WHAT THE WORDS MEAN

Also called consumer grade fireworks, the ones you buy at the tent

The class of fireworks a person at least eighteen years of age may discharge on their own property, or on property whose owner has given express permission, on the days the section lists and generally between four in the afternoon and eleven at night.

Also called loaded and within reach, ready at hand, in the car

The phrase that decides most vehicle firearm cases. Improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle turns on whether a loaded firearm was accessible to the operator or a passenger without leaving the vehicle.

Also called when the clock started, the cause of action accrued

The moment a claim became suable, which is the date every limitations period counts from. Six years on a written contract means six years from accrual, not six years from the agreement.

Also called the affidavit, signing the birth certificate, the hospital form

The affidavit a man signs to acknowledge that he is a child's natural father. Once it becomes final it is a final and enforceable determination of paternity rather than a presumption, and the form carries that warning in boldface at the top.

Also called found delinquent, the juvenile version of a conviction

The juvenile court finding that a child committed the act alleged. It is what that court does instead of convicting, and what follows it is called a disposition rather than a sentence.

Also called ALS, they took my license at the scene

A suspension imposed by the registrar on refusal or on a test over the limit, effective from the arrest and independent of the criminal case.

Also called ice warrant, immigration warrant, i-200, detainer

A document issued by an agency rather than by a court. An immigration detainer and a warrant for arrest of an alien are both signed inside the agency, by an officer or a supervisor.

Also called hostile, without permission, against the owner

Use of land without the owner's permission, which is the element of adverse possession that permission destroys. The claimants in the leading case had asked the owner's leave to use the strip, and the court held that asking was the opposite of adverse.

Also called the bindover hearing, amenable to rehabilitation

Whether a child can be cared for or rehabilitated within the juvenile system. Where a transfer is discretionary, this is the question the hearing is about.

Also called they thought she lived there, reasonable mistake

A search is valid where officers reasonably believed the person consenting had authority over the place, even if that belief turns out to be wrong.

Also called public defender, court appointed lawyer, free lawyer

Counsel provided at public expense to a defendant who cannot afford one, required in any case where imprisonment is actually imposed.

Also called first court date, reading the charges

The hearing where the charge is read and a plea is entered. In Ohio the initial appearance and the arraignment can happen at the same hearing in a misdemeanor case.

Also called the tint line, the mark on the edge of the windshield

A mark the glass manufacturer prints near the top edge of a windshield. Material along the top of the windshield that does not extend below that line, or below five inches from the top, whichever is closer to the top, is outside the tint rule altogether.

Also called ACDA, too close to stop, following too closely

The rule in division (A) of the speed section: no greater speed than lets the vehicle be brought to a stop within the distance that is clear ahead of it.

Also called agent, the person named in the power of attorney

The person a power of attorney names to act for somebody else. Under a durable power of attorney for health care, that is who decides about treatment when the principal cannot.

Also called transfer, tried as an adult, sent to adult court

Moving a case out of juvenile court and into adult criminal court. Ohio has a mandatory kind, where eligibility decides it, and a discretionary kind, where a hearing does.

Also called the BOR, the county value board

The county body that hears a complaint against the value the auditor has put on a parcel. The complaint is filed with the auditor by the end of March, and the board's decision can be appealed within thirty days to the board of tax appeals or the court of common pleas.

Also called exculpatory evidence, favorable evidence, they hid evidence

Evidence favorable to the accused and material to guilt or punishment. Suppressing it violates due process regardless of whether the prosecution acted in good faith, and Giglio extends it to evidence impeaching a government witness.

Also called filming in court, recording a hearing, cameras in the courtroom

Recording, photographing or broadcasting a court proceeding. A statewide rule governs it, the judge presiding has discretion over the request, and each court can carry its own local rule on top.

Also called bulk, how much is bulk

A quantity defined per substance in the definitions section, which the possession and trafficking tables then use as their unit. Multiples of it set the degree.

Also called CAE, certificate from prison

A certificate a prisoner who has completed approved vocational and cognitive or behavioral programs and community service may apply for, granting relief from mandatory civil impacts that would affect a job in the field the prisoner trained in.

Also called the five hundred dollars, the statutory penalty

In the open meetings section, a fixed sum a court orders a public body to pay to the party who obtained an injunction against it. Five hundred dollars, alongside court costs and reasonable attorney's fees.

Also called camera ticket, photo ticket, ticket in the mail

A monetary penalty imposed outside the criminal process. A traffic camera violation is one, which is why it carries no points, is not reported to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and is not recorded on a driving record.

Also called the fast e bike, the twenty eight mile an hour one

A bicycle with fully operable pedals and a motor of less than seven hundred fifty watts that assists only while the rider pedals and stops assisting at twenty eight miles per hour. It is the class that carries an age floor of sixteen, a helmet rule for every rider and passenger, and a restriction from most bicycle paths unless the controlling authority allows it.

Also called what they have to prove, the standard

A standard of proof higher than the balance of probabilities used in an ordinary civil case and lower than proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Ohio uses it for civil commitment and for forfeiture, among other things.

Also called roommate let them in, my wife said yes

One resident can consent to a search of shared space. Where a second resident is physically present and expressly objects, that objection defeats the consent as to that person.

Also called postconviction, habeas, going after the conviction later

A later proceeding that challenges a conviction from outside the direct appeal, such as a petition for postconviction relief or a habeas action.

Also called charged in time, when the clock stops for the state

For the criminal clock, the date an indictment is returned or an information filed, or the date a lawful arrest without a warrant is made, or the date a warrant, summons, citation or other process is issued, whichever comes first, provided reasonable diligence is used to execute it.

Also called probation, CCS, supervision

Court supervision imposed instead of a prison term, with conditions set by the court. Ohio replaced the word probation with this term for felony sentencing.

Also called competent, fit to stand trial, cant understand whats happening

Whether a defendant, because of their present mental condition, is capable of understanding the nature and objective of the proceedings and of assisting in the defense. A defendant is presumed competent, and a finding otherwise takes a hearing and a preponderance of the evidence.

Also called allowed to vote, voting rights restored, can i vote

The statutory way of saying eligible to vote. A felony conviction removes it, and the same section gives it back on parole, judicial release, a conditional pardon, non jail community control or post release control, and thereafter on final discharge.

Also called the court signing off, when it becomes final

The court order approving a sheriff's sale. It is a separate event from the sale itself, and it is the point at which a foreclosed property stops being redeemable.

Also called just talking, voluntary contact, casual conversation

An officer speaking to a person without having stopped them. No suspicion of any kind is required, because legally nothing has happened yet.

Also called saying yes, letting them search, permission

Voluntary agreement to a search, judged on the totality of the circumstances. Valid consent removes the need for a warrant and for probable cause.

Also called my porch, the yard, around the house

The area immediately around a home that is treated as part of the home for Fourth Amendment purposes. A porch is the standard example.

Also called in custody, under arrest for Miranda purposes

Formal arrest, or a restraint on freedom of movement of the degree associated with a formal arrest. It is the condition that, combined with questioning, triggers the Miranda warnings.

Also called destructive device, automatic weapon, explosives

A defined category above deadly weapon, covering automatic and sawed off firearms, military weapons, explosive devices and similar items, with express exclusions in the definition.

Also called earned credit, good time, earned time

Days a person in a state correctional institution may provisionally earn toward the stated prison term, one day or five days for each completed month of productive participation in a program, with more for completing certain programs.

Also called lethal force, shooting a suspect

Force likely to cause death or serious physical harm. Against a fleeing person it is unreasonable unless the officer has probable cause to believe that person poses a significant threat of death or serious physical injury.

Also called weapon, is my knife a weapon

Anything capable of inflicting death that is either designed or specially adapted for use as a weapon, or possessed, carried or used as one. It is a definition with elements, and nothing is a deadly weapon by default.

Also called the balance after they sold it, what I still owe

What is still owed after collateral has been sold and the proceeds applied. A car sold at auction almost never covers the loan, and the shortfall is pursued afterwards as its own debt.

Also called level, M1, F5, how serious is it

The classification every Ohio offense carries, from minor misdemeanor up to felony of the first degree. The degree sets the available range before anyone looks at the facts.

Also called a payment plan with the treasurer, a tax installment agreement

A written agreement with the county treasurer to pay delinquent taxes, assessments, penalties, interest and charges in installments on a schedule the treasurer sets. While it stands, the foreclosure on the state's lien does not proceed.

Also called naming the driver, someone else was driving

The person a registered owner names, by sworn affidavit, as having been operating the vehicle when a camera recorded the violation. Naming one moves the liability to that person.

Also called safety risk, officer safety exception

A significant risk to the health or safety of others that cannot be eliminated or reduced by a reasonable modification. Where one exists, the modification is not required.

Also called being punished for reporting, retaliation

What the whistleblower section forbids an employer doing to an employee for making a report the section authorizes, where the employee made a reasonable and good faith effort to determine the accuracy of what was reported. A civil action over it is brought within one hundred eighty days of the action.

Also called getting the evidence, what they have on me, the file

The exchange of evidence between the parties in a criminal case. On receipt of a written demand the prosecuting attorney provides the categories the rule lists, including statements, records, lab results and officer reports.

Also called dissolution of marriage, the agreed route

One of the two ways Ohio ends a marriage. Both spouses file a petition together with a separation agreement, and not less than thirty nor more than ninety days later both appear and acknowledge under oath that they entered it voluntarily.

Also called duty to inform, telling police about my gun, do i have to say

The obligation on somebody carrying a concealed handgun to tell an officer about it during a stop. The 2022 amendment tied the duty to the officer asking.

Also called interpreter, auxiliary aids, sign language, they would not get an interpreter

The requirement that a public entity communicate with a person with a disability as effectively as it communicates with anyone else, furnishing auxiliary aids and services where they are needed. The entity must give primary consideration to what the person asks for.

Also called pink slip, pink slipped, 72 hour hold, psych hold

Custody and transport to a hospital for examination, on a belief that a person is a person with a mental illness subject to court order and represents a substantial risk of physical harm to self or others if left at liberty. Police are one of several who may do it.

Also called fair shares, splitting it

The basis on which adjoining owners maintain an existing partition fence. What is equitable depends on the circumstances rather than being fixed.

Also called thrown out, suppressed, fruit of the poisonous tree

Evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment is generally inadmissible in a criminal prosecution. The case that applied the rule to the states came out of Ohio.

Also called closed session, going behind closed doors

The one lawful way a public body closes a meeting. It takes a roll call vote of a majority of a quorum, at a regular or special meeting, for the sole purpose of considering matters the section lists, and the motion has to state which listed purpose it is for.

Also called filing with the commission first, the charge before the lawsuit

Taking a complaint through the agency the statute names before taking it to court. Since the fifteenth of April 2021 a person alleging employment discrimination files a charge with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission and completes that process before bringing a civil action about the same practice.

Also called emergency, hot pursuit, no time for a warrant

An emergency that excuses the warrant requirement, such as an immediate risk to life, a suspect in flight, or evidence about to be destroyed.

Also called reading the facts into the record, the prosecutor's recitation

The account of the offense a court hears before making a finding on a misdemeanor no contest plea. Section 2937.07 lets the judge find guilty or not guilty from it.

Also called off probation, done with parole

Release from parole or probation, which is the event a juvenile sealing application is measured from. A person under eighteen may apply six months after it, and a person eighteen or older may apply immediately after it.

Also called off parole, certificate of final release

The end of parole the adult parole authority may grant to a parolee who has faithfully performed the conditions, with a certificate of final release, not earlier than one year after release on parole, or five years for a life sentence.

Also called the white line on the right, the edge line

The single solid white longitudinal line on the right hand edge of a roadway. The Supreme Court of Ohio held that it does not prohibit driving on or touching it, so tires on that line without crossing it are not a marked lanes violation.

Also called they kept my stuff, asset forfeiture, seizing my property

The state going to court to keep seized property permanently. It is a separate proceeding from the criminal case, with its own filings, its own standard of proof, and its own deadlines.

Also called pat down, Terry frisk, patting me down

A pat of the outer clothing for weapons, allowed during a lawful stop when the officer has reasonable suspicion that the person is armed and dangerous. It is a search for weapons, not for evidence.

Also called skipping school, truancy

A child of compulsory school age absent without legitimate excuse for thirty or more consecutive hours, forty two or more hours in a school month, or seventy two or more hours in a school year.

Also called whoever lets the dog stay there

Somebody who shelters, protects or exercises control over a dog. The dog bite section makes an owner, a keeper and a harborer liable, and only the first of those three owns the animal.

Also called the waiting period, before i can get privileges

A period at the start of a suspension during which no court may grant limited driving privileges. Its length is set by which suspension it is.

Also called initiation, being made to prove yourself

Doing any act, or coercing another including the victim to do any act, of initiation into an organization or to continue or reinstate membership in one, that causes or creates a substantial risk of causing mental or physical harm to any person, including coercing another to consume alcohol or a drug of abuse.

Also called city can make its own rules, municipal authority

The provision of the Ohio Constitution giving municipalities authority over their own local affairs. Where a state statute intrudes on that authority without an overriding state interest, it can be held unconstitutional as applied to a city.

Also called door to door sale, the three day cancellation sale

A sale of consumer goods or services where the seller personally solicits at the buyer's residence and the agreement is given there, or where the buyer's agreement is made at a place other than the seller's place of business. It is the category the three day right to cancel attaches to.

Also called automatic consent, consent by driving

Ohio law treats operating a vehicle on a public road as consent to a chemical test of breath, blood or urine when an officer has arrested the driver for OVI.

Also called voluntarily unemployed, income they could earn

Income a court or child support agency attributes to a parent found voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, which the section forbids for a parent who is incarcerated.

Also called no fault ground, irreconcilable

The most used ground for divorce in Ohio, and the only one on the list that the other spouse can remove by denying it.

Also called the car they used, the phone they used

Property that is lawful to own, used in or intended to be used in an offense. The statutory list includes a firearm, a vehicle, a computer, a telecommunications device, and money.

Also called wiretapping, recording a call, taping a conversation

The aural or other acquisition of the contents of a wire, oral or electronic communication using a device. Ohio permits it where one party to the communication consents.

Also called obstruction while filming, they said i was interfering, too close

Obstructing official business needs an act that hampers or impedes a public official, done with the purpose of preventing or delaying the work. Recording is not that act.

Also called questioning, being asked questions

Express questioning, or words and actions an officer should know are reasonably likely to draw an incriminating response. Both halves count.

Also called ILC, treatment instead of a conviction

A statutory route where a court may stay the case and order treatment for an eligible defendant whose offense was related to a substance use disorder. Successful completion results in dismissal.

Also called no will, died without a will

Dying without a valid will, so an estate is divided by the statute instead of by the person's own instructions.

Also called they searched it when they towed it, impound search

A catalog of the contents of an impounded vehicle, carried out under standard department procedure rather than on suspicion. Anything found is not excluded simply because nobody had probable cause.

Also called Terry stop, being detained, held up

A brief seizure of a person on reasonable suspicion, lasting only as long as it takes to confirm or dispel that suspicion. The person is not free to leave, and is not under arrest either.

Also called asking for a lawyer, i want an attorney, lawyer up

Stating unambiguously that you want a lawyer, which is what stops custodial questioning. Asking whether one is needed, or whether asking for one looks bad, is not the same as asking for one.

Also called pleading the fifth, asking for a lawyer, staying silent

Stating clearly that you are exercising the right to remain silent or the right to counsel. The right exists either way, but the protections that follow an invocation run from the moment it is stated.

Also called they cannot touch me, nothing to take, collection proof

A description of a person whose income and property all sit inside the exemptions, so a judgment against them reaches nothing. It is a fact about what is collectible, not a status anybody is granted.

Also called early release, release by the judge

A reduction by the sentencing court of the nonmandatory part of a prison term, on the motion of an eligible offender or the court's own motion, after the waiting time the section sets for the length of the term.

Also called asking for a jury, demanding a jury

The written filing that gets a jury in a petty offense case. It goes to the clerk not less than ten days before the trial date, or on or before the third day after notice of that date, whichever is later.

Also called they have to knock first, announcing

The requirement that officers executing a warrant announce their presence and purpose and wait a reasonable time before forcing entry. Ohio states it by statute as well.

Also called conditions of release, why is my bond so high, own recognizance

The standard a court applies to pretrial release. Conditions are to be the least restrictive ones that reasonably assure the person's appearance and the safety of the public.

Also called under a disability, not legally able

A legal incapacity that stops a person acting for themselves, such as being a minor or being subject to a guardianship. The age of majority section grants full age to a person of eighteen who is under no legal disability.

Also called work privileges, occupational privileges, driving privileges, can i drive to work

Permission from a court to drive on a limited basis during a suspension, granted on petition and subject to whatever conditions the court attaches.

Also called the penalty, the extra

A figure fixed in advance by statute or contract rather than proved after the fact. On unpaid wages it is six percent of the amount unpaid or two hundred dollars, whichever is greater.

Also called an electric scooter, a rental scooter, an e scooter

A device weighing less than one hundred pounds, with handlebars, propelled by an electric motor or human power, whose attainable speed on a paved level surface under motor power is not more than twenty miles per hour. It may be used on streets, sidewalks, shared use paths and bicycle lanes.

Also called MDO, top tier

A specification attaching at the highest quantity tier of a drug offense. Where it applies, the court is required to impose the maximum term for the degree.

Also called somebody who has to report, a mandatory reporter

A person in one of the professions the statute lists who, acting in an official or professional capacity, knows or has reasonable cause to suspect that a child under eighteen has suffered or faces a threat of abuse or neglect, and who therefore reports it immediately to the public children services agency or a peace officer.

Also called minor possession, low level possession

A violation of the possession section that is a misdemeanor or a fifth degree felony. The phrase is the boundary of the overdose immunity, which reaches this and nothing heavier.

Also called MM, minor misdemeanor, just a ticket

The bottom rung of the Ohio code. No jail term at all, a fine capped at one hundred and fifty dollars, and a section that says an officer shall issue a citation rather than arrest unless one of four exceptions applies.

Also called nolo contendere, nolo, not contesting it

A plea that admits the truth of the facts alleged rather than guilt. It leaves a pretrial ruling appealable and, as a rule, cannot be used against the person in a later civil or criminal proceeding.

Also called stand your ground, dont have to run

A person has no duty to retreat before using force in self defense anywhere they lawfully are, and a court or jury may not consider the possibility of retreat in deciding whether the force was justified.

Also called the defect, the thing they cannot fix

In the new motor vehicle law, the failure of a vehicle to conform to the express warranty. It is what the manufacturer has a duty to repair, and it is what a reasonable number of unsuccessful attempts is counted against.

Also called pain and suffering, the non money part of a claim

The part of a damages award that is not out of pocket. The seat belt section keeps a failure to wear one out of the negligence question entirely, then allows a trier of fact to reduce a recovery of compensatory damages representing this and only this.

Also called NGRI, the insanity defense, insanity plea

A finding that at the time of the offense the person did not know, as a result of a severe mental disease or defect, the wrongfulness of their acts. The person raising it carries the burden of proving it.

Also called filing an appeal, appealing it

The filing that starts an appeal, due within thirty days of the entry of a final order. Past that a criminal defendant may ask leave for a delayed appeal, setting out why the appeal as of right was never perfected.

Also called the novice endorsement, the first year on a bike

A marking on a motorcycle operator's endorsement or license that is effective for one year after the date the endorsement or license was issued. While it is in force the rider wears a helmet, and so does any passenger.

Also called the Graham test, reasonable force, was the force justified

The standard for force used during a stop or an arrest. Judged from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene at the moment, weighing the severity of the offense, any immediate threat, and whether the person was resisting or fleeing.

Also called seat belt, the belt

The statute's name for a seat belt, as distinct from a child restraint system and a booster seat. A child at least eight and not older than fifteen may be secured in one rather than in a child restraint system.

Also called can i record a conversation, secret recording

Ohio permits the interception of a communication where one party to it consents. A participant recording their own conversation satisfies that.

Also called a private conversation, what the wiretap law covers

Speech uttered by a person who is exhibiting an expectation that it is not being intercepted, in circumstances that justify the expectation. Both halves have to be present for the interception chapter to reach it.

Also called step out of the car, get out of the vehicle

During a lawful traffic stop an officer may order the driver out of the vehicle, and may order the passengers out as well, without any additional suspicion.

Also called two or more incidents, a course of conduct

Two or more actions or incidents closely related in time. It is the element that separates menacing by stalking from a single unpleasant encounter.

Also called the legal limit, point oh eight, over the limit

A concentration at or above which the prohibited amount itself is the offense, with no separate proof of impairment required. Ohio sets several, by substance and by test type.

Also called by the branch, down the line

A way of dividing an estate where a deceased person's share passes down their own line rather than being shared out among the survivors at that level.

Also called termination of parental rights, losing custody to the state

Custody of a child granted to a children services agency, which permanently divests the parents of their parental rights, granted only on clear and convincing evidence that it is in the child's best interest.

Also called someone acting for me, my representative

In the medical records section, a person authorized to act for the patient, who may make the written request to examine or copy the record alongside the patient and an authorized person.

Also called the executor, the administrator, the person running the estate

The executor or administrator of a deceased person's estate. A wrongful death action is brought in this person's name, for the benefit of the surviving spouse, children, parents and other next of kin, rather than by any of them in their own right.

Also called petty misdemeanor, small case, minor charge

A misdemeanor that is not a serious offense, meaning one whose penalty does not include confinement for more than six months. In a petty offense case the judge hears the trial unless a jury is demanded in writing.

Also called sleeping it off in the car, keys in the ignition

A separate Ohio offense covering being in the driver's position of a stationary vehicle with the keys or ignition, while under the influence. No movement is required.

Also called he felt something in my pocket

During a lawful weapons frisk, an object whose identity as contraband is immediately apparent from the pat itself may be seized. The knowledge has to come from the lawful pat, not from manipulating the object.

Also called PRC, parole, supervision after prison

Supervision by the adult parole authority after a prison term, required for some degrees and discretionary for others. Violations can carry additional prison time.

Also called postconviction petition, petition to vacate

A petition in the court that imposed sentence asking it to vacate or set aside the judgment or sentence, filed no later than three hundred sixty five days after the trial transcript is filed in the direct appeal, or after the time to appeal expires where there is no appeal.

Also called prior ticket, does this count against me, second ticket

A defined list of traffic sections in the definitions statute. One of them within a year turns a speeding violation from a minor misdemeanor into a fourth degree misdemeanor; two or more make it a third.

Also called statewide uniformity, can my city ban it

Where the state has occupied a subject, a local ordinance inconsistent with state law on it is unenforceable. Ohio's uniformity section covers firearms and, since September 2022, knives.

Also called presumptive release, minimum term release

For a non life felony indefinite prison term, the presumption that the person is released when the minimum term expires, or on the presumptive earned early release date if that comes first.

Also called they only pulled me over because, profiling stop

A stop supported by an actual traffic violation but motivated by an unrelated interest. Where the violation exists, the officer's motive does not make the stop unlawful under the Fourth Amendment.

Also called motion to suppress, filing a motion, the motion

A request to the court decided before trial, a motion to suppress evidence among them. The rule puts all of them within thirty-five days after arraignment or seven days before trial, whichever is earlier.

Also called on its face, presumed, rebuttable

Established unless something is shown against it. Where a speed limit is prima facie, exceeding it makes out the violation and leaves room to show the speed was reasonable and proper for the conditions.

Also called tow away zone, they towed me from the lot

Private property the owner has designated for towing by posting a sign of at least eighteen by twenty four inches, visible from every entrance, saying the property is a tow away zone and describing who may park there.

Also called PC, enough to arrest, enough for a warrant

Facts that would lead a reasonable person to believe a crime has been committed and that this person committed it. It is the threshold for an arrest and for a search warrant.

Also called the pink envelope, a ballot they set aside

A ballot cast at the polling place by somebody whose eligibility is in question, sealed with a written affirmation and decided by the board afterwards. Anybody eligible to cast one is permitted to, and an official at the polling place is the one who says so.

Also called public property, where can i protest

A category of government property, such as a street or a park, where speech restrictions face the highest scrutiny. Other government property falls into categories where more restriction is permitted.

Also called records request, sunshine law request, open records

A record kept by a public office that the office makes available for inspection promptly and copies at cost, unless a statute exempts it. Everybody is a requester on the same terms, and nobody has to explain why they want one.

Also called QI, immunity, they cant be sued

A defense protecting an official sued individually unless the right they violated was clearly established at the time, meaning existing precedent had put the question beyond debate.

Also called good samaritan, the person who called, protected caller

The person the overdose immunity protects. It covers three people: somebody acting in good faith who seeks help for another person overdosing, somebody who overdoses and seeks help for themselves, and somebody who is the subject of another person's call.

Also called court interpreter, translator, asl interpreter

The interpreter a court appoints where a party or witness cannot readily understand or communicate because of a hearing, speech or other impairment. The appointment is the court's duty rather than something that has to be requested.

Also called permitless carry, constitutional carry

A person twenty one or older who is not prohibited from possessing a firearm under state or federal law. Ohio permits a qualifying adult to carry concealed without a license.

Also called expectation of privacy, REP, somewhere private

Whether a person expected privacy in a place or thing and whether society recognizes that expectation. It is the threshold question for whether something counts as a search at all.

Also called accommodation, making an exception for a disability

A change to a policy, practice or procedure that a public entity must make where the change is needed to avoid discriminating on the basis of disability. A police department is a public entity.

Also called RS, articulable suspicion, enough to stop me

Specific facts an officer can put into words that point to a particular person being involved in a particular crime. It is the threshold for a brief investigative stop.

Also called a branded title, rebuilt title, salvage brand

A vehicle whose title shows it was a salvage vehicle that has been rebuilt. A dealer who sells one without disclosing that in writing before the purchase agreement gives the buyer an unconditional right to rescind, on notice to the dealer within sixty days of the title issuing in the buyer's name.

Also called it goes both ways, what i have to turn over

The defendant's duty to provide the state the same categories of material, triggered by having demanded discovery in the first place.

Also called buying it back, catching up, paying it off

Recovering property before a sale is finalized by paying what the law requires, which in a foreclosure is the judgment, the costs, poundage and interest.

Also called getting it back, putting the agreement back

The right of somebody who fell behind on a rental purchase agreement to put the original agreement back without losing any rights or options already acquired, where the property was surrendered when requested.

Also called small estate, skipping probate

A probate court order letting a small estate skip full administration. The ceiling is thirty five thousand dollars in assets, or one hundred thousand where a valid will left all of them to a person named in it as the surviving spouse who survives.

Also called parole violation hearing, PRC violation hearing

The hearing before a parole board member or hearing officer, held before release is revoked or a prison sanction is imposed, on whether a preponderance of the evidence shows a violation and whether mitigating circumstances make revocation inappropriate.

Also called paying rent to the court, holding rent back

Depositing rent with the clerk of court instead of with the landlord, where the landlord has not met the obligations the chapter sets, so the money is held until the condition is dealt with.

Also called suing to get it back, action for return of property

A civil action to recover specific property from whoever is holding it. Where a hardship petition is not filed in time or is not granted, it is one of the routes the forfeiture chapter leaves open.

Also called who looks at my affidavit, the official who reviews it

The person a private citizen's charging affidavit goes to for review. A judge of a court of record, the prosecuting attorney or the attorney charged by law with prosecution there, or a magistrate.

Also called who decides the funeral, authorizing cremation

The right to direct what happens to a person's body after death. An adult of sound mind may assign it in a written declaration, and where there is none it passes down a statutory order beginning with a representative the deceased person appointed and then the surviving spouse.

Also called a day of school, not a calendar day

The unit Ohio measures school discipline in. A suspension runs for not more than ten school days, and an expulsion for not more than the greater of eighty school days or the school days remaining in the semester or term.

Also called school property, school grounds, near a school

A school building, the premises of a school, a school activity and a school bus. The zone is what the offense attaches to rather than the building alone.

Also called getting it off my record, expunged, cleared

Statutory routes to restrict or destroy the record of a case. Sealing closes the record to most viewers; expungement is the destruction of it. Eligibility depends on the offense and on time elapsed.

Also called searched me when they cuffed me

A search of the arrested person and the area within their reach, permitted automatically on a lawful arrest to protect officers and preserve evidence.

Also called not a reason to pull you over, cannot stop you for it alone

A violation an officer may cite but may not stop a vehicle for on its own. Ohio's occupant restraint section is written this way, and it bars the stop, the citation for that sole purpose, and viewing the interior for that sole purpose.

Also called stopped, not free to leave

The moment a person is no longer free to leave, by physical force or by a show of authority they submit to. Everything the Fourth Amendment requires starts counting from that moment.

Also called serious offense, jury case

Any felony, and any misdemeanor whose penalty includes confinement for more than six months. A jury is the default here, and letting it go takes a written, signed, filed waiver made in open court.

Also called emergency placement, being taken into care

Where a child is placed after being taken into custody. A hearing on whether it is required is held promptly and not later than seventy two hours after the placement.

Also called performed, officiated

A marriage performed by a person the marriage chapter authorizes to do it. Since the tenth of October 1991 a marriage may occur in Ohio only if it is solemnized that way and otherwise complies with that chapter.

Also called the speedy trial clock, time for trial, my speedy

The number of days Ohio gives the state to bring a person to trial, counted from arrest or service of summons. Thirty for a minor misdemeanor, forty five, ninety, and two hundred and seventy for a felony.

Also called fixed damages, damages set by the statute

An amount a statute fixes rather than one a person proves. Under the public records section it is one hundred dollars for each business day of the failure, up to one thousand dollars, and the injury is presumed rather than shown.

Also called no intent needed, not knowing is no defense

An offense that needs no mental state at all. The license plate display offenses are one: a cover that obstructs the plate is a violation whether or not the driver knew it was too dark, because the section says so and switches off the rule that would otherwise read a mental state in.

Also called pretext stop, they stopped me for a bulb, fix it ticket

An equipment provision used as the lawful basis for a stop. A plate light that does not render the plate legible from fifty feet, a missing headlight, glass below the transmittance the administrative rule sets.

Also called the homestead exemption, the senior discount on the tax bill

A reduction in the taxable value of an owner occupied home, for an owner sixty five or older, permanently and totally disabled, or a qualifying surviving spouse, within the income limit. It is applied for with the county auditor on the tax commissioner's form.

Also called the Rodriguez moment, prolonging the stop

The tasks that address the reason for the stop and attend to related safety concerns. A stop may last no longer than it takes to complete them, and adding unrelated investigation beyond that point is a separate seizure requiring its own justification.

Also called castle doctrine, presumed self defense, they broke in

A person is presumed to have acted in self defense when using force against somebody unlawfully entering, or having unlawfully entered, their residence or occupied vehicle. Ohio also puts the burden on the state to disprove self defense once the issue is raised.

Also called permit rules, protest restrictions

Restrictions on when, where and how speech occurs, permitted in a public forum where they are content neutral, narrowly tailored to a significant interest, and leave open other channels.

Also called stopping the clock, the clock is paused, extending time

A period that pushes the trial deadline out rather than counting against it. Section 2945.72 lists them, and several belong to the accused, including a continuance granted on their own motion.

Also called TOD deed, beneficiary deed, TOD affidavit

A recorded document in which the owner of real property names who takes it at death. Title passes outside probate, and the beneficiary confirms the transfer afterwards with an affidavit of confirmation and a certified death certificate filed with the county recorder.

Also called seller and buyer, the parties to the transfer

The disclosure section's words for the seller and the buyer of residential real property. The transferor completes the disclosure form; the transferee is the one who may rescind within three business days of receiving it late.

Also called triple damages, three times

Three times the actual economic damages, available in a consumer case where the practice was already declared unlawful before the transaction.

Also called three for one, the 3 for 1 rule

Each day a person is held in jail in lieu of bail on the pending charge counts as three days against the speedy trial count. It turns a felony's two hundred and seventy days into ninety.

Also called color of law, acting as an officer, section 1983 claim

The condition that makes a federal civil rights claim available. Somebody exercising power they have because of their public office, whether or not they were following the rules of that office.

Also called a golf cart, a cart

The category an ordinary golf cart falls into. It may be operated on a street posted at thirty five miles per hour or less only where the local authority has authorized it, and a municipality authorizing it requires the vehicle to be inspected for compliance with the department of public safety's requirements.

Also called moving, not tied up

A vessel that is not at anchor, made fast to the shore or aground. A boat drifting with the engine off is under way, and the child life jacket rule applies while it is.

Also called pills, doses, counted not weighed

A single measured quantity as prepared for use. For some substances the tables run on doses as an alternative to weight, and whichever tier is reached first applies.

Also called the crossing with no paint on it, the corner

A crosswalk that exists at an intersection whether or not anything is painted on the road. The driver's duty to yield inside a crosswalk applies at one of these the same as at a marked one.

Also called out of control, wont listen, runaway

A category a juvenile court adjudicates, defined to include a child who does not submit to the reasonable control of a parent, teacher, guardian or custodian by reason of being wayward or habitually disobedient, a habitual truant, and a child whose behavior endangers health or morals.

Also called holding my phone, the phone rule

The conduct the driving device section prohibits, written around the body rather than the screen. Using, holding, or physically supporting an electronic wireless communications device with any part of the person's body while operating a motor vehicle.

Also called WUD, felon with a gun, prohibited person

A separate felony for possessing a firearm while in one of the listed categories, which include certain convictions, certain pending indictments, and certain findings.

Also called reckless, reckless op

The mental state the reckless operation section requires. Willful is an intentional departure from a clear duty; wanton is a failure to use any care with indifference to the consequences where the probability of harm is great and known.

Also called unprovoked, it was not provoked

Part of the definition of all three dog acts a designation can rest on, and the section says what it means. Toward a person, the dog was not teased, tormented or abused, and was not coming to the aid or defense of a person who was not engaged in illegal or criminal activity. Toward another animal, the dog was not attacked by another dog or livestock. So provocation is not a mitigating detail added afterwards: it is part of the thing that has to be proved.

Also called the week overtime is counted in

The unit overtime is measured in. Hours worked in excess of forty hours in one workweek carry one and one half times the wage rate, and the count starts again the following week.