Rental Registry for Small Landlords: What Columbus Now Requires

A rental registry is a local government list of every rental unit and its owner, and Columbus, Ohio is launching one in 2027. Owners pay $15 per unit each year, capped at $1,500 per complex. Small landlords must file contact details, unit counts and safety information, and expect a basic inspection every three years.

Kenponet covers the basics for small landlords, and local rules are where most surprises hide. This guide is for owners of a few units who want to understand what Columbus requires and what to check in their own town. Landlord rules vary by city, county and state, so treat this as a map of what to look for.

What is a rental registry?

A rental registry is a database kept by a city or county. It lists rental properties, who owns them and how to reach someone in an emergency. Cities use it to find landlords, send notices and plan inspections.

Supporters say it helps tenants get repairs and helps cities reach absent owners. Critics worry about fees and paperwork for small owners. Both points come up in Columbus.

What does the Columbus ordinance require?

According to Scioto Title's summary, the City Council passed the ordinance on April 20, 2026. It creates Columbus City Code Chapter 4515. Every residential rental property inside the city limits must register annually with the Department of Building and Zoning Services.

The registration asks for the number of dwelling units, parcel identifiers, ownership information and an emergency contact. The fee is $15 per unit, capped at $1,500 per complex. That is down from a proposed $20 per unit.

The law firm Kegler Brown Hill and Ritter adds more detail. It says the program takes effect in January 2027, with a pre-registration window from October through December 2026. The Scioto Title article says the portal, deadlines and any phased rollout are not yet set, so confirm the dates with the city before you act.

Who counts as a Local Operator?

A Local Operator is a person who can act for the owner and respond locally. According to Kegler Brown, the registrant is the owner or a Local Operator. A Local Operator generally lives within 100 miles of Columbus, and an Ohio-licensed property manager qualifies wherever they live.

The rule helps with faraway owners. A landlord who lives in another state needs someone nearby. Owners with fewer than ten dwelling units do not need to designate one, which eases the load on small landlords.

If you hire a manager, read your management agreement. Decide who files, who pays the fee and who answers an agency notice. Do not let those questions go unanswered until a deadline.

What happens in the inspection?

The city calls it a Preventive Education Inspection. Kegler Brown says the Department of Building and Zoning Services conducts it about once every three years. It covers exterior areas, common areas and shared mechanical and safety systems.

It excludes individual units unless the tenant, owner or Local Operator asks. Scioto Title notes that mandatory inspections of individual units were removed from earlier drafts. The city describes the program as educational and preventive, not punitive.

Owners must also certify that critical systems, such as heating, fire alarm, water and sewer, are working and code-compliant to the best of their knowledge. Treat that certification seriously. Keep records of service visits and repairs. Our guide to tenant heat rights during the 2026-27 season shows why heating failures draw attention.

What are the penalties and conditional status?

Operating without a valid registration is a violation. Civil penalties run $2 per day per unit, with a $10 per day minimum, according to the Scioto Title summary. Kegler Brown says penalties are capped at 10% of the registration fees for a filing up to 120 days late and 20% after that.

The ordinance also creates a conditional status for properties with repeated code violations, unresolved safety orders or public nuisance designations. It adds a $250 yearly inspection fee, inspection of up to 10% of individual units and a remediation plan. A landlord who keeps up with repairs should rarely meet it.

The two sources describe the penalty rules in different terms, so check the ordinance text or the city's portal for the final numbers. Kenponet editors suggest filing early to avoid the question altogether.

Do you also need to register with the county?

Possibly, yes. Kegler Brown notes that Columbus owners must also comply with the Franklin County rental registration. County filings are generally made once, or when information changes, with no fee. Updates are due within 30 days under Columbus rules and 60 days under the county's, and county penalties run $50 to $150 per property per tax year.

This is a common trap. A landlord can satisfy the city and forget the county, or the reverse. Make a one-page list of every office that holds your rental data, and update all of them when you sell, change managers or move.

What will the fee actually cost you?

Run the numbers for your own portfolio. A landlord with a duplex pays 2 units times $15, or $30 a year. An owner with six units across two houses pays $90. A 120-unit complex would owe $1,800 at the base rate, but the cap holds the bill at $1,500.

The cap helps large owners more than small ones, since small owners rarely reach it. Even so, the fee is tiny next to a single repair. The bigger cost is time, so build the filing into the same week you renew insurance or review leases.

Late penalties look small per day but grow with unit count. At $2 per unit per day, a six-unit owner who files 30 days late faces $360 before any cap applies. The cap language in the sources suggests a lower ceiling, though that is another reason to confirm the final rules.

How does a registry affect tenants?

Tenants gain a clearer path to the person responsible for the building. If heat fails at night, an emergency contact on file matters. Tenants also benefit when the city can see who owns a building that keeps drawing complaints.

Landlords should expect more questions, not fewer. A tenant may ask whether the unit is registered, and a city inspector may ask for service records. Answer promptly, and keep a record of what you said. Good records protect you in a dispute, and a simple folder with dated photos, invoices and emails is usually enough. Keep it for several years, since complaints can surface long after a repair is done.

How should small landlords prepare?

Start with a clean property file. Gather the parcel numbers, unit counts and emergency contacts the form will ask for. Confirm that heating, smoke alarms, water and hot water systems work and are documented.

Treat the fee as an ordinary rental cost. The Internal Revenue Service reminds landlords in Publication 527 that rent received is generally part of gross income, and the publication lists common deductible expenses such as insurance, repairs and taxes. Registration fees are not named in that list, so ask a tax professional how to record them.

What if your city has no registry yet?

Check anyway. Many cities require business licenses, rental permits or lead-paint certificates, and some counties keep their own lists. Rules differ widely, and a town's website is the best first stop. Your state's landlord-tenant statute is the second.

Federal programs add their own steps. If you rent to voucher holders, our guide on FY2027 Fair Market Rents for voucher landlords explains which numbers matter. Fees and charges to tenants have rules too, as our explainer on rental junk fees and what landlords can charge shows.

What is the takeaway for small landlords?

The Columbus registry is modest in cost and mostly a paperwork task. The real risk is missing a deadline or forgetting the county. Landlords with a handful of units can handle it with a good file and a calendar.

Wherever you rent property, ask one question each year. What local registrations, permits or inspections apply to my units now? Kenponet will update this guide when the city publishes its portal and final dates.