Ohio Rev. Code » Chapter 731
Ohio Revised Code

Ohio Rev. Code § 731.29 (2026)

Petition for referendum

✓ current as of May 2026
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Effective:
September 30, 2025
Latest Legislation:
House Bill 96 - 136th General Assembly
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Any ordinance or other measure passed by the legislative authority of a municipal corporation shall be subject to the referendum except as provided by section 731.30 of the Revised Code. No ordinance or other measure shall go into effect until thirty days after it is filed with the mayor of a city or passed by the legislative authority in a village, except as provided by such section.

Except as provided in section 731.291 of the Revised Code, when a petition, signed by thirty-five per cent of the number of electors who voted for governor at the most recent general election for the office of governor in the municipal corporation, is filed with the city auditor or village clerk within thirty days after any ordinance or other measure is filed with the mayor or passed by the legislative authority of a village, or in case the mayor has vetoed the ordinance or any measure and returned it to council, such petition may be filed within thirty days after the council has passed the ordinance or measure over the veto, ordering that such ordinance or measure be submitted to the electors of such municipal corporation for their approval or rejection, such auditor or clerk shall, after ten days, and not later than four p.m. of the ninetieth day before the day of election, transmit a certified copy of the text of the ordinance or measure to the board of elections. The auditor or clerk shall transmit the petition to the board together with the certified copy of the ordinance or measure. The board shall examine all signatures on the petition to determine the number of electors of the municipal corporation who signed the petition. The board shall return the petition to the auditor or clerk within ten days after receiving it, together with a statement attesting to the number of such electors who signed the petition. The board shall submit the ordinance or measure to the electors of the municipal corporation, for their approval or rejection, at the next general election occurring subsequent to ninety days after the auditor or clerk certifies the sufficiency and validity of the petition to the board of elections.

No such ordinance or measure shall go into effect until approved by the majority of those voting upon it. Sections 731.28 to 731.41 of the Revised Code do not prevent a municipal corporation, after the passage of any ordinance or other measure, from proceeding at once to give any notice or make any publication required by such ordinance or other measure.

As used in this section, "certified copy" means a copy containing a written statement attesting that it is a true and exact reproduction of the original ordinance or other measure.

Last updated July 28, 2025 at 12:01 PM

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 46 cases (8 in the last 5 years), 1953–2024 · leading case: State Ex Rel. Julnes v. South Euclid City Council, 2011 Ohio 4485 (Ohio 2011).
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State Ex Rel. Julnes v. South Euclid City Council, 2011 Ohio 4485 (Ohio 2011). · cites it 32× “{¶ 21} Nevertheless, under the South Euclid Charter, most of the pertinent referendum duties associated with a city auditor under R.C. 731.29 are vested in the clerk of the city council.”
State ex rel. Nauth v. Dirham (Slip Opinion), 2020 Ohio 4208 (Ohio 2020). · cites it 8× “On July 31, CCMC submitted to Dirham a petition to subject the ordinance to a referendum under R.C. 731.29. The referendum petition consisted of 81 part-petitions.”
State ex rel. Clark v. Twinsburg, 2022 Ohio 3089 (Ohio 2022). · cites it 8× “02 of Twinsburg’s charter, the electors of the city have reserved the power to approve or reject “any ordinance or other measure enacted by Council by referendum petition submitted to the Clerk of Council in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution or laws of Ohio now…”
Truman v. Vill. of Clay Ctr., 825 N.E.2d 1182 (Ohio Ct. App. 2005). · cites it 10× “” {¶ 6} Pursuant to R.C. 731.29, emergency ordinances may not be challenged by referendum.”
State ex rel. Webb v. Bliss, 789 N.E.2d 1102 (Ohio 2003). · cites it 5× “{¶ 5} On December 12, 2002, Webb filed this action for a writ of mandamus to compel Bliss to transfer the referendum petition and the ordinance to the Ashtabula County Board of Elections in accordance with R.C. 731.29. On *168 January 2, 2003, Bliss filed an answer and a motion…”
State ex rel. Citizens for Responsible Green Govt. v. Green (Slip Opinion), 2018 Ohio 3489 (Ohio 2018). · cites it 3× “R.C. 731.29. In Green, the finance director, as the fiscal officer for the city, is the equivalent of the auditor.”
McQueen v. Dohoney, 2013 Ohio 2424 (Ohio Ct. App. 2013). · cites it 7× “{¶33} R.C. 731.29 in pertinent part states: Any ordinance or other measure passed by the legislative authority of a municipal corporation shall be subject to the referendum except as provided by section 731.”
Rispo Realty & Dev. Co. v. City of Parma, 564 N.E.2d 425 (Ohio 1990). · cites it 4× “” R.C. 731.29 subjects zoning ordinances to referendum in the following manner.”
Taylor v. City of London, 723 N.E.2d 1089 (Ohio 2000). · cites it 3× “) To that end, R.C. 731.29 provides that “[a]ny ordinance or other measure passed by the legislative authority of a municipal corporation shall be subject to the referendum except as provided by section 731.”
State ex rel. Baur v. Medina Cnty. Bd. of Elections, 736 N.E.2d 1 (Ohio 2000). · cites it 6× “, November 2, 1999, that made compliance with the timing requirements of R.C. 731.29 impossible. R.C. 731.29 provides the following requirements for municipal ordinances or other measures subject to referendum: “When a petition, signed by ten per cent of the number of electors…”
Taylor v. London, 2000 Ohio 278 (Ohio 2000). · cites it 4× “In accordance with R.C. 731.29 and 731.30, emergency legislation adopted by a municipality is not subject to referendum.”
State ex rel. Sinay v. Sodders, 685 N.E.2d 754 (Ohio 1997). · cites it 2× “192 afforded city auditors and village clerks discretionary authority to determine the sufficiency and validity of municipal initiative and referendum petitions. The current version of R.”
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