 5302.17 of the Revised Code on or after April 4, 1985, or pursuant to section 5309.45 of the Revised Code;
(o) To a trustee acting on behalf of minor children of the deceased;
(p) Of an easement or right-of-way when the value of the interest conveyed does not exceed one thousand dollars;
(q) Of property sold to a surviving spouse pursuant to section 2106.16 of the Revised Code;
(r) To or from an organization exempt from federal income taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the "Internal Revenue Code of 1986," 100 Stat. 2085, 26 U.S.C.A. 1, as amended, provided such transfer is without consideration and is in furtherance of the charitable or public purposes of such organization;
(s) Among the heirs at law or devisees, including a surviving spouse, of a common decedent, when no consideration in money is paid or to be paid for the real property or manufactured or mobile home;
(t) To a trustee of a trust, when the grantor of the trust has reserved an unlimited power to revoke the trust;
(u) To the grantor of a trust by a trustee of the trust, when the transfer is made to the grantor pursuant to the exercise of the grantor's power to revoke the trust or to withdraw trust assets;
(v) To the beneficiaries of a trust if the fee was paid on the transfer from the grantor of the trust to the trustee or if the transfer is made pursuant to trust provisions which became irrevocable at the death of the grantor;
(w) To a corporation for incorporation into a sports facility constructed pursuant to section 307.696 of the Revised Code;
(x) Between persons pursuant to section 5302.18 of the Revised Code;
(y) From a county land reutilization corporation organized under Chapter 1724. of the Revised Code, or its wholly owned subsidiary, to a third party.
(4) For the cost of publishing the delinquent manufactured home tax list, the delinquent tax list, and the delinquent vacant land tax list, a flat fee, as determined by the county auditor, to be charged to the owner of a home on the delinquent manufactured home tax list or the property owner of land on the delinquent tax list or the delinquent vacant land tax list.
The auditor shall compute and collect the fee. The auditor shall maintain a numbered receipt system, as prescribed by the tax commissioner, and use such receipt system to provide a receipt to each person paying a fee. The auditor shall deposit the receipts of the fees on conveyances in the county treasury daily to the credit of the general fund of the county, except that fees charged and received under division (G)(3) of this section for a transfer of real property to a county land reutilization corporation shall be credited to the county land reutilization corporation fund established under section 321.263 of the Revised Code.
The real property transfer fee provided for in division (G)(3) of this section shall be applicable to any conveyance of real property presented to the auditor on or after January 1, 1968, regardless of its time of execution or delivery.
The transfer fee for a used manufactured home or used mobile home shall be computed by and paid to the county auditor of the county in which the home is located immediately prior to the transfer.
Available Versions of this Section
- September 4, 2014 – Senate Bill 172 - 130th General Assembly [ View September 4, 2014 Version ]
- September 29, 2017 – Amended by House Bill 49 - 132nd General Assembly [ View September 29, 2017 Version ]
- September 30, 2021 – Amended by House Bill 110 - 134th General Assembly [ View September 30, 2021 Version ]