To amend sections 123.01, 123.04, 307.37, 1501.011, 1501.07, 1501.32, 1502.01, 1502.03, 1502.12, 1503.23, 1504.02, 1506.04, 1507.01, 1515.10, 1517.02, 1517.11, 1517.14, 1517.15, 1520.02, 1520.03, 1520.05, 1520.07, 1521.01, 1521.04, 1521.05, 1521.13, 1521.14, 1521.18, 1521.19, 1521.99, 1525.11, 1525.12, 1531.01, 1531.02, 1531.04, 1531.06, 1531.17, 1531.20, 1531.99, 1533.08, 1533.09, 1533.10, 1533.11, 1533.12, 1533.131, 1533.171, 1533.68, 1533.86, 1541.03, 1541.05, 1541.22, 1547.08, 1547.51, 1547.54, 1547.541, 1547.75, 1547.99, 1548.02, 2923.35, 2933.43, 4115.04, and 6111.034; to enact sections 1515.093 and 1517.052; and to repeal sections 1502.11 and 1521.08 of the Revised Code to revise the statutes governing the Department of Natural Resources.

Section 1. That sections 123.01, 123.04, 307.37, 1501.011, 1501.07, 1501.32, 1502.01, 1502.03, 1502.12, 1503.23, 1504.02, 1506.04, 1507.01, 1515.10, 1517.02, 1517.11, 1517.14, 1517.15, 1520.02, 1520.03, 1520.05, 1520.07, 1521.01, 1521.04, 1521.05, 1521.13, 1521.14, 1521.18, 1521.19, 1521.99, 1525.11, 1525.12, 1531.01, 1531.02, 1531.04, 1531.06, 1531.17, 1531.20, 1531.99, 1533.08, 1533.09, 1533.10, 1533.11, 1533.12, 1533.131, 1533.171, 1533.68, 1533.86, 1541.03, 1541.05, 1541.22, 1547.08, 1547.51, 1547.54, 1547.541, 1547.75, 1547.99, 1548.02, 2923.35, 2933.43, 4115.04, and 6111.034 be amended and sections 1515.093 and 1517.052 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:

Sec. 123.01.  (A) The department of administrative services, in addition to those powers enumerated in Chapters 124. and 125. of the Revised Code and provided elsewhere by law, shall exercise the following powers:

(1) To prepare, or contract to be prepared, by licensed engineers or architects, surveys, general and detailed plans, specifications, bills of materials, and estimates of cost for any projects, improvements, or public buildings to be constructed by state agencies that may be authorized by legislative appropriations or any other funds made available therefor, provided that the construction of the projects, improvements, or public buildings is a statutory duty of the department. This section does not require the independent employment of an architect or engineer as provided by section 153.01 of the Revised Code in the cases to which that section applies nor affect or alter the existing powers of the director of transportation.

(2) To have general supervision over the construction of any projects, improvements, or public buildings constructed for a state agency and over the inspection of materials previous to their incorporation into those projects, improvements, or buildings;

(3) To make contracts for and supervise the construction of any projects and improvements or the construction and repair of buildings under the control of a state agency, except contracts for the repair of buildings under the management and control of the departments of public safety, job and family services, mental health, mental retardation and developmental disabilities, rehabilitation and correction, and youth services, the bureau of workers' compensation, the rehabilitation services commission, and boards of trustees of educational and benevolent institutions and except contracts for the construction of projects that do not require the issuance of a building permit or the issuance of a certificate of occupancy and that are necessary to remediate conditions at a hazardous waste facility, solid waste facility, or other location at which the director of environmental protection has reason to believe there is a substantial threat to public health or safety or the environment. These contracts shall be made and entered into by the directors of public safety, job and family services, mental health, mental retardation and developmental disabilities, rehabilitation and correction, and youth services, the administrator of workers' compensation, the rehabilitation services commission, the boards of trustees of such institutions, and the director of environmental protection, respectively. All such contracts may be in whole or in part on unit price basis of maximum estimated cost, with payment computed and made upon actual quantities or units.

(4) To prepare and suggest comprehensive plans for the development of grounds and buildings under the control of a state agency;

(5) To acquire, by purchase, gift, devise, lease, or grant, all real estate required by a state agency, in the exercise of which power the department may exercise the power of eminent domain, in the manner provided by sections 163.01 to 163.22 of the Revised Code;

(6) To make and provide all plans, specifications, and models for the construction and perfection of all systems of sewerage, drainage, and plumbing for the state in connection with buildings and grounds under the control of a state agency;

(7) To erect, supervise, and maintain all public monuments and memorials erected by the state, except where the supervision and maintenance is otherwise provided by law;

(8) To procure, by lease, storage accommodations for a state agency;

(9) To lease or grant easements or licenses for unproductive and unused lands or other property under the control of a state agency. Such leases, easements, or licenses shall be granted for a period not to exceed fifteen years and shall be executed for the state by the director of administrative services and the governor and shall be approved as to form by the attorney general, provided that leases, easements, or licenses may be granted to any county, township, municipal corporation, port authority, water or sewer district, school district, library district, health district, park district, soil and water conservation district, conservancy district, or other political subdivision or taxing district, or any agency of the United States government, for the exclusive use of that agency, political subdivision, or taxing district, without any right of sublease or assignment, for a period not to exceed fifteen years, and provided that the director shall grant leases, easements, or licenses of university land for periods not to exceed twenty-five years for purposes approved by the respective university's board of trustees wherein the uses are compatible with the uses and needs of the university and may grant leases of university land for periods not to exceed forty years for purposes approved by the respective university's board of trustees pursuant to section 123.77 of the Revised Code.

(10) To lease office space in buildings for the use of a state agency;

(11) To have general supervision and care of the storerooms, offices, and buildings leased for the use of a state agency;

(12) To exercise general custodial care of all real property of the state;

(13) To assign and group together state offices in any city in the state and to establish, in cooperation with the state agencies involved, rules governing space requirements for office or storage use;

(14) To lease for a period not to exceed forty years, pursuant to a contract providing for the construction thereof under a lease-purchase plan, buildings, structures, and other improvements for any public purpose, and, in conjunction therewith, to grant leases, easements, or licenses for lands under the control of a state agency for a period not to exceed forty years. The lease-purchase plan shall provide that at the end of the lease period, the buildings, structures, and related improvements, together with the land on which they are situated, shall become the property of the state without cost.

(a) Whenever any building, structure, or other improvement is to be so leased by a state agency, the department shall retain either basic plans, specifications, bills of materials, and estimates of cost with sufficient detail to afford bidders all needed information or, alternatively, all of the following plans, details, bills of materials, and specifications:

(i) Full and accurate plans suitable for the use of mechanics and other builders in the improvement;

(ii) Details to scale and full sized, so drawn and represented as to be easily understood;

(iii) Accurate bills showing the exact quantity of different kinds of material necessary to the construction;

(iv) Definite and complete specifications of the work to be performed, together with such directions as will enable a competent mechanic or other builder to carry them out and afford bidders all needed information;

(v) A full and accurate estimate of each item of expense and of the aggregate cost thereof.

(b) The department shall give public notice, in such newspaper, in such form, and with such phraseology as the director of administrative services prescribes, published once each week for four consecutive weeks, of the time when and place where bids will be received for entering into an agreement to lease to a state agency a building, structure, or other improvement. The last publication shall be at least eight days preceding the day for opening the bids. The bids shall contain the terms upon which the builder would propose to lease the building, structure, or other improvement to the state agency. The form of the bid approved by the department shall be used, and a bid is invalid and shall not be considered unless that form is used without change, alteration, or addition. Before submitting bids pursuant to this section, any builder shall comply with Chapter 153. of the Revised Code.

(c) On the day and at the place named for receiving bids for entering into lease agreements with a state agency, the director of administrative services shall open the bids and shall publicly proceed immediately to tabulate the bids upon duplicate sheets. No lease agreement shall be entered into until the bureau of workers' compensation has certified that the person to be awarded the lease agreement has complied with Chapter 4123. of the Revised Code, until, if the builder submitting the lowest and best bid is a foreign corporation, the secretary of state has certified that the corporation is authorized to do business in this state, until, if the builder submitting the lowest and best bid is a person nonresident of this state, the person has filed with the secretary of state a power of attorney designating the secretary of state as its agent for the purpose of accepting service of summons in any action brought under Chapter 4123. of the Revised Code, and until the agreement is submitted to the attorney general and the attorney general's approval is certified thereon. Within thirty days after the day on which the bids are received, the department shall investigate the bids received and shall determine that the bureau and the secretary of state have made the certifications required by this section of the builder who has submitted the lowest and best bid. Within ten days of the completion of the investigation of the bids, the department shall award the lease agreement to the builder who has submitted the lowest and best bid and who has been certified by the bureau and secretary of state as required by this section. If bidding for the lease agreement has been conducted upon the basis of basic plans, specifications, bills of materials, and estimates of costs, upon the award to the builder the department, or the builder with the approval of the department, shall appoint an architect or engineer licensed in this state to prepare such further detailed plans, specifications, and bills of materials as are required to construct the building, structure, or improvement. The department shall adopt such rules as are necessary to give effect to this section. The department may reject any bid. Where there is reason to believe there is collusion or combination among bidders, the bids of those concerned therein shall be rejected.

(15) To acquire by purchase, gift, devise, or grant and to transfer, lease, or otherwise dispose of all real property required to assist in the development of a conversion facility as defined in section 5709.30 of the Revised Code as that section existed before its repeal by Amended Substitute House Bill 95 of the 125th general assembly;

(16) To lease for a period not to exceed forty years, notwithstanding any other division of this section, the state-owned property located at 408-450 East Town Street, Columbus, Ohio, formerly the state school for the deaf, to a developer in accordance with this section. "Developer," as used in this section, has the same meaning as in section 123.77 of the Revised Code.

Such a lease shall be for the purpose of development of the land for use by senior citizens by constructing, altering, renovating, repairing, expanding, and improving the site as it existed on June 25, 1982. A developer desiring to lease the land shall prepare for submission to the department a plan for development. Plans shall include provisions for roads, sewers, water lines, waste disposal, water supply, and similar matters to meet the requirements of state and local laws. The plans shall also include provision for protection of the property by insurance or otherwise, and plans for financing the development, and shall set forth details of the developer's financial responsibility.

The department may employ, as employees or consultants, persons needed to assist in reviewing the development plans. Those persons may include attorneys, financial experts, engineers, and other necessary experts. The department shall review the development plans and may enter into a lease if it finds all of the following:

(a) The best interests of the state will be promoted by entering into a lease with the developer;

(b) The development plans are satisfactory;

(c) The developer has established the developer's financial responsibility and satisfactory plans for financing the development.

The lease shall contain a provision that construction or renovation of the buildings, roads, structures, and other necessary facilities shall begin within one year after the date of the lease and shall proceed according to a schedule agreed to between the department and the developer or the lease will be terminated. The lease shall contain such conditions and stipulations as the director considers necessary to preserve the best interest of the state. Moneys received by the state pursuant to this lease shall be paid into the general revenue fund. The lease shall provide that at the end of the lease period the buildings, structures, and related improvements shall become the property of the state without cost.

(17) To lease to any person any tract of land owned by the state and under the control of the department, or any part of such a tract, for the purpose of drilling for or the pooling of oil or gas. Such a lease shall be granted for a period not exceeding forty years, with the full power to contract for, determine the conditions governing, and specify the amount the state shall receive for the purposes specified in the lease, and shall be prepared as in other cases.

(18) To manage the use of space owned and controlled by the department, including space in property under the jurisdiction of the Ohio building authority, by doing all of the following:

(a) Biennially implementing, by state agency location, a census of agency employees assigned space;

(b) Periodically in the discretion of the director of administrative services:

(i) Requiring each state agency to categorize the use of space allotted to the agency between office space, common areas, storage space, and other uses, and to report its findings to the department;

(ii) Creating and updating a master space utilization plan for all space allotted to state agencies. The plan shall incorporate space utilization metrics.

(iii) Conducting a cost-benefit analysis to determine the effectiveness of state-owned buildings;

(iv) Assessing the alternatives associated with consolidating the commercial leases for buildings located in Columbus.

(c) Commissioning a comprehensive space utilization and capacity study in order to determine the feasibility of consolidating existing commercially leased space used by state agencies into a new state-owned facility.

(B) This section and section 125.02 of the Revised Code shall not interfere with any of the following:

(1) The power of the adjutant general to purchase military supplies, or with the custody of the adjutant general of property leased, purchased, or constructed by the state and used for military purposes, or with the functions of the adjutant general as director of state armories;

(2) The power of the director of transportation in acquiring rights-of-way for the state highway system, or the leasing of lands for division or resident district offices, or the leasing of lands or buildings required in the maintenance operations of the department of transportation, or the purchase of real property for garage sites or division or resident district offices, or in preparing plans and specifications for and constructing such buildings as the director may require in the administration of the department;

(3) The power of the director of public safety and the registrar of motor vehicles to purchase or lease real property and buildings to be used solely as locations to which a deputy registrar is assigned pursuant to division (B) of section 4507.011 of the Revised Code and from which the deputy registrar is to conduct the deputy registrar's business, the power of the director of public safety to purchase or lease real property and buildings to be used as locations for division or district offices as required in the maintenance of operations of the department of public safety, and the power of the superintendent of the state highway patrol in the purchase or leasing of real property and buildings needed by the patrol, to negotiate the sale of real property owned by the patrol, to rent or lease real property owned or leased by the patrol, and to make or cause to be made repairs to all property owned or under the control of the patrol;

(4) The power of the division of liquor control in the leasing or purchasing of retail outlets and warehouse facilities for the use of the division;

(5) The power of the director of development to enter into leases of real property, buildings, and office space to be used solely as locations for the state's foreign offices to carry out the purposes of section 122.05 of the Revised Code;

(6) The power of the director of environmental protection to enter into environmental covenants, to grant and accept easements, or to sell property pursuant to division (G) of section 3745.01 of the Revised Code;

(7) The power of the director of natural resources, pursuant to section 1501.01 of the Revised Code, to enter into leases of real property, buildings, and office space for the use of the department of natural resources, to purchase real property for division or district offices, or to prepare plans and specifications for and construct any buildings or other facilities that the director may require for the administration of the department.

(C) Purchases for, and the custody and repair of, buildings under the management and control of the capitol square review and advisory board, the rehabilitation services commission, the bureau of workers' compensation, or the departments of public safety, job and family services, mental health, mental retardation and developmental disabilities, and rehabilitation and correction, and buildings of educational and benevolent institutions under the management and control of boards of trustees, are not subject to the control and jurisdiction of the department of administrative services.

(D) Any instrument by which real property is acquired pursuant to this section shall identify the agency of the state that has the use and benefit of the real property as specified in section 5301.012 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 123.04.  The director of administrative services shall be appointed superintendent of public works and shall have the care and control of the public works of the state except as provided in section 1521.08 of the Revised Code and shall protect, maintain, and keep them in repair.

Subject to the approval of the governor, the director may purchase on behalf of the state such real or personal property, rights, or privileges as are necessary, in the director's judgment, to acquire in the maintenance of the public works or their improvement.

Any instrument by which the state or an agency of the state acquires real property pursuant to this section shall identify the agency of the state that has the use and benefit of the real property as specified in section 5301.012 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 307.37. (A) As used in division (B)(3) of this section, "proposed new construction" means a proposal to erect, construct, repair, alter, redevelop, or maintain a single-family, two-family, or three-family dwelling or any structure that is regulated by the Ohio building code.

(B)(1)(a) The board of county commissioners may adopt local residential building regulations governing residential buildings as defined in section 3781.06 of the Revised Code, to be enforced within the unincorporated area of the county or within districts the board establishes in any part of the unincorporated area. No local residential building regulation shall differ from the state residential building code the board of building standards establishes pursuant to Chapter 3781. of the Revised Code unless the regulation addresses subject matter not addressed by the state residential building code or is adopted pursuant to section 3781.01 of the Revised Code.

(b) The board of county commissioners may, by resolution, adopt, administer, and enforce within the unincorporated area of the county, or within districts the board establishes in the unincorporated area, an existing structures code pertaining to the repair and continued maintenance of structures and the premises of those structures provided that the existing structures code governs subject matter not addressed by, and is not in conflict with, the state residential building code adopted pursuant to Chapter 3781. of the Revised Code. The board may adopt by incorporation by reference a model or standard code prepared and promulgated by the state, any agency of this state, or any private organization that publishes a recognized or standard existing structures code.

(c) The board shall assign the duties of administering and enforcing any local residential building regulations or existing structures code to a county officer or employee who is trained and qualified for those duties and shall establish by resolution the minimum qualifications necessary to perform those duties.

(2) The board may adopt regulations for participation in the national flood insurance program established in the "Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973," 87 Stat. 975, 42 U.S.C.A. 4002, as amended, defined in section 1521.01 of the Revised Code and regulations adopted for the purposes of section 1506.04 or 1506.07 of the Revised Code governing the prohibition, location, erection, construction, redevelopment, or floodproofing of new buildings or structures, substantial improvements to existing buildings or structures, or other development in unincorporated territory within flood hazard areas identified under the "Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973," 87 Stat. 975, 42 U.S.C.A. 4002, as amended, or within Lake Erie coastal erosion areas identified under section 1506.06 of the Revised Code, including, but not limited to, residential, commercial, institutional, or industrial buildings or structures or other permanent structures, as defined in section 1506.01 of the Revised Code. Rules adopted under division (B)(2) of this section shall not conflict with the state residential and nonresidential building codes adopted pursuant to section 3781.10 of the Revised Code.

(3)(a) A board may adopt regulations that provide for a review of the specific effects of a proposed new construction on existing surface or subsurface drainage. The regulations may require reasonable drainage mitigation and reasonable alteration of a proposed new construction before a building permit is issued in order to prevent or correct any adverse effects that the proposed new construction may have on existing surface or subsurface drainage. The regulations shall not be inconsistent with, more stringent than, or broader in scope than standards adopted by the natural resource conservation service in the United States department of agriculture concerning drainage or rules adopted by the environmental protection agency for reducing, controlling, or mitigating storm water runoff from construction sites, where applicable. The regulations shall allow a person who is registered under Chapter 4703. or 4733. of the Revised Code to prepare and submit relevant plans and other documents for review, provided that the person is authorized to prepare the plans and other documents pursuant to the person's registration.

(b) If regulations are adopted under division (B)(3) of this section, the board shall specify in the regulations a procedure for the review of the specific effects of a proposed new construction on existing surface or subsurface drainage. The procedure shall include at a minimum all of the following:

(i) A meeting at which the proposed new construction shall be examined for those specific effects. The meeting shall be held within thirty days after an application for a building permit is filed or a review is requested unless the applicant agrees in writing to extend that time period or to postpone the meeting to another date, time, or place. The meeting shall be scheduled within five days after an application for a building permit is filed or a review is requested.

(ii) Written notice of the date, time, and place of that meeting, sent by regular mail to the applicant. The written notice shall be mailed at least seven days before the scheduled meeting date.

(iii) Completion of the review by the board of county commissioners not later than thirty days after the application for a building permit is filed or a review is requested unless the applicant has agreed in writing to extend that time period or postpone the meeting to a later time, in which case the review shall be completed not later than two days after the date of the meeting. A complete review shall include the issuance of any order of the board of county commissioners regarding necessary reasonable drainage mitigation and necessary reasonable alterations to the proposed new construction to prevent or correct any adverse effects on existing surface or subsurface drainage so long as those alterations comply with the state residential and nonresidential building codes adopted pursuant to section 3781.10 of the Revised Code. If the review is not completed within the thirty-day period or an extended or postponed period that the applicant has agreed to, the proposed new construction shall be deemed to have no adverse effects on existing surface or subsurface drainage, and those effects shall not be a valid basis for the denial of a building permit.

(iv) A written statement, provided to the applicant at the meeting or in an order for alterations to a proposed new construction, informing the applicant of the right to seek appellate review of the denial of a building permit under division (B)(3)(b)(iii) of this section by filing a petition in accordance with Chapter 2506. of the Revised Code.

(c) The regulations may authorize the board, after obtaining the advice of the county engineer, to enter into an agreement with the county engineer or another qualified person or entity to carry out any necessary inspections and make evaluations about what, if any, alterations are necessary to prevent or correct any adverse effects that a proposed new construction may have on existing surface or subsurface drainage.

(d) Regulations adopted pursuant to division (B)(3) of this section shall not apply to any property that a platting authority has approved under section 711.05, 711.09, or 711.10 of the Revised Code and shall not govern the same subject matter as the state residential or nonresidential building codes adopted pursuant to section 3781.10 of the Revised Code.

(e) As used in division (B)(3) of this section, "subsurface drainage" does not include a household sewage treatment system as defined in section 3709.091 of the Revised Code.

(C)(1) Any regulation, code, or amendment may be adopted under this section only after a public hearing at not fewer than two regular or special sessions of the board. The board shall cause notice of any public hearing to be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the county once a week for the two consecutive weeks immediately preceding the hearing, except that if the board posts the hearing notice on the board's internet site on the world wide web, the board need publish only one notice of the hearing in a newspaper of general circulation if that newspaper notice includes the board's internet site and a statement that the notice is also posted on the internet site. Any notice of a public hearing shall include the time, date, and place of the hearing.

(2) Any proposed regulation, code, or amendment shall be made available to the public at the board office. The regulations or amendments shall take effect on the thirty-first day following the date of their adoption.

(D)(1) No person shall violate any regulation, code, or amendment the board adopts under sections 307.37 to 307.40 of the Revised Code.

(2) Each day during which an illegal location, erection, construction, floodproofing, repair, alteration, development, redevelopment, or maintenance continues may be considered a separate offense.

(E) Regulations or amendments the board adopts pursuant to this section, with the exception of an existing structures code, do not affect buildings or structures that exist or on which construction has begun on or before the date the board adopts the regulation or amendment.

(F)(1) The board may create a building department and employ the personnel it determines necessary to administer and enforce any local residential building regulations or existing structures code the board adopts pursuant to this section. The building department may enforce the state residential and nonresidential building codes adopted pursuant to Chapter 3781. of the Revised Code if the building department is certified pursuant to section 3781.10 of the Revised Code to enforce those codes.

(2) The board may direct the building department, upon certification, to exercise enforcement authority and to accept and approve plans pursuant to sections 3781.03 and 3791.04 of the Revised Code for the class of building for which the department and personnel are certified.

Sec. 1501.011. (A) The department of natural resources has the following powers in addition to its other powers: to prepare, or contract to be prepared, surveys, general and detailed plans, specifications, bills of materials, and estimates of cost for, to enter into contracts for, and to supervise the performance of labor, the furnishing of materials, or the construction, repair, or maintenance of any projects, improvements, or buildings, on lands and waters under the control of the department, as may be authorized by legislative appropriations or any other funds available therefor.

(B) Except in cases of extreme public exigency or emergency as provided in division (E) of this section, the director of natural resources shall publish notice in a newspaper of general circulation in the county region where the contract activity for which bids are submitted is to be let occur and in any other newspapers that the director determines are appropriate, at least once each week for four consecutive weeks, the last publication to be at least eight days preceding the day for opening bids, seeking proposals on each contract for the performance of labor, the furnishing of materials, or the construction, repair, or maintenance of projects, improvements, or buildings, as necessary for compliance with provisions of the act to make appropriations for capital improvements or the act to make general appropriations, and he the director may also advertise in such trade journals as will afford adequate information to the public of the terms of the contract and the nature of the work to be performed, together with the time of the letting and place and manner of receiving proposals, and the places where plans and specifications are on file. A proposal is invalid and shall not be considered by the department unless the form for proposals specified by the department is used without change, alteration, or addition.

(C) Each bidder for a contract for the performance of labor, the furnishing of materials, or the maintenance, construction, demolition, alteration, repair, or reconstruction of an improvement shall meet the requirements of section 153.54 of the Revised Code. The director may require each bidder to furnish him under oath, upon such printed forms as he the director may prescribe, detailed information with respect to his the bidder's financial resources, equipment, past performance record, organization personnel, and experience, together with such other information as the director considers necessary.

(D) The director shall award the contract to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder in accordance with section 9.312 of the Revised Code. The award shall be made within a reasonable time after the date on which the bids were opened, and the successful bidder shall enter into a contract within ten days from the date he the successful bidder is notified that he the contract has been awarded the contract, or within any longer period which that the director considers necessary. When an exigency occurs, or there is immediate danger of such occurrence, which would materially impair the construction or completion of any project, improvement, or building, the director may make necessary plan and specification change orders. Nothing in this section shall preclude the rejection of any bid the acceptance of which is not in the best interests of the state. No contract shall be entered into until the bureau of workers' compensation has certified that the corporation, partnership, or person awarded the contract has complied with Chapter 4123. of the Revised Code and until, if the bidder awarded the contract is a foreign corporation, the secretary of state has certified that such the corporation is authorized to do business in this state, and until, if the bidder so awarded the contract is a person or partnership nonresident of this state, such the person or partnership has filed with the secretary of state a power of attorney designating the secretary of state as its agency for the purpose of accepting service of process.

The director may enter (E) With respect to the director's entering into a contract without advertising for and receiving bids for the performance of labor, the furnishing of materials, or the construction, repair, or maintenance of any projects, improvements, or buildings on lands and waters under the control of the department, both of the following apply:

(1) The director is not required to advertise for and receive bids if the total estimated cost of which the contract is less than ten twenty-five thousand dollars.

(2) The director is not required to advertise for bids, regardless of the cost of the contract, if the contract involves an exigency that concerns the public health, safety, or welfare or addresses an emergency situation in which timeliness is crucial in preventing the cost of the contract from increasing significantly. Regarding such a contract, the director may solicit bids by sending a letter to a minimum of three contractors in the region where the contract is to be let or by any other means that the director considers appropriate.

(F) The director may insert in any contract awarded under this section a clause providing for value engineering change proposals, under which a contractor who has been awarded a contract may propose a change in the plans and specifications of the project that saves the department time or money on the project without impairing any of the essential functions and characteristics of the project such as service life, reliability, economy of operation, ease of maintenance, safety, and necessary standardized features. If the director adopts the value engineering proposal, the savings from the proposal shall be divided between the department and the contractor according to guidelines established by the director, provided that the contractor shall receive at least fifty per cent of the savings from the proposal. The adoption of a value engineering proposal does not invalidate the award of the contract or require the director to rebid the project.

(G) When in the opinion of the department the work under any contract made under this section or any law of the state is neglected by the contractor, the work completed is deficient in quality or materials, or such the work is not prosecuted with the diligence and force specified or intended in the contract, the department may make requisition upon require the contractor for such additional specific force or materials to be brought into the work under such contract or to remove improper materials from the grounds as in their judgment the contract and its faithful fulfillment requires. Not less than five days' notice in writing of such action shall be served upon the contractor or his agent in charge of the work to provide, at no additional expense to the department, any additional labor and materials that are necessary to complete the improvements at the level of quality and within the time of performance specified in the contract. Procedures concerning such a requirement together with its format shall be specified in the contract. If the contractor fails to comply with such requisition the requirement within fifteen days the period specified in the contract, the department may employ upon take action to complete the work the additional force, or supply the special materials or such part of either as it considers proper, and may remove improper materials from the grounds through other means, up to and including termination of the contract.

(H) When an exigency occurs or there is immediate danger of an exigency that would materially impair the successful bidding, construction, or completion of a project, improvement, or building, the director may revise related plans and specifications as necessary to address the exigency through the issuance of an addendum prior to the opening of bids or, in accordance with procedures established in section 153.62 of the Revised Code, through the issuance of a change order after the contract has been awarded.

Sec. 1501.07.  The department of natural resources through the division of parks and recreation may plan, supervise, acquire, construct, enlarge, improve, erect, equip, and furnish public service facilities such as inns, lodges, hotels, cabins cottages, camping sites, scenic trails, picnic sites, restaurants, commissaries, golf courses, boating and bathing facilities, and other similar facilities in state parks reasonably necessary and useful in promoting the public use of state parks under its control and may purchase lands or interests in lands in the name of the state necessary for such those purposes.

The chief of the division of parks and recreation shall administer state parks, establish rules, fix fees and charges for admission to parks and for the use of public service facilities therein, establish rentals for the lease of lands or interests therein within a state park the chief is authorized by law to lease, and exercise all powers of the chief, in conformity with all covenants of the director of natural resources in or with respect to state park revenue bonds and trust agreements securing such bonds and all terms, provisions, and conditions of such bonds and trust agreements. In the administration of state parks with respect to which state park revenue bonds are issued and outstanding, or any part of the moneys received from fees and charges for admission to or the use of facilities, from rentals for the lease of lands or interests or facilities therein, or for the lease of public service facilities are pledged for any such bonds, the chief shall exercise the powers and perform the duties of the chief subject to the control and approval of the director. The acquisition of such lands or interests therein and facilities shall be planned with regard to the needs of the people of the state and with regard to the purposes and uses of such state parks and, except for facilities constructed in consideration of a lease under section 1501.012 of the Revised Code, shall be paid for from the state park fund created in section 1541.22 of the Revised Code or from the proceeds of the sale of bonds issued under sections 1501.12 to 1501.15 of the Revised Code. Sections 125.81 and 153.04 of the Revised Code, insofar as they require a certification by the chief of the division of capital planning and improvement, do not apply to the acquisition of lands or interests therein and public service facilities to be paid for from the proceeds of bonds issued under sections 1501.12 to 1501.15 of the Revised Code.

As used in sections 1501.07 to 1501.14 of the Revised Code, state parks are all of the following:

(A) State reservoirs described and identified in section 1541.06 of the Revised Code;

(B) All lands or interests therein which that are denominated as state parks in division (B) of section 1531.12 and in section 1541.083 of the Revised Code;

(C) All lands or interests therein of the state identified as administered by the division of parks and recreation in the "inventory of state owned lands administered by department of natural resources as of June 1, 1963," as recorded in the journal of the director, which inventory was prepared by the real estate section of the department and is supported by maps on file in the division of real estate and land management;

(D) All lands or interests in lands of the state hereafter designated as state parks in the journal of the director with the approval of the recreation and resources council.

All such state parks shall be exclusively under the control and administration of the division of parks and recreation. With the approval of the council, the director by order may remove from the classification as state parks any of the lands or interests therein so classified by divisions (C) and (D) of this section, subject to the limitations, provisions, and conditions in any order authorizing state park revenue bonds or in any trust agreement securing such bonds. Lands or interests therein so removed shall be transferred to other divisions of the department for administration or may be sold as provided by law. Proceeds of any sale shall be used or transferred as provided in the order authorizing state park revenue bonds or in the trust agreement and, if no such provision is made, shall be transferred to the state park fund. State parks do not include any lands or interest in lands of the state administered jointly by two or more divisions of the department. The designation of lands as state parks under divisions (A) to (D) of this section shall be conclusive, and those lands shall be under the control of and administered by the division of parks and recreation. No order or proceeding designating lands as state parks or park purchase areas shall be subject to any appeal or review by any officer, board, commission, or court.

Sec. 1501.32.  (A) No person shall divert more than one hundred thousand gallons per day of any waters of the state out of the Lake Erie or Ohio river drainage basins to another basin without having a permit to do so issued by the director of natural resources. An application for such a permit shall be filed with the director upon such forms as he the director prescribes. The application shall state the quantity of water to be diverted, the purpose of the diversion, the life of the project for which the water is to be diverted, and such other information as the director may require by rule. Each application shall be accompanied by a nonrefundable fee of one thousand dollars, which shall be credited to the water management fund, which is hereby created.

(B) The director shall not approve a permit application filed under this section if he the director determines that any of the following apply applies:

(1) During the life of the project for which the water is to be diverted, some or all of the water to be diverted will be needed for use within the basin;.

(2) The proposed diversion would endanger the public health, safety, or welfare;.

(3) The applicant has not demonstrated that the proposed diversion is a reasonable and beneficial use and is necessary to serve the applicant's present and future needs;.

(4) The applicant has not demonstrated that reasonable efforts have been made to develop and conserve water resources in the importing basin and that further development of those resources would engender overriding, adverse economic, social, or environmental impacts;.

(5) The proposed diversion is inconsistent with regional or state water resources plans;.

(6) The proposed diversion, alone or in combination with other diversions and water losses, will have a significant adverse impact on in-stream uses or on economic or ecological aspects of water levels.

The director may hold public hearings upon any application for a permit.

(C) Whenever the director receives an application under this section to divert water out of the Lake Erie drainage basin, he the director shall notify the governors and premiers of the other great lakes states and provinces, the appropriate water management agencies of those states and provinces, and, when appropriate, the international joint commission and shall solicit their comments and concerns regarding the application. In the event of an objection to the proposed diversion, the director shall consult with the affected great lakes states and provinces to consider the issues involved and seek mutually agreeable recommendations. Before rendering a decision on the permit application, the director shall consider the concerns, comments, and recommendations of the other great lakes states and provinces and the international joint commission, and, in accordance with section 1109 of the "Water Resources Development Act of 1986," 100 Stat. 4230, 42 U.S.C.A. 1962d-20, the director shall not approve a permit application for any diversion to which that section pertains unless that diversion is approved by the governor of each great lakes state as defined in section 1109(c) of that act.

(D) The director shall determine the period for which each permit approved under this section will be valid and specify the expiration date, but in no case shall a permit be valid beyond the life of the project as stated in the application.

The director shall establish rules providing for the transfer of permits. A permit may be transferred on the conditions that the quantity of water diverted not be increased and that the purpose of the diversion not be changed.

(E)(1) Within a time established by rule, the director shall do one of the following:

(a) Notify the applicant that an application he the applicant filed under this section is approved or denied and, if denied, the reason for denial;

(b) Notify the applicant of any modification necessary to qualify the application for approval.

(2) Any person who receives notice of a denial or modification under division (E)(1) of this section is entitled to a hearing under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code if the person sends a written request for a hearing to the director within thirty days after the date on which the notice is mailed or otherwise provided to the applicant.

(F) The director shall revoke a permit under this section without a prior hearing if he the director determines that the quantity of water being diverted exceeds the quantity stated in the permit application.

The director may suspend a permit if he the director determines that the continued diversion of water will endanger the public health, safety, or welfare. Before suspending a permit, the director shall make a reasonable attempt to notify the permittee that he the director intends to suspend the permit. If the attempt fails, notification shall be given as soon as practicable following the suspension. Within five days after the suspension, the director shall provide the permittee an opportunity to be heard and to present evidence that the continued diversion of water will not endanger the public health, safety, or welfare.

If the director determines before the expiration date of a suspended permit that the diversion of water can be resumed without danger to the public health, safety, or welfare, he the director shall, upon request of the permittee, reinstate the permit.

(G) Any six or more residents of this state may petition the director for an investigation of a withdrawal of water resources that they allege is in violation of a permit issued under this section.

The petition shall identify the permittee and detail the reasons why the petitioners believe that grounds exist for the revocation or suspension of the permit under this section.

Upon receipt of the petition, the director shall send a copy to the permittee and, within sixty days, make a determination whether grounds exist for revocation or suspension of the permit under this section.

(H) Each permittee shall submit to the director an annual report containing such information as the director may require by rule.

(I) The director shall issue a permit under division (A) of this section to any person who lawfully diverted more than one hundred thousand gallons per day of any waters of the state out of the Ohio river drainage basin during the calendar year ending October 14, 1984. A person who is eligible for a permit under this division shall file an application under division (A) of this section not later than one hundred eighty days after the effective date of this amendment.

A person who applies for a permit under this division need not pay the application fee that is otherwise required under division (A) of this section. In addition, divisions (B) to (H) of this section and rules adopted under section 1501.31 of the Revised Code do not apply to an application that is filed or a permit that is issued under this division.

Sec. 1502.01.  As used in this chapter:

(A) "Litter" means garbage, trash, waste, rubbish, ashes, cans, bottles, wire, paper, cartons, boxes, automobile parts, furniture, glass, or anything else of an unsightly or unsanitary nature thrown, dropped, discarded, placed, or deposited by a person on public property, on private property not owned by the person, or in or on waters of the state unless one of the following applies:

(1) The person has been directed to do so by a public official as part of a litter collection drive;.

(2) The person has thrown, dropped, discarded, placed, or deposited the material in a receptacle in a manner that prevented its being carried away by the elements;.

(3) The person has been issued a permit or license covering the material pursuant to Chapter 3734. or 6111. of the Revised Code.

(B) "Recycling" means the process of collecting, sorting, cleansing, treating, and reconstituting waste or other discarded materials for the purpose of recovering and reusing the materials.

(C) "Agency of the state" includes, but is not limited to, an "agency" subject to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code and a "state university or college" as defined in section 3345.12 of the Revised Code.

(D) "Waste Source reduction" means activities that decrease the initial production of waste materials at their point of origin.

(E) "Enterprise" means a business with its principal place of business in this state and that proposes to engage in research and development or recycling in this state.

(F) "Research and development" means inquiry, experimentation, or demonstration to advance basic scientific or technical knowledge or the application, adaptation, or use of existing or newly discovered scientific or technical knowledge regarding recycling, waste source reduction, or litter prevention.

(G) "Recyclables" means waste materials that are collected, separated, or processed and used as raw materials or products.

(H) "Recycling market development" means activities that stimulate the demand for recycled products, provide for a consistent supply of recyclables to meet the needs of recycling industries, or both.

(I) "Solid waste management districts" means solid waste management districts established under Chapter 343. of the Revised Code.

(J) "Synthetic rubber" means produced or extended rubber and products made from a synthetic rubber base material originating from petrochemical feedstocks, including scrap tires, tire molds, automobile engine belts, brake pads and hoses, weather stripping, fittings, electrical insulation, and other molded objects and parts.

Sec. 1502.03.  (A) The chief of the division of recycling and litter prevention shall establish and implement statewide waste source reduction, recycling, recycling market development, and litter prevention programs that include all of the following:

(1) The assessment of waste generation within the state and implementation of waste source reduction practices;

(2) The implementation of recycling and recycling market development activities and projects, including all of the following:

(a) Collection of recyclables;

(b) Separation of recyclables;

(c) Processing of recyclables;

(d) Facilitation and encouragement of the use of recyclables and products made with recyclables;

(e) Education and training concerning recycling and products manufactured with recyclables;

(f) Public awareness campaigns to promote recycling;

(g) Other activities and projects that promote recycling and recycling market development.

(3) Litter prevention assistance to enforce antilitter laws, educate the public, and stimulate collection and containment of litter;

(4) Research and development regarding waste source reduction, recycling, and litter prevention, including, without limitation, research and development regarding materials or products manufactured with recyclables.

(B) The chief, with the approval of the director of natural resources, may enter into contracts or other agreements and may execute any instruments necessary or incidental to the discharge of the chief's responsibilities under this chapter.

Sec. 1502.12. (A) There is hereby created in the state treasury the scrap tire grant fund, consisting of moneys transferred to the fund under section 3734.82 of the Revised Code. The chief of the division of recycling and litter prevention, with the approval of the director of natural resources, may make grants from the fund for the purpose of supporting market development activities for scrap tires and synthetic rubber from tire manufacturing processes and tire recycling processes. The grants may be awarded to individuals, businesses, and entities certified under division (A) of section 1502.04 of the Revised Code.

(B) Projects and activities that are eligible for grants under this section shall be evaluated for funding using, at a minimum, the following criteria:

(1) The degree to which a proposed project contributes to the increased use of scrap tires generated in this state;

(2) The degree of local financial support for a proposed project;

(3) The technical merit and quality of a proposed project.

Sec. 1503.23.  Notwithstanding any other section of the Revised Code relating to the distribution or crediting of fines for violations of the Revised Code, all fines imposed under section 1503.99 of the Revised Code, penalties, and forfeitures arising from prosecutions, convictions, confiscations, or other actions commenced under this chapter shall be paid to the treasurer of state and deposited in the state treasury to the credit of the state forest fund created in section 1503.05 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 1504.02.  (A) The division of real estate and land management shall do all of the following:

(1) Except as otherwise provided in the Revised Code, coordinate and conduct all real estate functions for the department of natural resources, including at least acquisitions by purchase, lease, gift, devise, bequest, appropriation, or otherwise; grants through sales, leases, exchanges, easements, and licenses; inventories of land; and other related general management duties;

(2) Assist the department and its divisions by providing department-wide planning, including at least master planning, comprehensive planning, capital improvements planning, and special purpose planning such as trails coordination and planning under section 1519.03 of the Revised Code;

(3) On behalf of the director of natural resources, administer the coastal management program established under sections 1506.01 to 1506.03 and 1506.05 to 1506.09 of the Revised Code and consult with and provide coordination among state agencies, political subdivisions, the United States and agencies of it, and interstate, regional, and areawide agencies to assist the director in executing the director's duties and responsibilities under that program and to assist the department as the lead agency for the development and implementation of the program;

(4) On behalf of the director, administer sections 1506.10 and 1506.11 and sections 1506.31 to 1506.36 of the Revised Code;

(5) Cooperate with the United States and agencies of it and with political subdivisions in administering federal recreation moneys under the "Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965," 78 Stat. 897, 16 U.S.C.A. 4601-8, as amended; prepare and distribute the statewide comprehensive outdoor recreation plan; and administer the state recreational vehicle fund created in section 4519.11 of the Revised Code;

(6)(a) Support the geographic information system needs for the department as requested by the director, which shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:

(i) Assisting in the training and education of department resource managers, administrators, and other staff in the application and use of geographic information system technology;

(ii) Providing technical support to the department in the design, preparation of data, and use of appropriate geographic information system applications in order to help solve resource related problems and to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of department delivered services;

(iii) Creating, maintaining, and documenting spatial digital data bases for the division and for other divisions as assigned by the director.

(b) Provide information to and otherwise assist government officials, planners, and resource managers in understanding land use planning and resource management;

(c) Provide continuing assistance to local government officials and others in natural resource digital data base development and in applying and utilizing the geographic information system for land use planning, current agricultural use value assessment, development reviews, coastal management, and other resource management activities;

(d) Coordinate and administer the remote sensing needs of the department, including the collection and analysis of aerial photography, satellite data, and other data pertaining to land, water, and other resources of the state;

(e) Prepare and publish maps and digital data relating to the state's land use and land cover over time on a local, regional, and statewide basis;

(f) Locate and distribute hard copy maps, digital data, aerial photography, and other resource data and information to government agencies and the public.

(7) Prepare special studies and execute any other duties, functions, and responsibilities requested by the director.

(B) The division may do any of the following:

(1) Coordinate such environmental matters concerning the department and the state as are necessary to comply with the "National Environmental Policy Act of 1969," 83 Stat. 852, 42 U.S.C.A. 4321, as amended, the "Intergovernmental Cooperation Act of 1968," 82 Stat. 1098, 31 U.S.C.A. 6506, and the "Federal Water Pollution Control Act," 91 Stat. 1566 (1977), 33 U.S.C.A. 1251, as amended, and regulations adopted under those acts;

(2) With the approval of the director, coordinate and administer compensatory mitigation grant programs and other programs for streams and wetlands as approved in accordance with certifications and permits issued under sections 401 and 404 of the "Federal Water Pollution Control Act", 91 Stat. 1566(1977), 33 U.S.C.A. 1251, as amended, by the environmental protection agency and the United States army corps of engineers;

(3) On behalf of the director, administer Chapter 1520. of the Revised Code, except divisions (B) to (F) of section 1520.03 of the Revised Code, division (A) of section 1520.04 of the Revised Code as it pertains to those divisions, and section 1520.05 of the Revised Code;

(3)(4) Administer any state or federally funded grant program that is related to natural resources and recreation as considered necessary by the director.

Sec. 1506.04.  (A) No later than six months after the effective date of this section September 15, 1989, each county or municipal corporation within whose jurisdiction is a coastal flood hazard area shall either participate in and remain in compliance with the national flood insurance program established in the "Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973," 87 Stat. 975, 42 U.S.C.A. 4002, as amended, or shall adopt resolutions or ordinances governing the coastal flood hazard area that meet or exceed the standards required for participation in the regular phase of the national flood insurance program.

(B) If the director of natural resources determines at any time that a county or municipal corporation that is participating in the national flood insurance program as described in division (A) of this section or has adopted resolutions or ordinances under that division (A) of this section is not in compliance with that program or those resolutions or ordinances, as applicable, he the director shall so notify the legislative authority of the county or municipal corporation and shall also notify the legislative authority that it may respond to his the determination in accordance with the procedure for doing so established by rules adopted under section 1506.02 of the Revised Code. If after considering the legislative authority's response the director determines that the county or municipal corporation is still not in compliance with the national flood insurance program or resolutions or ordinances adopted under division (A) of this section, as applicable, he the director may request the attorney general in writing to, and the attorney general shall, bring an action for appropriate relief in a court of competent jurisdiction against the county or municipal corporation.

(C) The attorney general, upon the written request of the director, shall bring an action for appropriate relief in a court of competent jurisdiction against any development that meets both of the following criteria:

(1) Is located in a county or municipal corporation that is not in compliance with division (A) of this section;

(2) Is not in compliance with the standards of the national flood insurance program established in the "Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973," 87 Stat. 975, 42 U.S.C.A. 4002, as amended.

As used in this division, "development" means any artificial change to improved or unimproved real estate, including, without limitation, the construction of buildings and other structures and mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation, and drilling operations.

(D) This section does not apply to any permits or approvals issued by any state agency prior to the effective date of rules adopted under section 1506.02 of the Revised Code for the implementation of this section.

(E) As used in this section, "national flood insurance program" and "development" have the same meanings as in section 1521.01 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 1507.01.  There is hereby created in the department of natural resources the division of engineering to be administered by the chief engineer of the department, who shall be a professional engineer registered under Chapter 4733. or a professional architect certified under Chapter 4703. of the Revised Code. The chief engineer shall do all of the following:

(A) Administer this chapter;

(B) Provide engineering, architectural, land surveying, and related administrative and maintenance support services to the other divisions in the department;

(C) Upon request of the director of natural resources, implement the department's capital improvement program and facility maintenance projects, including all associated engineering, architectural, design, contracting, surveying, inspection, and management responsibilities and requirements;

(D) With the approval of the director, act as contracting officer in departmental engineering, architectural, surveying, and construction matters regarding capital improvements except for those matters otherwise specifically provided for in law;

(E) Provide engineering support for the coastal management program established under Chapter 1506. of the Revised Code;

(F) Coordinate the department's roadway maintenance program with the department of transportation pursuant to section 5511.05 of the Revised Code and maintain the roadway inventory of the department of natural resources;

(G) Coordinate the department's projects, programs, policies, procedures, and activities with the United States army corps of engineers;

(H) Subject to the approval of the director, employ professional and technical assistants and such other employees as are necessary for the performance of the activities required or authorized under this chapter, other work of the division, and any other work agreed to under working agreements or contractual arrangements; prescribe their duties; and fix their compensation in accordance with such schedules as are provided by law for the compensation of state employees.

Sec. 1515.093. The supervisors of a soil and water conservation district may hold one or more credit cards on behalf of the district and may authorize any supervisor or employee of the district to use such a credit card to pay for expenses related to the purposes of the district. The supervisors shall pay the debt incurred as a result of the use of such a credit card from the special fund established for the district under section 1515.10 of the Revised Code.

The misuse of a credit card held on behalf of a soil and water conservation district is a violation of section 2913.21 of the Revised Code. In addition, a supervisor or employee of a district who makes unauthorized use of such a credit card may be held personally liable to the district for the unauthorized use. This section does not limit any other liability of a supervisor or employee of a district for the unauthorized use of such a credit card.

A supervisor or employee of a soil and water conservation district who is authorized to use a credit card that is held on behalf of the district and who suspects the loss, theft, or possibility of another person's unauthorized use of the credit card immediately shall notify the supervisors in writing of the suspected loss, theft, or possible unauthorized use.

Sec. 1515.10.  The board of county commissioners of each county in which there is a soil and water conservation district may levy a tax within the ten-mill limitation and may appropriate money from the proceeds of such the levy or from the general fund of the county, which. The money shall be held in a special fund for the credit of the district, to be expended for the purposes prescribed in section sections 1515.09 and 1515.093 of the Revised Code, for construction and maintenance of improvements by the district, and for other expenses incurred in carrying out the program of the district upon the written order of the fiscal agent for the district after authorization by a majority of the supervisors of the district.

Sec. 1517.02.  There is hereby created in the department of natural resources the division of natural areas and preserves, which shall be administered by the chief of natural areas and preserves. The chief shall take an oath of office and shall file in the office of the secretary of state a bond signed by the chief and by a surety approved by the governor for a sum fixed pursuant to section 121.11 of the Revised Code.

The chief shall administer a system of nature preserves and wild, scenic, and recreational river areas. The chief shall establish a system of nature preserves through acquisition and dedication of natural areas of state or national significance, which shall include, but not be limited to, areas that represent characteristic examples of Ohio's natural landscape types and its natural vegetation and geological history. The chief shall encourage landowners to dedicate areas of unusual significance as nature preserves, and shall establish and maintain a registry of natural areas of unusual significance.

The chief may supervise, operate, protect, and maintain wild, scenic, and recreational river areas, as designated by the director of natural resources. The chief may cooperate with federal agencies administering any federal program concerning wild, scenic, or recreational river areas.

The chief shall do the following:

(A) Formulate policies and plans for the acquisition, use, management, and protection of nature preserves;

(B) Formulate policies for the selection of areas suitable for registration;

(C) Formulate policies for the dedication of areas as nature preserves;

(D) Prepare and maintain surveys and inventories of natural areas and habitats of, rare and endangered species of plants and animals;, and other unique natural features. The information shall be stored in the Ohio natural heritage database, established pursuant to this division, and may be made available to any individual or private or public agency for research, educational, environmental, land management, or other similar purposes that are not detrimental to the conservation of a species or feature. Information regarding sensitive site locations of species that are listed pursuant to section 1518.01 of the Revised Code and of unique natural features that are included in the Ohio natural heritage database is not subject to section 149.43 of the Revised Code if the chief determines that the release of the information could be detrimental to the conservation of a species or unique natural feature.

(E) Adopt rules for the use, visitation, and protection of nature preserves, natural areas owned or managed through easement, license, or lease by the department and administered by the division, and lands owned or managed through easement, license, or lease by the department and administered by the division that are within or adjacent to any wild, scenic, or recreational river area, in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code;

(F) Provide facilities and improvements within the state system of nature preserves that are necessary for their visitation, use, restoration, and protection and do not impair their natural character;

(G) Provide interpretive programs and publish and disseminate information pertaining to nature preserves and natural areas for their visitation and use;

(H) Conduct and grant permits to qualified persons for the conduct of scientific research and investigations within nature preserves;

(I) Establish an appropriate system for marking nature preserves;

(J) Publish and submit to the governor and the general assembly a biennial report of the status and condition of each nature preserve, activities conducted within each preserve, and plans and recommendations for natural area preservation.

Sec.  1517.052. (A)(1) No public entity with authority to levy special assessments on real property shall collect an assessment for purposes of sewer, water, or electrical service on real property that is within a nature preserve as described in division (A)(2) of this section without the permission of the owner.

(2) For purposes of division (A)(1) of this section, a nature preserve is an area that is established:

(a) In the case of counties, prior to the adoption of a resolution of necessity by a board of county commissioners pursuant to section 6103.05 or 6117.06 of the Revised Code;

(b) In the case of municipal corporations, prior to whichever of the following occurs first:

(i) The adoption of the resolution of necessity by the municipal legislative authority pursuant to section 727.12 or 729.02 of the Revised Code;

(ii) The service of notice on all or some of the owners to be assessed pursuant to section 729.06 of the Revised Code;

(iii) The adoption of the ordinance or resolution by the municipal legislative authority declaring the necessity for the improvement, the costs of which are to be assessed under procedures authorized by a municipal charter adopted pursuant to Section 7 of Article XVIII, Ohio Constitution, or, if no such ordinance or resolution is required under the charter, the service of the first notice on all or some of the owners of lands to be assessed, or the adoption of the first ordinance or resolution by the municipal legislative authority pertaining to the assessment proceedings under the charter.

(c) In the case of a regional water and sewer district established under Chapter 6119. of the Revised Code, prior to the adoption of a resolution of necessity by the board of trustees of the district under section 6119.25 of the Revised Code.

(B) For each special assessment levied by a public entity on real property within a nature preserve for purposes of sewer, water, or electrical service, the county auditor shall make and maintain a list showing all of the following:

(1) The name of the owner of each lot, tract, or parcel of land that is exempt from the collection of the special assessment under this section;

(2) A description of the exempt land;

(3) The purpose of the special assessment;

(4) The amount of the uncollected assessment on the exempt land.

In the case of a county project that is constructed under Chapter 6103. or 6117. of the Revised Code, the county auditor may use a list provided for in those chapters in lieu of the list required by division (B) of this section. The auditor also shall record in the water works record that is required by section 6103.16 of the Revised Code or the sewer improvement record that is required by section 6117.33 of the Revised Code those assessments that are not collected under this section. The recording of the assessments does not permit the collection of the assessments until the time that exempt lands are withdrawn from dedication as a nature preserve.

(C) A board of county commissioners, legislative authority of a municipal corporation, or other governing board of any other public entity may apply to the water and sewer commission created in division (C) of section 1525.11 of the Revised Code for an advance of money from the water and sewer fund created in division (A) of that section in an amount equal to that portion of the costs of a water or sewer improvement authorized by law that is to be financed by assessments whose collection is prohibited under division (A) of this section. The application for such an advance of money shall be made in the manner prescribed by rules of the commission. Upon collection of any assessment whose collection was prohibited under division (A) of this section, the board of county commissioners, legislative authority, or other governing board shall repay the commission the amount of any money advanced by it in regard to the assessments.

Sec. 1517.11.  There is hereby created in the state treasury the natural areas and preserves fund, which shall consist of moneys transferred into it under section 5747.113 of the Revised Code and, of contributions made directly to it, and of all fines, penalties, and forfeitures arising from prosecutions, convictions, confiscations, or other actions commenced under this chapter. Any person may contribute directly to the fund in addition to or independently of the income tax refund contribution system established in that section.

Moneys in the fund shall be disbursed pursuant to vouchers approved by the director of natural resources for use by the division of natural areas and preserves solely for the following purposes:

(A) The acquisition of new or expanded natural areas, nature preserves, and wild, scenic, and recreational river areas;

(B) Facility development in natural areas, nature preserves, and wild, scenic, and recreational river areas;

(C) Special projects, including, but not limited to, biological inventories, research grants, and the production of interpretive material related to natural areas, nature preserves, and wild, scenic, and recreational river areas;

(D) Routine maintenance for health and safety purposes.

Moneys Except as provided in division (D) of this section, money appropriated from the fund shall not be used to fund salaries of permanent employees, administrative costs, or routine maintenance.

All investment earnings of the fund shall be credited to the fund.

Sec. 1517.14.  (A) As used in sections 1517.14 to 1517.18 of the Revised Code, "watercourse":

(1) "Watercourse" means a substantially natural channel with recognized banks and bottom, in which a perennial flow of water occurs, with an average of at least ten feet mean surface water width and that is at least five miles of in length. The

(2) "Wild, scenic, or recreational river area" means a watercourse, all lands within one thousand feet of the top of either bank of the watercourse, and any additional lands that are necessary to preserve, protect, and restore the natural character of the watercourse and adjacent lands or to preserve water quality or scenic, fish, wildlife, aesthetic, or outdoor recreational value.

(B) The director of natural resources or the director's representative may create, supervise, operate, protect, and maintain wild, scenic, and recreational river areas under the classifications established in section 1517.15 of the Revised Code. The director or the director's representative may prepare and maintain a plan for the establishment, development, use, and administration of those areas as a part of the comprehensive state plans for water management and outdoor recreation. The director or the director's representative may cooperate with federal agencies administering any federal program concerning wild, scenic, or recreational river areas.

(C) The director may propose for establishment declaration as a wild, scenic, or recreational river area a part or parts of any watercourse in this state, together with adjacent any lands described in division (A)(2) of this section, that in the director's judgment possesses water conservation, scenic, fish, wildlife, historic, or outdoor recreation values that should be preserved, using the classifications established in section 1517.15 of the Revised Code. The area shall include lands adjacent to the watercourse in sufficient width to preserve, protect, and develop the natural character of the watercourse, but shall not include any lands more than one thousand feet from the normal waterlines of the watercourse unless an additional width is necessary to preserve water conservation, scenic, fish, wildlife, historic, or outdoor recreation values The director may include in, or add to, the declaration of a watercourse as a wild or scenic river any upstream segments or headwaters of that watercourse even if the upstream segments or headwaters do not independently meet the wild or scenic river area classifications established in section 1517.15 of the Revised Code.

The director shall publish the intention to declare an area a wild, scenic, or recreational river area at least once in a newspaper of general circulation in each county, any part of which is within the area, and shall send written notice of the intention to the legislative authority of each county, township, and municipal corporation and to each conservancy district established under Chapter 6101. of the Revised Code, any part of which is within the area, and to the director of transportation, the director of development, the director of administrative services, and the director of environmental protection. The notices shall include a copy of a map and description of the area.

(D) After thirty days from the last date of publication or dispatch of written notice as required in this section, the director shall enter a declaration in the director's journal that the area is a wild, scenic, or recreational river area. When so entered, the area is a wild, scenic, or recreational river area. The director, after thirty days' notice as prescribed in this section and upon the approval of the recreation and resources commission created in section 1501.04 of the Revised Code, may terminate the status of an area as a wild, scenic, or recreational river area by an entry in the director's journal.

(E) Declaration by the director that an area is a wild, scenic, or recreational river area does not authorize the director or any governmental agency or political subdivision to restrict the use of land by the owner thereof or any person acting under the landowner's authority or to enter upon the land and does not expand or abridge the regulatory authority of any governmental agency or political subdivision over the area.

(F) The chief of the division of natural areas and preserves or the chief's representative may participate in watershed-wide planning with federal, state, and local agencies in order to protect the values of wild, scenic, and recreational river areas.

Sec. 1517.15.  As used in this section, "impoundment" means the reservoir created by a dam or other artificial barrier across a watercourse that causes water to be stored deeper than and generally beyond the banks of the natural channel of the watercourse during periods of normal flow, but does not include water stored behind rock piles, rock riffle dams, and low channel dams where the depth of water is less than ten feet above the channel bottom and is essentially confined within the banks of the natural channel during periods of normal stream flow.

In creating wild, scenic, or recreational river areas, the director of natural resources shall use the following classifications:

(A) "Wild river areas" to include those rivers or sections of rivers that are free of impoundments and generally inaccessible except by trail or unpaved road, with watersheds, floodplains, or shorelines essentially primitive and waters unpolluted, representing vestiges of primitive America;

(B) "Scenic river areas" to include those rivers or sections of rivers that are free of impoundments, with shorelines, floodplains, or watersheds still largely primitive and shorelines largely undeveloped, but accessible in places by roads;

(C) "Recreational river areas" to include those rivers or sections of rivers that are readily accessible by road or railroad, that may have some development along their shorelines, and that may have undergone some impoundment or, diversion, or other degradation in the past, but still possess generally good in-stream habitat or recreational value.

Sec. 1520.02.  (A) The director of natural resources has exclusive authority to administer, manage, and establish policies governing canal lands.

(B)(1) Except as provided in division (C) of this section, the The director may sell, lease, exchange, give, or grant all or part of the state's interest in any canal lands in accordance with section 1501.01 of the Revised Code. The director may stipulate that an appraisal or survey need not be conducted for, and may establish any terms or conditions that the director determines appropriate for, any such conveyance.

(2) With regard to canal lands, the chief of the division of water, with the approval of the director, may sell, lease, or transfer minerals or mineral rights when the chief and, with the approval of the director determine, determines that the sale, lease, or transfer is in the best interest of the state. Consideration for minerals and mineral rights shall be by rental or on a royalty basis as prescribed by the chief, with the approval of the director, and payable as prescribed by contract. Moneys collected under division (B)(2) of this section shall be paid into the state treasury to the credit of the canal lands fund created in section 1520.05 of the Revised Code.

(C)(1) Not later than one year after July 1, 1989, the director of transportation and the director of the Ohio historical society shall identify all canal lands that are or may be of use to any program operated by the department of transportation or the Ohio historical society, respectively, and shall notify the director of natural resources of those lands. The director of natural resources may transfer any canal lands so identified to the exclusive care, custody, and control of the department of transportation or the Ohio historical society, as applicable, by means of a departmental transfer not later than six months after receiving notification under division (C)(1) of this section.

(2) The director of natural resources may transfer to the Ohio historical society any equipment, maps, and records used on or related to canal lands that are of historical interest and that are not needed by the director to administer this chapter.

(D) If the director of natural resources determines that any canal lands are a necessary part of a county's drainage or ditch system and are not needed for any purpose of the department of natural resources, the director may sell, grant, or otherwise convey those canal lands to that county in accordance with division (B) of this section. The board of county commissioners shall accept the transfer of canal lands.

(E) Notwithstanding any other section of the Revised Code, the county auditor shall transfer any canal lands conveyed under this section, and the county recorder shall record the deed for those lands in accordance with section 317.12 of the Revised Code. This division does not apply to canal lands transferred under division (C)(1) of this section.

Sec. 1520.03.  (A) The director of natural resources may appropriate real property in accordance with Chapter 163. of the Revised Code for the purpose of administering this chapter.

(B)(1) The director shall operate and maintain all canals and canal reservoirs owned by the state except those canals that are operated by the Ohio historical society on July 1, 1989.

(2) On behalf of the director, the division of water shall have the care and control of all canals and canal reservoirs owned by the state, the water in them, and canal lands and shall protect, operate, and maintain them and keep them in repair. The chief of the division of water may remove obstructions from or on them and shall make any alterations or changes in or to them and construct any feeders, dikes, reservoirs, dams, locks, or other works, devices, or improvements in or on them that are necessary in the discharge of the chief's duties.

In accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, the chief may adopt, amend, and rescind rules that are necessary for the administration of this division.

(C) The director may sell or lease water from any canal or canal reservoir that the director operates and maintains only to the extent that the water is in excess of the quantity that is required for navigation, recreation, and wildlife purposes. The director may adopt, amend, and rescind rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code necessary to administer this division.

The withdrawal of water from any canal or canal reservoir for domestic use is exempt from this division. However, the director may require water conservation measures for water that is withdrawn from any canal or canal reservoir for domestic use during drought conditions or other emergencies declared by the governor.

(D) No person shall take or divert water from any canal or canal reservoir operated and maintained by the director except in accordance with division (C) of this section.

(E) At the request of the director, the attorney general may commence a civil action for civil penalties and injunctions, in a court of common pleas, against any person who has violated or is violating division (D) of this section. The court of common pleas in which an action for injunctive relief is filed has jurisdiction to and shall grant preliminary and permanent injunctive relief upon a showing that the person against whom the action is brought has violated or is violating that division.

Upon a finding of a violation, the court shall assess a civil penalty of not more than one thousand dollars for each day of each violation if the violator is an individual who took or diverted the water in question for residential or agricultural use. The court shall assess a civil penalty of not more than five thousand dollars for each day of each violation if the violator is any other person who took or diverted the water in question for industrial or commercial use excluding agricultural use. Moneys from civil penalties assessed under this division shall be paid into the state treasury to the credit of the canal lands fund created in section 1520.05 of the Revised Code.

Any action under this division is a civil action, governed by the rules of civil procedure and other rules of practice and procedure applicable to civil actions.

(F) As used in this section, "person" means any agency of this state, any political subdivision of this state or of the United States, or any legal entity defined as a person under section 1.59 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 1520.05.  There is hereby created in the state treasury the canal lands fund, which shall be composed of all moneys received by the director of natural resources under sections 1520.02 and 1520.03 of the Revised Code, all civil penalties assessed under section 1520.03 of the Revised Code, and any moneys appropriated to it. The fund shall be administered by the director, who shall spend moneys in the fund for the purposes of administering and enforcing this chapter and section 1521.08 of the Revised Code. The director may spend any surplus moneys in the fund, as determined by him the director, for any other programs operated by the department of natural resources.

Sec. 1520.07.  (A) The director of natural resources may give away or sell timber that has fallen on or been removed for maintenance reasons from canal lands.

(B) The director may give away or sell the spoils of a dredging operation conducted by the department of natural resources in waters under the control and management of the division of water department. Prior to giving away or selling any spoils under this division, the director shall notify the director of environmental protection of his that intent so that the director of environmental protection may determine whether the spoils constitute solid wastes or hazardous waste, as those terms are defined in section 3734.01 of the Revised Code, that shall be disposed of in accordance with Chapter 3734. of the Revised Code. If the director of environmental protection does not notify the director of natural resources within thirty days after receiving notice of the gift or sale that the spoils shall be disposed of in accordance with Chapter 3734. of the Revised Code, the director of natural resources may proceed with the gift or sale.

(C) Proceeds from the sale of timber or dredge spoils under this section shall be deposited into the state treasury to the credit of the canal lands fund created in section 1520.05 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 1521.01.  As used in sections 1521.01 to 1521.05, 1521.13 to 1521.18, and 1521.20 to 1521.30 of the Revised Code:

(A) "Consumptive use," "diversion," "Lake Erie drainage basin," "other great lakes states and provinces," "water resources," and "waters of the state" have the same meanings as in section 1501.30 of the Revised Code.

(B) "Well" means any excavation, regardless of design or method of construction, created for any of the following purposes:

(1) Removing ground water from or recharging water into an aquifer, excluding subsurface drainage systems installed to enhance agricultural crop production or urban or suburban landscape management or to control seepage in dams, dikes, and levees;

(2) Determining the quantity, quality, level, or movement of ground water in or the stratigraphy of an aquifer, excluding borings for instrumentation in dams, dikes, levees, or highway embankments;

(3) Removing or exchanging heat from ground water, excluding horizontal trenches that are installed for water source heat pump systems.

(C) "Aquifer" means a consolidated or unconsolidated geologic formation or series of formations that are hydraulically interconnected and that have the ability to receive, store, or transmit water.

(D) "Ground water" means all water occurring in an aquifer.

(E) "Ground water stress area" means a definable geographic area in which ground water quantity is being affected by human activity or natural forces to the extent that continuous availability of supply is jeopardized by withdrawals.

(F) "Person" has the same meaning as in section 1.59 of the Revised Code and also includes the United States, the state, any political subdivision of the state, and any department, division, board, commission, agency, or instrumentality of the United States, the state, or a political subdivision of the state.

(G) "State agency" or "agency of the state" has the same meaning as "agency" in section 111.15 of the Revised Code.

(H) "Development" means any artificial change to improved or unimproved real estate, including the construction of buildings and other structures, any substantial improvement of a structure, and mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavating, and drilling operations, and storage of equipment or materials.

(I) "Floodplain" means the area adjoining any river, stream, watercourse, or lake that has been or may be covered by flood water.

(J) "Floodplain management" means the implementation of an overall program of corrective and preventive measures for reducing flood damage, including the collection and dissemination of flood information, construction of flood control works, nonstructural flood damage reduction techniques, and adoption of rules, ordinances, or resolutions governing development in floodplains.

(K) "One-hundred-year flood" means a flood having a one per cent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year.

(L) "One-hundred-year floodplain" means that portion of a floodplain inundated by a one-hundred-year flood.

(M) "Structure" means a walled and roofed building, including, without limitation, gas or liquid storage tanks, mobile homes, and manufactured homes.

(N) "Substantial improvement" means any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, or other improvement of a structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds fifty per cent of the market value of the structure before the start of construction of the improvement. "Substantial improvement" includes repairs to structures that have incurred substantial damage regardless of the actual repair work performed. "Substantial improvement" does not include either of the following:

(1) Any project for the improvement of a structure to correct existing violations of state or local health, sanitary, or safety code specifications that have been identified by the state or local code enforcement official having jurisdiction and that are the minimum necessary to ensure safe living conditions;

(2) Any alteration of an historic structure designated or listed pursuant to federal or state law, provided that the alteration will not preclude the structure's continued listing or designation as an historic structure.

(O) "Shore structure" includes, but is not limited to: beaches; groins; revetments; bulkheads; seawalls; breakwaters; certain dikes designated by the chief of the division of water; piers; docks; jetties; wharves; marinas; boat ramps; any associated fill or debris used as part of the construction of shore structures that may affect shore erosion, wave action, or inundation; and fill or debris placed along or near the shore, including bluffs, banks, or beach ridges, for the purpose of stabilizing slopes.

(P) "Substantial damage" means damage of any origin that is sustained by a structure if the cost of restoring the structure to its condition prior to the damage would equal or exceed fifty per cent of the market value of the structure before the damage occurred.

(Q) "National flood insurance program" means the national flood insurance program established in the "National Flood Insurance Act of 1968," 82 Stat. 572, 42 U.S.C. 4001, as amended, and regulations adopted under it.

(R) "Conservancy district" means a conservancy district established under Chapter 6101. of the Revised Code.

(Q)(S) "Park board" means the board of park commissioners of a park district created under Chapter 1545. of the Revised Code.

(R)(T) "Erosion control structure" means anything that is designed primarily to reduce or control erosion of the shore along or near lake erie, including, but not limited to, revetments, seawalls, bulkheads, certain breakwaters designated by the chief, and similar structures. "Erosion control structure" does not include wharves, piers, docks, marinas, boat ramps, and other similar structures.

Sec. 1521.04.  The chief of the division of water, with the approval of the director of natural resources, may make loans and grants from the water management fund created in section 1501.32 of the Revised Code to governmental agencies for water management, water supply improvements, and planning and may administer grants from the federal government and from other public or private sources for carrying out those functions and for the performance of any acts that may be required by the United States or by any agency or department thereof as a condition for the participation by any governmental agency in any federal financial or technical assistance program. Direct and indirect costs of administration may be paid from the water management fund.

The chief may use the water management fund for the purposes of administering the water diversion and consumptive use permit programs established in sections 1501.30 to 1501.35 of the Revised Code; to perform watershed and water resources studies for the purposes of water management planning; and to acquire, construct, reconstruct, improve, equip, maintain, operate, and dispose of water management improvements. The chief may fix, alter, charge, and collect rates, fees, rentals, and other charges to be paid into the water management fund by governmental agencies and persons who are supplied with water by facilities constructed or operated by the department of natural resources in order to amortize and defray the cost of the construction, maintenance, and operation of those facilities.

Sec. 1521.05.  (A) As used in this section:

(1) "Construct" or "construction" includes drilling, boring, digging, deepening, altering, and logging.

(2) "Altering" means changing the configuration of a well, including, without limitation, deepening a well, extending or replacing any portion of the inside or outside casing or wall of a well that extends below ground level, plugging a portion of a well back to a certain depth, and reaming out a well to enlarge its original diameter.

(3) "Logging" means describing the lithology, grain size, color, and texture of the formations encountered during the drilling, boring, digging, deepening, or altering of a well.

(4) "Grouting" means neat cement; bentonite products in slurry, granular, or pelletized form, excluding drilling mud or fluids; or any combination of neat cement and bentonite products that is placed within a well to seal the annular space or to seal an abandoned well and that is impervious to and capable of preventing the movement of water.

(5) "Abandoned well" means a well whose use has been permanently discontinued and that poses potential health and safety hazards or that has the potential to transmit surface contaminants into the aquifer in which the well has been constructed.

(6) "Sealing" means the complete filling of an abandoned well with grouting or other approved materials in order to permanently prevent the vertical movement of water in the well and thus prevent the contamination of ground water or the intermixing of water between aquifers.

(B) Any person that constructs a well shall keep a careful and accurate log of the construction of the well. The log shall show all of the following:

(1) The character, including, without limitation, the lithology, color, texture, and grain size, the name, if known, and the depth of all formations passed through or encountered;

(2) The depths at which water is encountered;

(3) The static water level of the completed well;

(4) A copy of the record of all pumping tests and analyses related to those tests, if any;

(5) Construction details, including lengths, diameters, and thicknesses of casing and screening and the volume, type of material, and method of introducing gravel packing and grouting into the well;

(6) The type of pumping equipment installed, if any;

(7) The name of the owner of the well, the address of the location where the well was constructed, and a description of the location of either the property where state plane coordinates or the latitude and longitude of the well was constructed;

(8) The signature of the individual who constructed the well and filed the well log;

(9) Any other information required by the chief of the division of water.

The log shall be furnished to the division of water within thirty days after the completion of construction of the well on forms prescribed and prepared by the division. The log shall be kept on file by the division.

(C) Any person that seals a well shall keep a careful and accurate report of the sealing of the well. The sealing report shall show all of the following:

(1) The name of the owner of the well, the address of the location where the well was constructed, and either the state plane coordinates or the latitude and longitude of the well;

(2) The depth of the well, the size and length of its casing, and the static water level of the well;

(3) The sealing procedures, including the volume and type of sealing material or materials and the method and depth of placement of each material;

(4) The date on which the sealing was performed;

(5) The signature of the individual who sealed the well and filed the sealing report;

(6) Any other information required by the chief.

The sealing report shall be furnished to the division within thirty days after the completion of the sealing of the well on forms prescribed and prepared by the division.

(D) In accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, the chief may adopt, amend, and rescind rules requiring other persons that are involved in the construction or subsequent development of a well to submit well logs under this division (B) of this section containing any or all of the information specified in divisions (B)(1) to (9) of this section and requiring any person that seals an abandoned well to submit a well sealing report under this division containing any or all of the information specified in those divisions and any specifying additional information specified in the rules to be included in sealing reports required under division (C) of this section.

(C)(E)(1) No person shall fail to keep and submit a well log or a sealing report as required by this section.

(2) No person shall make a false statement in any well log or sealing report required to be kept and submitted under this section. Violation of division (C)(E)(2) of this section is falsification under section 2921.13 of the Revised Code.

(D)(F) For the purposes of prosecution of a violation of division (C)(E)(1) of this section, a prima-facie case is established when the division obtains either of the following:

(1) A certified copy of a permit for a private water system issued in accordance with rules adopted under section 3701.344 of the Revised Code, or a certified copy of the invoice or a canceled check from the owner of a well indicating the construction or sealing services performed;

(2) A certified copy of any permit issued under Chapter 3734. or 6111. of the Revised Code or plan approval granted under Chapter 6109. of the Revised Code for any activity that includes the construction or sealing of a well as applicable.

Sec. 1521.13.  (A) Development in one-hundred-year floodplain areas shall be protected to at least the one-hundred-year flood level, and flood water conveyance shall be maintained, at a minimum, in accordance with standards established under the national flood insurance program.

(B) Prior to the expenditure of money for or the construction of buildings, structures, roads, bridges, or other facilities in locations that may be subject to flooding or flood damage, all state agencies and political subdivisions shall notify and consult with the division of water and shall furnish information that the division reasonably requires in order to avoid the uneconomic, hazardous, or unnecessary use of floodplains in connection with such facilities.

(C) The chief of the division of water shall do all of the following:

(1) Coordinate the floodplain management activities of state agencies and political subdivisions with the floodplain management activities of the United States, including the national flood insurance program established in the "National Flood Insurance Act of 1968," 82 Stat. 572, 42 U.S.C.A. 4001, as amended, and regulations adopted under that act;

(2) Collect, prepare, and maintain technical data and information on floods and floodplain management and make the data and information available to the public, state agencies, political subdivisions, and agencies of the United States;

(3) Cooperate and enter into agreements with persons for the preparation of studies and reports on floods and floodplain management;

(4) Assist any county, municipal corporation, or state agency in developing comprehensive floodplain management programs;

(5) Provide technical assistance to any county, municipal corporation, or state agency through engineering assistance, data collection, preparation of model laws, training, and other activities relating to floodplain management;

(6) For the purpose of reducing damages and the threat to life, health, and property in the event of a flood, cooperate with state agencies, political subdivisions, and the United States in the development of flood warning systems, evacuation plans, and flood emergency preparedness plans;

(7) Upon request, assist the emergency management agency established by section 5502.22 of the Revised Code in the preparation of flood hazard mitigation reports required as a condition for receiving federal disaster aid under the "Disaster Relief Act of 1974," 88 Stat. 143, 42 U.S.C.A. 5121, as amended, "The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act of 1994," Pub. L. No. 93-288, as amended, and regulations adopted under those acts it;

(8) Adopt, and may amend or rescind, rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code for the administration, implementation, and enforcement of this section and sections 1521.14 and 1521.18 of the Revised Code;

(9) Establish, by rule, technical standards for the delineation and mapping of floodplains and for the conduct of engineering studies to determine the vertical and horizontal limits of floodplains and for the assessment of development impacts on flood heights and flood conveyance. The standards established in rules adopted under this division shall be consistent with and no more stringent than the analogous standards established under the national flood insurance program adopted pursuant to the "National Flood Insurance Act of 1968," 82 Stat. 572, 42 U.S.C.A. 4001, as amended.

(10) Establish, by rule, flood damage reduction standards governing development within one hundred year floodplains other than development subject to the rules adopted under division (A)(11) of this section. The standards shall include provisions to ensure that structures are protected at least to the one hundred year flood level and that any increase in the one hundred year flood level will not exceed one foot as determined by engineering studies conducted in accordance with the technical standards established in rules adopted under division (A)(9) of this section. The standards adopted under this division shall be no more stringent than the minimum floodplain management criteria of the national flood insurance program adopted under the "National Flood Insurance Act of 1968," 82 Stat. 572, 42 U.S.C.A. 4001, as amended.

(11) Establish, by rule, minimum flood damage reduction standards governing development undertaken by state agencies within one hundred year floodplains. The standards shall include provisions to ensure that structures are protected at least to the one hundred year flood level and that any increase in the one hundred year flood level will not exceed one foot as determined by engineering studies conducted in accordance with the technical standards established in rules adopted under division (A)(9) of this section. The standards adopted under this division shall be consistent with and no less stringent than the minimum floodplain management criteria of the national flood insurance program adopted under the "National Flood Insurance Act of 1968," 82 Stat. 572, 42 U.S.C.A. 4001, as amended.

(12)(9) On behalf of the director of natural resources, administer section 1506.04 of the Revised Code.

(B) Rules adopted under division (A)(10) of this section and standards established under those rules apply only to developments for which a demonstration of compliance is required under division (C)(1) of section 1521.14 of the Revised Code

In addition to the duties imposed in divisions (C)(1) to (9) of this section, and with respect to existing publicly owned facilities that have suffered flood damage or that may be subject to flood damage, the chief may conspicuously mark past and probable flood heights in order to assist in creating public awareness of and knowledge about flood hazards.

(D)(1) Development that is funded, financed, undertaken, or preempted by state agencies shall comply with division (A) of this section and with rules adopted under division (C)(8) of this section.

(2) State agencies shall apply floodproofing measures in order to reduce potential additional flood damage of existing publicly owned facilities that have suffered flood damage.

(3) Before awarding funding or financing or granting a license, permit, or other authorization for a development that is or is to be located within a one-hundred-year floodplain, a state agency shall require the applicant to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the agency that the development will comply with division (A) of this section, rules adopted under division (C)(8) of this section, and any applicable local floodplain management resolution or ordinance.

(4) Prior to the disbursement of any state disaster assistance money in connection with any incident of flooding to or within a county or municipal corporation that is not listed by the chief as being in compliance under division (D)(1) of section 1521.18 of the Revised Code, a state agency that has authority to disburse such money shall require the county or municipal corporation to establish or reestablish compliance as provided in that division.

(E)(1) Subject to section 1521.18 of the Revised Code, a county or a municipal corporation may do all of the following:

(a) Adopt floodplain maps that reflect the best available data and that indicate the areas to be regulated under a floodplain management resolution or ordinance, as applicable;

(b) Develop and adopt a floodplain management resolution or ordinance, as applicable;

(c) Adopt floodplain management standards that exceed the standards that are established under the national flood insurance program.

(2) A county or municipal corporation shall examine and apply, where economically feasible, floodproofing measures in order to reduce potential additional flood damage of existing publicly owned facilities that have suffered flood damage.

(3) A county that adopts a floodplain management resolution shall do so in accordance with the procedures established in section 307.37 of the Revised Code. The county may enforce the resolution by issuing stop work orders, seeking injunctive relief, or pursuing other civil actions that the county considers necessary to ensure compliance with the resolution. In addition, failure to comply with the floodplain management resolution constitutes a violation of division (D) of section 307.37 of the Revised Code.

(4) No action challenging the validity of a floodplain management resolution adopted by a county or a floodplain management ordinance adopted by a municipal corporation, or an amendment to such a resolution or ordinance, because of a procedural error in the adoption of the resolution, ordinance, or amendment shall be brought more than two years after the adoption of the resolution, ordinance, or amendment.

Sec. 1521.14.  (A) All state agencies and political subdivisions, prior to the expenditure of funds for or the construction of buildings, structures, roads, bridges, or other facilities in locations that may be subject to flooding or flood damage, shall notify and consult with the division of water and shall furnish such information as the division may reasonably require in order to avoid the uneconomic, hazardous, or unnecessary use of floodplains in connection with such facilities.

(B) With respect to existing publicly owned facilities that have suffered flood damage or that may be subject to flood damage, the chief of the division of water may conspicuously mark past and probable flood heights so as to assist in creating public awareness of and knowledge about flood hazards. Wherever economically feasible, state agencies and political subdivisions responsible for existing publicly owned facilities shall apply floodproofing measures in order to reduce potential flood damage.

(C)(1) Any state agency that funds or finances developments or that has regulatory jurisdiction that preempts the authority of political subdivisions to regulate development as necessary to establish participation in the national flood insurance program under the "National Flood Insurance Act of 1968," 82 Stat. 572, 42 U.S.C.A. 4001, as amended, before awarding funding or financing or granting a license, permit, or other authorization for a development that is or is to be located within a one hundred year floodplain, shall require the applicant therefor to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the agency that the development will comply with the flood damage reduction standards established in rules adopted under division (A)(10) of section 1521.13 of the Revised Code.

(2) Any state agency that undertakes any development that is or is to be located within a one hundred year floodplain shall ensure that the development complies with the minimum flood damage reduction standards established in rules adopted under division (A)(11) of section 1521.13 of the Revised Code.

(3) Prior to the disbursement of any state disaster assistance funds in connection with any incident of flooding to or within a municipal corporation or county that is not listed by the chief as being in compliance under division (D)(1) of section 1521.18 of the Revised Code, each state agency having the authority to disburse such funds shall require the municipal corporation or county to establish or reestablish compliance as provided in that division.

(D) All state agencies shall comply with this section, rules adopted under section 1521.13 of the Revised Code, and any applicable local floodplain management ordinance or resolution. Upon the written request of the director of natural resources, the attorney general may shall bring a civil an action for injunctive appropriate relief, in the a court of common pleas of Franklin county, competent jurisdiction against any state agency that violates this section, rules adopted under section 1521.13 of the Revised Code, or any applicable local floodplain management ordinance or resolution. In the action, the court may enter an order that restrains, prevents, or abates any conduct, or abates any development undertaken by a state agency, in violation of this section, rules adopted under section 1521.13 of the Revised Code, or any applicable local floodplain management ordinance or resolution development that is not in compliance with the standards of the national flood insurance program and that is one of the following:

(A) Located in a county or municipal corporation that is not listed by the chief of the division of water as being in compliance under division (D)(1) of section 1521.18 of the Revised Code;

(B) Funded, financed, undertaken, or preempted by a state agency.

Sec. 1521.18.  (A) For the purposes of this section, a one-hundred-year floodplain is limited to an area identified as a one-hundred-year floodplain in accordance with the "National Flood Insurance Act of 1968," 82 Stat. 572, 42 U.S.C.A. 4001, as amended.

(B) Each municipal corporation or county that has within its boundaries a one-hundred-year floodplain and that adopts a floodplain management ordinance or resolution or any amendments to such an ordinance or resolution on or after April 11, 1991, after adopting the ordinance, resolution, or amendments and before submitting the ordinance, resolution, or amendments to the federal emergency management agency for final approval for compliance with applicable standards adopted under the "National Flood Insurance Act of 1968," 82 Stat. 572, 42 U.S.C.A. 4001, as amended, shall submit the ordinance, resolution, or amendments to the chief of the division of water for his the chief's review for compliance with those standards. Within forty-five days after receiving any such ordinance, resolution, or amendments, the chief shall complete his the review and notify the municipal corporation or county as to whether the ordinance, resolution, or amendments comply with those standards. If the chief finds that the ordinance, resolution, or amendments comply with those standards, he the chief shall forward it or them to the federal emergency management agency for final approval.

(C)(1) If the chief determines that a county or municipal corporation that has adopted a floodplain management resolution or ordinance fails to administer or enforce the resolution or ordinance, the chief shall send a written notice by certified mail to the board of county commissioners of the county or the chief executive officer of the municipal corporation stating the nature of the noncompliance.

(2) In order to maintain its compliance status in accordance with division (D) of this section, a county or municipal corporation that has received a notice of noncompliance under division (C)(1) of this section may submit information to the chief not later than thirty days after receiving the notice that demonstrates compliance or indicates the actions that the county or municipal corporation is taking to administer or enforce the resolution or ordinance. The chief shall review the information and shall issue a final determination by certified mail to the county or municipal corporation of the compliance or noncompliance status of the county or municipal corporation. If the chief issues a final determination of noncompliance, he the chief shall send a copy of that determination to the federal emergency management agency concurrently with mailing the notice to the municipal corporation or county.

(D)(1) A county or municipal corporation is considered to be in compliance for the purposes of this section if either of the following applies:

(a) The county or municipal corporation has adopted a floodplain management resolution or ordinance that the chief has determined complies with applicable standards adopted under the "National Flood Insurance Act of 1968," 82 Stat. 572, 42 U.S.C.A. 4001, as amended, and is adequately administering and enforcing it as determined under division (C) of this section.

(b) The county or municipal corporation is participating in the national flood insurance program under the "National Flood Insurance Act of 1968," 82 Stat. 572, 42 U.S.C.A. 4001, as amended, and has not received a notice of noncompliance under division (B) or (C) of this section.

(2) The chief shall maintain a list of all counties and municipal corporations that have one-hundred-year floodplains within their boundaries. The list shall indicate whether each such county or municipal corporation is in compliance or noncompliance as provided in division (D)(1) of this section and whether each such county or municipal corporation is participating in the national flood insurance program. The chief shall provide a copy of the list to the general assembly and all state agencies annually and shall notify the general assembly and the agencies of any changes at least quarterly.

(E) Any county or municipal corporation that is adversely affected by any determination of the chief under this section may appeal it in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code not later than thirty days after the final determination.

Sec. 1521.19. (A) There is hereby created the Ohio water resources council consisting of the directors of agriculture, development, environmental protection, health, natural resources, transportation, and the Ohio public works commission, the chairperson of the public utilities commission of Ohio, the executive directors director of the state and local government commission of Ohio and the Ohio water development authority, and an executive assistant in the office of the governor appointed by the governor. The governor shall appoint one of the members of the council to serve as its chairperson. The council may adopt bylaws that are necessary for the implementation of this section. The council shall provide a forum for policy development, collaboration and coordination among state agencies, and strategic direction with respect to state water resource programs. The council shall be assisted in its functions by a state agency coordinating group and an advisory group as provided in this section.

(B) The state agency coordinating group shall consist of the executive director of the Ohio Lake Erie commission and a member or members from each state agency, commission, and authority represented on the council, to be appointed by the applicable director, chairperson, or executive director. However, the environmental protection agency shall be represented on the group by the chiefs of the divisions within that agency having responsibility for surface water programs and drinking and ground water programs, and the department of natural resources shall be represented on the group by the chief of the division of water and the chief of the division of soil and water conservation. The chairperson of the council shall appoint a leader of the state agency coordinating group. The group shall provide assistance to and perform duties on behalf of the council as directed by the council.

(C) The advisory group shall consist of not more than twenty twenty-four members, each representing an organization or entity with an interest in water resource issues. The council shall appoint the members of the advisory group. Of the initial appointments, not more than ten members shall be appointed for one-year terms, and not more than ten members shall be appointed for two-year terms. Of the four initial appointments made after the effective date of this amendment, two of the members shall be appointed for one-year terms, and two of the members shall be appointed for two-year terms. Thereafter, all advisory group members shall serve two-year terms. Members may be reappointed. Each member shall hold office from the date of the member's appointment until the end of the member's term. A member shall continue in office subsequent to the expiration date of the member's term until the member's successor takes office or until a period of sixty days has elapsed, whichever occurs first. The council may remove a member for misfeasance, nonfeasance, or malfeasance in office. The council shall appoint members to fill any vacancies on the group. A member appointed to fill a vacancy shall hold office for the remainder of the term for which that member was appointed.

The chairperson of the council shall appoint a chairperson of the advisory group. The advisory group shall advise the council on water resources issues addressed by the council.

(D) There is hereby created in the state treasury the Ohio water resources council fund. The department of natural resources shall serve as the fiscal agent for the fund. The departments of agriculture, development, environmental protection, health, natural resources, and transportation shall transfer moneys to the fund in equal amounts via intrastate transfer voucher. The public utilities commission of Ohio, Ohio public works commission, state and local government commission of Ohio, and Ohio water development authority may transfer moneys to the fund. If a voluntary transfer of moneys is made to the fund, the portion that is required to be transferred by the departments of agriculture, development, environmental protection, health, natural resources, and transportation may be equally reduced. Moneys in the fund shall be used to pay the operating expenses of the Ohio water resources council, including those specified in division (E) of this section.

(E) The Ohio water resources council may hire staff to support its activities. The council may enter into contracts and agreements with federal agencies, state agencies, political subdivisions, and private entities to assist in accomplishing its objectives. Advisory group members shall be reimbursed for expenses necessarily incurred in the performance of their duties pursuant to section 126.31 of the Revised Code and any applicable rules pertaining to travel reimbursement adopted by the office of budget and management.

Sec. 1521.99.  (A) Whoever violates division (C)(E)(1) of section 1521.05 or division (E)(1) of section 1521.16 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.

(B) Whoever violates section 1521.06 or 1521.062 of the Revised Code shall be fined not less than one hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars for each offense. Each day of violation constitutes a separate offense.

(C) Whoever violates sections 1521.20 to 1521.30 of the Revised Code shall be fined not less than one hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars for each offense. Each day of violation constitutes a separate offense.

Sec. 1525.11.  (A) The water and sewer fund, which is hereby created in the state treasury, shall consist of moneys appropriated to the fund by the general assembly, moneys allocated to the fund pursuant to section 164.08 of the Revised Code, moneys repaid to the fund for advances made from it, and interest paid for delay in repayment of advances from the fund. The fund shall be administered by the water and sewer commission created by division (C) of this section. Moneys in the fund shall be used solely for advances to boards of county commissioners, legislative authorities of municipal corporations, and governing boards of any other public entities to meet that portion of the cost of the extension of water and sewer lines to be financed by assessments for which collections are deferred or exempt pursuant to division (A) of section 929.03, division (A) of section 1517.052, division (B) of section 6103.052, or division (B) of section 6117.062, or division (A) of section 929.03 of the Revised Code. Moneys allocated to the fund pursuant to section 164.08 of the Revised Code shall be used solely to make advances to subdivisions described in this division. Advances made from moneys deposited in this fund pursuant to section 164.08 of the Revised Code shall be repaid within twenty years from the time the advance is made,.

(B) The water and sewer administrative fund is hereby created in the state treasury to consist of moneys collected as fees pursuant to division (C) of section 1525.12 of the Revised Code. Moneys in this fund shall be used solely to pay the administrative costs of the water and sewer commission.

(C) There is hereby created the water and sewer commission. The commission shall consist of seven members and, for administrative purposes, shall be attached to the department of development. The members of the commission shall be the director of development or the director's representative, the director of health or the director's representative, the director of agriculture or the director's representative, the director of natural resources or the director's representative, and three members appointed by the governor. One of the three members appointed by the governor shall be a representative of industry, one shall be a farmer whose major source of income is derived from farming, and one shall be a representative of the public. The governor shall appoint one member to serve for a term of one year, one member to serve for a term of two years, and one member to serve for a term of three years. Thereafter, terms of office of members appointed by the governor shall be for three years, commencing on the twentieth day of December and ending on the nineteenth day of December. Each appointed member shall hold office from the date of appointment until the end of the term for which the member was appointed. Any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term for which the member's predecessor was appointed shall hold office for the remainder of such that term. Any appointed member shall continue in office subsequent to the expiration date of his the member's term until the member's successor takes office, or until a period of sixty days has elapsed, whichever occurs first. The governor shall designate the chairperson of the commission, who shall serve for a term of one year. The members of the commission shall receive no compensation other than for expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.

(D) The commission shall submit orders, made pursuant to division (D) of section 1525.12 of the Revised Code, approving advances from the water and sewer fund, to the controlling board. The controlling board shall then determine whether or not such an advance shall be made. If the board determines that the advance shall be made, it shall certify such the action to the director of budget and management for payment.

Sec. 1525.12.  The water and sewer commission shall in the administration of the water and sewer fund:

(A) Consider applications for advances from the fund made pursuant to division (D) of section 929.03, division (C) of section 1517.052, or division (A) of section 6103.052 or of section 6117.062 of the Revised Code;

(B) Determine, pursuant to the standards set forth in section 1525.13 of the Revised Code, whether an advance of moneys should be made as requested by an application, approve the amount of the advance, if any, to be made, and fix the maximum time within which the advance shall be repaid;

(C) Collect from the boards of county commissioners, legislative authorities of municipal corporations, or governing boards of any other public entities requesting an advance from the water and sewer fund pursuant to division (D) of section 929.03, division (C) of section 1517.052, or division (A) of both sections 6103.052 and 6117.062 of the Revised Code a fee equal to two per cent of any moneys advanced from the fund and pay the fees into the water and sewer administrative fund created pursuant to division (B) of section 1525.11 of the Revised Code;

(D) Submit orders approving advances to the controlling board for action pursuant to division (C)(D) of section 1525.11 of the Revised Code;

(E) Adopt pursuant to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code:

(1) Rules prescribing the form of application for advances from the fund and the time and manner of submitting such an application;

(2) Rules prescribing the criteria to determine the occurrence of a change in the use of property as referred to in division (C) of section 929.03 or division (C) of both sections 6103.052 and 6117.062 of the Revised Code;

(3) Rules prescribing the criteria to consider for the disposition of requests for advances from the fund made pursuant to section 1525.13 of the Revised Code;

(4) Rules prescribing standards for the use of boards of county commissioners in determining the disposition of requests for deferment of collection of assessment pursuant to division (B) of both sections 6103.052 and 6117.062 of the Revised Code.

(F) Investigate the uses of those lands on which the deferred or exempted collection of assessments has been the basis for advances of moneys from the fund, require the boards of county commissioners to repay the commission pursuant to division (C) or (D) of section 6103.052 or division (C) or (D) of section 6117.062 of the Revised Code the advances due as a result of changes in the use of property, and require boards of county commissioners, legislative authorities of municipal corporations, and other governing boards of any other public entities to repay the commission under division (D) of section 929.03 or division (C) of section 1517.052 of the Revised Code;

(G) Pay into the fund all repayments of moneys advanced from the fund and interest paid for delay in repayment of advances made from the fund;

(H) Defer the repayment by a board of county commissioners of moneys previously advanced from the fund when a board defers the collection of assessments pursuant to division (C) of section 6103.052 or division (C) of section 6117.062 of the Revised Code;

(I) Employ such personnel as are required to administer this section.

Sec. 1531.01.  As used in this chapter and Chapter 1533. of the Revised Code:

(A) "Person" means individual, company, partnership, corporation, municipal corporation, association, or any combination of individuals, or any employee, agent, or officer thereof a person as defined in section 1.59 of the Revised Code or a company; an employee, agent, or officer of such a person or company; a combination of individuals; the state; a political subdivision of the state; an interstate body created by a compact; or the federal government or a department, agency, or instrumentality of it.

(B) "Resident" means any individual who has resided in this state for not less than six months next preceding the date of making application for a license.

(C) "Nonresident" means any individual who does not qualify as a resident.

(D) "Division rule" or "rule" means any rule adopted by the chief of the division of wildlife under section 1531.10 of the Revised Code unless the context indicates otherwise.

(E) "Closed season" means that period of time during which the taking of wild animals protected by this chapter and Chapter 1533. of the Revised Code is prohibited.

(F) "Open season" means that period of time during which the taking of wild animals protected by this chapter and Chapter 1533. of the Revised Code is permitted.

(G) "Take or taking" includes pursuing, shooting, hunting, killing, trapping, angling, fishing with a trotline, or netting any clam, mussel, crayfish, aquatic insect, fish, frog, turtle, wild bird, or wild quadruped, and any lesser act, such as wounding, or placing, setting, drawing, or using any other device for killing or capturing any wild animal, whether it results in killing or capturing the animal or not. "Take or taking" includes every attempt to kill or capture and every act of assistance to any other person in killing or capturing or attempting to kill or capture a wild animal.

(H) "Possession" means both actual and constructive possession and any control of things referred to.

(I) "Bag limit" means the number, measurement, or weight of any kind of crayfish, aquatic insects, fish, frogs, turtles, wild birds, and wild quadrupeds permitted to be taken.

(J) "Transport and transportation" means carrying or moving or causing to be carried or moved.

(K) "Sell and sale" means barter, exchange, or offer or expose for sale.

(L) "Whole to include part" means that every provision relating to any wild animal protected by this chapter and Chapter 1533. of the Revised Code applies to any part of the wild animal with the same effect as it applies to the whole.

(M) "Angling" means fishing with not more than two hand lines, not more than two units of rod and line, or a combination of not more than one hand line and one rod and line, either in hand or under control at any time while fishing. The hand line or rod and line shall have attached to it not more than three baited hooks, not more than three artificial fly rod lures, or one artificial bait casting lure equipped with not more than three sets of three hooks each.

(N) "Trotline" means a device for catching fish that consists of a line having suspended from it, at frequent intervals, vertical lines with hooks attached.

(O) "Fish" means a cold-blooded vertebrate having fins.

(P) "Measurement of fish" means length from the end of the nose to the longest tip or end of the tail.

(Q) "Wild birds" includes game birds and nongame birds.

(R) "Game" includes game birds, game quadrupeds, and fur-bearing animals.

(S) "Game birds" includes mourning doves, ringneck pheasants, bobwhite quail, ruffed grouse, sharp-tailed grouse, pinnated grouse, wild turkey, Hungarian partridge, Chukar partridge, woodcocks, black-breasted plover, golden plover, Wilson's snipe or jacksnipe, greater and lesser yellowlegs, rail, coots, gallinules, duck, geese, brant, and crows.

(T) "Nongame birds" includes all other wild birds not included and defined as game birds or migratory game birds.

(U) "Wild quadrupeds" includes game quadrupeds and fur-bearing animals.

(V) "Game quadrupeds" includes cottontail rabbits, gray squirrels, black squirrels, fox squirrels, red squirrels, flying squirrels, chipmunks, groundhogs or woodchucks, white-tailed deer, wild boar, and black bears.

(W) "Fur-bearing animals" includes minks, weasels, raccoons, skunks, opossums, muskrats, fox, beavers, badgers, otters, coyotes, and bobcats.

(X) "Wild animals" includes mollusks, crustaceans, aquatic insects, fish, reptiles, amphibians, wild birds, wild quadrupeds, and all other wild mammals, but does not include domestic deer.

(Y) "Hunting" means pursuing, shooting, killing, following after or on the trail of, lying in wait for, shooting at, or wounding wild birds or wild quadrupeds while employing any device commonly used to kill or wound wild birds or wild quadrupeds whether or not the acts result in killing or wounding. "Hunting" includes every attempt to kill or wound and every act of assistance to any other person in killing or wounding or attempting to kill or wound wild birds or wild quadrupeds.

(Z) "Trapping" means securing or attempting to secure possession of a wild bird or wild quadruped by means of setting, placing, drawing, or using any device that is designed to close upon, hold fast, confine, or otherwise capture a wild bird or wild quadruped whether or not the means results in capture. "Trapping" includes every act of assistance to any other person in capturing wild birds or wild quadrupeds by means of the device whether or not the means results in capture.

(AA) "Muskrat spear" means any device used in spearing muskrats.

(BB) "Channels and passages" means those narrow bodies of water lying between islands or between an island and the mainland in Lake Erie.

(CC) "Island" means a rock or land elevation above the waters of Lake Erie having an area of five or more acres above water.

(DD) "Reef" means an elevation of rock, either broken or in place, or gravel shown by the latest United States chart to be above the common level of the surrounding bottom of the lake, other than the rock bottom, or in place forming the base or foundation rock of an island or mainland and sloping from the shore of it. "Reef" also means all elevations shown by that chart to be above the common level of the sloping base or foundation rock of an island or mainland, whether running from the shore of an island or parallel with the contour of the shore of an island or in any other way and whether formed by rock, broken or in place, or from gravel.

(EE) "Fur farm" means any area used exclusively for raising fur-bearing animals or in addition thereto used for hunting game, the boundaries of which are plainly marked as such.

(FF) "Waters" includes any lake, pond, reservoir, stream, channel, lagoon, or other body of water, or any part thereof, whether natural or artificial.

(GG) "Crib" or "car" refers to that particular compartment of the net from which the fish are taken when the net is lifted.

(HH) "Commercial fish" means those species of fish permitted to be taken, possessed, bought, or sold unless otherwise restricted by the Revised Code or division rule and are alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), American eel (Anguilla rostrata), bowfin (Amia calva), burbot (Lota lota), carp (Cyprinus carpio), smallmouth buffalo (Ictiobus bubalus), bigmouth buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus), black bullhead (Ictalurus melas), yellow bullhead (Ictalurus natalis), brown bullhead (Ictalurus nebulosus), channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris), whitefish (Coregonus sp.), cisco (Coregonus sp.), freshwater drum or sheepshead (Aplodinotus grunniens), gar (Lepisosteus sp.), gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum), goldfish (Carassius auratus), lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), mooneye (Hiodon tergisus), quillback (Carpiodes cyprinus), smelt (Allosmerus elongatus, Hypomesus sp., Osmerus sp., Spirinchus sp.), sturgeon (Acipenser sp., Scaphirhynchus sp.), sucker other than buffalo and quillback (Carpiodes sp., Catostomus sp., Hypentelium sp., Minytrema sp., Moxostoma sp.), white bass (Morone chrysops), white perch (Roccus americanus), and yellow perch (Perca flavescens). When the common name of a fish is used in this chapter or Chapter 1533. of the Revised Code, it refers to the fish designated by the scientific name in this definition.

(II) "Fishing" means taking or attempting to take fish by any method, and all other acts such as placing, setting, drawing, or using any device commonly used to take fish whether resulting in a taking or not.

(JJ) "Fillet" means the pieces of flesh taken or cut from both sides of a fish, joined to form one piece of flesh.

(KK) "Part fillet" means a piece of flesh taken or cut from one side of a fish.

(LL) "Round" when used in describing fish means with head and tail intact.

(MM) "Migrate" means the transit or movement of fish to or from one place to another as a result of natural forces or instinct and includes, but is not limited to, movement of fish induced or caused by changes in the water flow.

(NN) "Spreader bar" means a brail or rigid bar placed across the entire width of the back, at the top and bottom of the cars in all trap, crib, and fyke nets for the purpose of keeping the meshes hanging squarely while the nets are fishing.

(OO) "Fishing guide" means any person who, for consideration or hire, operates a boat, rents, leases, or otherwise furnishes angling devices, ice fishing shanties or shelters of any kind, or other fishing equipment, and accompanies, guides, directs, or assists any other person in order for the other person to engage in fishing.

(PP) "Net" means fishing devices with meshes composed of twine or synthetic material and includes, but is not limited to, trap nets, fyke nets, crib nets, carp aprons, dip nets, and seines, except minnow seines and minnow dip nets.

(QQ) "Commercial fishing gear" means seines, trap nets, fyke nets, dip nets, carp aprons, trotlines, other similar gear, and any boat used in conjunction with that gear, but does not include gill nets.

(RR) "Native wildlife" means any species of the animal kingdom indigenous to this state.

(SS) "Gill net" means a single section of fabric or netting seamed to a float line at the top and a lead line at the bottom, which is designed to entangle fish in the net openings as they swim into it.

(TT) "Tag fishing tournament" means a contest in which a participant pays a fee, or gives other valuable consideration, for a chance to win a prize by virtue of catching a tagged or otherwise specifically marked fish within a limited period of time.

(UU) "Tenant" means an individual who resides on land for which the individual pays rent and whose annual income is primarily derived from agricultural production conducted on that land, as "agricultural production" is defined in section 929.01 of the Revised Code.

(VV) "Nonnative wildlife" means any wild animal not indigenous to this state, but does not include domestic deer.

(WW) "Reptiles" includes common musk turtle (sternotherus odoratus), common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina serpentina), spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata), eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina), Blanding's turtle (Emydoidea blandingii), common map turtle (Graptemys geographica), ouachita map turtle (Graptemys pseudogeographica ouachitensis), midland painted turtle (Chrysemys picta marginata), red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans), eastern spiny softshell turtle (Apalone spinifera spinifera), midland smooth softshell turtle (Apalone mutica mutica), northern fence lizard (Sceloporus undulatus hyacinthinus), ground skink (Scincella lateralis), five-lined skink (Eumeces fasciatus), broadhead skink (Eumeces laticeps), northern coal skink (Eumeces anthracinus anthracinus), European wall lizard (Podarcis muralis), queen snake (Regina septemvittata), Kirtland's snake (Clonophis kirtlandii), northern water snake (Nerodia sipedon sipedon), Lake Erie watersnake (Nerodia sipedon insularum), copperbelly water snake (Nerodia erythrogaster neglecta), northern brown snake (Storeria dekayi dekayi), midland brown snake (Storeria dekayi wrightorum), northern redbelly snake (Storeria occipitomaculata occipitomaculata), eastern garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis), eastern plains garter snake (Thamnophis radix radix), Butler's garter snake (Thamnophis butleri), shorthead garter snake (Thamnophis brachystoma), eastern ribbon snake (Thamnophis sauritus sauritus), northern ribbon snake (Thamnophis sauritus septentrionalis), eastern hognose snake (Heterodon platirhinos), eastern smooth earth snake (Virginia valeriae valeriae), northern ringneck snake (Diadophis punctatus edwardsii), midwest worm snake (Carphophis amoenus helenae), eastern worm snake (Carphophis amoenus amoenus), black racer (Coluber constrictor constrictor), blue racer (Coluber constrictor foxii), rough green snake (opheodrys aestivus), smooth green snake (opheodrys vernalis vernalis), black rat snake (Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta), eastern fox snake (Elaphe vulpina gloydi), black kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula nigra), eastern milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum), northern copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen), eastern massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus), and timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus horridus).

(XX) "Amphibians" includes eastern hellbender (Crytpobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis), mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus maculosus), red-spotted newt (Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens), Jefferson salamander (Ambystoma jeffersonianum), spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum), blue-spotted salamander (Ambystoma laterale), smallmouth salamander (Ambystoma texanum), streamside salamander (Ambystoma barbouri), marbled salamander (Ambystoma opacum), eastern tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum tigrinum), northern dusky salamander (Desmognathus fuscus fuscus), mountain dusky salamander (Desmognathus ochrophaeus), redback salamander (Plethodon cinereus), ravine salamander (Plethodon richmondi), northern slimy salamander (Plethodon glutinosus), Wehrle's salamander (Plethodon wehrlei), four-toed salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum), Kentucky spring salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus duryi), northern spring salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus porphyriticus), mud salamander (Pseudotriton montanus), northern red salamander (Pseudotriton ruber ruber), green salamander (Aneides aeneus), northern two-lined salamander (Eurycea bislineata), longtail salamander (Eurycea longicauda longicauda), cave salamander (Eurycea lucifuga), southern two-lined salamander (Eurycea cirrigera), Fowler's toad (Bufo woodhousii fowleri), American toad (Bufo americanus), eastern spadefoot (Scaphiopus holbrookii), Blanchard's cricket frog (Acris crepitans blanchardi), northern spring peeper (Pseudacris crucifer crucifer), gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor), Cope's gray treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis), western chorus frog (Pseudacris triseriata triseriata), mountain chorus frog (Pseudacris brachyphona), bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana), green frog (Rana clamitans melanota), northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens), pickerel frog (Rana palustris), southern leopard frog (Rana utricularia), and wood frog (Rana sylvatica).

(YY) "Deer" means white-tailed deer (Oddocoileus virginianus).

(ZZ) "Domestic deer" means nonnative deer that have been legally acquired or their offspring and that are held in private ownership for primarily agricultural purposes.

(AAA) "Migratory game bird" includes waterfowl (Anatidae); doves (Columbidae); cranes (Gruidae); cormorants (Phalacrocoracidea); rails, coots, and gallinules (Rallidae); and woodcock and snipe (Scolopacidae).

Sec. 1531.02.  The ownership of and the title to all wild animals in this state, not legally confined or held by private ownership legally acquired, is in the state, which holds such title in trust for the benefit of all the people. Individual possession shall be obtained only in accordance with the Revised Code or division rules. No person at any time of the year shall take in any manner or possess any number or quantity of wild animals, except wild animals that the Revised Code or division rules permit to be taken, hunted, killed, or had in possession, and only at the time and place and in the manner that the Revised Code or division rules prescribe. No person shall buy, sell, or offer any part of wild animals for sale, or transport any part of wild animals, except as permitted by the Revised Code or division rules. No person shall possess or transport a wild animal that has been taken or possessed unlawfully outside the state.

A person doing anything prohibited or neglecting to do anything required by this chapter or Chapter 1533. of the Revised Code or contrary to any division rule violates this section. A person who counsels, aids, shields, or harbors an offender under such those chapters or any division rule, or who knowingly shares in the proceeds of such a violation, or receives or possesses any wild animal in violation of the Revised Code or division rule, violates this section. No person shall use a rifle, at any time, in taking migratory game birds.

Sec. 1531.04.  The division of wildlife, at the direction of the chief of the division, shall do all of the following:

(A) Plan, develop, and institute programs and policies based on the best available information, including biological information derived from professionally accepted practices in wildlife and fisheries management, with the approval of the director of natural resources;

(B) Have and take the general care, protection, and supervision of the wildlife in the state parks known as Lake St. Marys, The Portage Lakes, Lake Loramie, Indian Lake, Buckeye Lake, Guilford Lake, such part of Pymatuning reservoir as lies in this state, and all other state parks and lands owned by the state or in which it is interested or may acquire or become interested, except lands and lakes the care and supervision of which are vested in some other officer, body, board, association, or organization;

(C) Enforce by proper legal action or proceeding the laws of the state and division rules for the protection, preservation, propagation, and management of wild animals and sanctuaries and refuges for the propagation of those wild animals, and adopt and carry into effect such measures as it considers necessary in the performance of its duties;

(D) Promote, educate, and inform the citizens of the state about conservation and the values of fishing, hunting, and trapping, with the approval of the director.

Sec. 1531.06.  (A) The chief of the division of wildlife, with the approval of the director of natural resources, may acquire by gift, lease, purchase, or otherwise lands or surface rights upon lands and waters or surface rights upon waters for wild animals, fish or game management, preservation, propagation, and protection, outdoor and nature activities, public fishing and hunting grounds, and flora and fauna preservation. The chief, with the approval of the director, may receive by grant, devise, bequest, donation, or assignment evidences of indebtedness, the proceeds of which are to be used for the purchase of such lands or surface rights upon lands and waters or surface rights upon waters.

(B)(1) The chief shall adopt rules for the protection of state-owned or leased lands and waters and property under the division's control of the division of wildlife against wrongful use or occupancy that will ensure the carrying out of the intent of this section, protect those lands, waters, and property from depredations, and preserve them from molestation, spoilation, destruction, or any improper use or occupancy thereof, including rules with respect to recreational activities and for the government and use of such lands, waters, and property.

(2) The chief may adopt rules benefiting wild animals, fish or game management, preservation, propagation, and protection, outdoor and nature activities, public fishing and hunting grounds, and flora and fauna preservation, and regulating the taking and possession of wild animals on any lands or waters owned or leased or under the division's supervision and control and, for a specified period of years, may prohibit or recall the taking and possession of any wild animal on any portion of such lands or waters. The division clearly shall define and mark the boundaries of the lands and waters owned or leased or under its supervision and control upon which the taking of any wild animal is prohibited.

(C) The chief, with the approval of the director, may acquire by gift, lease, or purchase land for the purpose of establishing state fish hatcheries and game farms and may erect on it buildings or structures that are necessary.

The title to or lease of such lands and waters shall be taken by the chief in the name of the state. The lease or purchase price of all such lands and waters may be paid from hunting and trapping and fishing licenses and any other funds.

(D) To provide more public recreation, stream and lake agreements for public fishing only may be obtained under rules adopted by the chief.

(E) The chief, with the approval of the director, may establish user fees for the use of special public facilities or participation in special activities on lands and waters administered by the division. The special facilities and activities may include hunting or fishing on special designated public lands and waters intensively managed or stocked with artificially propagated game birds or fish, field trial facilities, wildlife nature centers, firearm ranges, boat mooring facilities, camping sites, and other similar special facilities and activities. The chief shall determine whether the user fees are refundable and shall ensure that that information is provided at the time the user fees are paid.

(F) The chief, with the approval of the director, may enter into lease agreements for rental of concessions or other special projects situated on state-owned or leased lands or waters or other property under the division's control. The chief shall set and collect the fees for concession rentals or other special projects; regulate through contracts between the division and concessionaires the sale of tangible objects at concessions or other special projects; and keep a record of all such fee payments showing the amount received, from whom received, and for what purpose the fee was collected.

(G) The chief may sell or donate conservation-related items or items that promote wildlife conservation, including, but not limited to, stamps, pins, badges, books, bulletins, maps, publications, calendars, and any other educational article or artifact pertaining to wild animals; sell confiscated or forfeited items; and sell surplus structures and equipment, and timber or crops from lands owned, administered, leased, or controlled by the division.

(H) The chief may sell, lease, or transfer minerals or mineral rights, with the approval of the director, when the chief and the director determine it to be in the best interest of the state. Upon approval of the director, the chief may make, execute, and deliver contracts, including leases, to mine, drill, or excavate iron ore, stone, coal, petroleum, gas, salt, and other minerals upon and under lands owned by the state and administered by the division to any person who complies with the terms of such a contract. No such contract shall be valid for more than fifty years from its effective date. Consideration for minerals and mineral rights shall be by rental or royalty basis as prescribed by the chief and payable as prescribed by contract. Moneys collected under this division shall be paid into the state treasury to the credit of the wildlife habitat fund created in section 1531.33 of the Revised Code. Contracts entered into under this division also may provide for consideration for minerals or mineral rights in the form of acquisition of lands as provided under divisions (A) and (C) of this section.

(I) All moneys received under divisions (E), (F), and (G) of this section shall be paid into the state treasury to the credit of a fund that shall be used for the purposes outlined in section 1533.15 of the Revised Code and for the management of other wild animals for their ecological and nonconsumptive recreational value or benefit.

(J) The chief, with the approval of the director, may barter or sell wild animals to other states, state or federal agencies, and conservation or zoological organizations. Moneys received from the sale of wild animals shall be deposited into the wild animal fund created in section 1531.34 of the Revised Code.

(K) The chief shall adopt rules establishing standards and guidelines for the administration of contraceptive chemicals to noncaptive wild animals. The rules may specify chemical delivery methods and devices and monitoring requirements.

The chief shall establish criteria for the issuance of and shall issue permits for the administration of contraceptive chemicals to noncaptive wild animals. No person shall administer contraceptive chemicals to noncaptive wild animals without a permit issued by the chief.

(L) All fees set by the chief under this section shall be approved by the wildlife council.

(M) Information contained in the wildlife diversity database that is established pursuant to division (B)(2) of this section and section 1531.25 of the Revised Code may be made available to any individual or public or private agency for research, educational, environmental, land management, or other similar purposes that are not detrimental to the conservation of a species or feature. Information regarding sensitive site locations of species that are listed pursuant to section 1531.25 of the Revised Code and of features that are included in the wildlife diversity database is not subject to section 149.43 of the Revised Code if the chief determines that the release of the information could be detrimental to the conservation of a species or feature.

Sec. 1531.17.  All fines, penalties, and forfeitures arising from prosecutions, convictions, confiscations, or otherwise other actions comenced under this chapter and Chapters 1517. and Chapter 1533. of the Revised Code, unless otherwise directed by the director of natural resources, shall be paid by the officer by whom collected to the director and by him the director paid into the state treasury to the credit of the wildlife fund, which is hereby created, for the use of the division of wildlife. All moneys collected as license fees on nets in the Lake Erie fishing district shall be paid by the director into the state treasury to the credit of the wildlife fund for use only in the betterment and the propagation of fish therein or in otherwise propagating fish in such that district. All investment earnings of the fund shall be credited to the fund. The wildlife fund shall not be used for compensation of personnel employed by other divisions of the department of natural resources who are assigned to law enforcement duties in aid of the division of wildlife or for compensation of division of wildlife personnel for activities related to the instruction of personnel of other divisions.

Sec. 1531.20.  Any motor vehicle, all-terrain vehicle, or boat used in the unlawful taking or transporting of wild animals, and any net, seine, trap, ferret, gun, or other device used in the unlawful taking of wild animals, is a public nuisance. Each wildlife officer, or other officer with like authority, shall seize and safely keep such property and the illegal results of its use, and unless otherwise ordered by the chief of the division of wildlife shall institute initiate, within five thirty days, proceedings in a proper court of the county for its forfeiture. A writ of replevin shall not lie to take the property from the officer's custody or from the custody or jurisdiction of the court in which the proceeding is instituted initiated, nor shall the proceeding affect a criminal prosecution for the unlawful use or possession of the property.

An action for the forfeiture of any such property shall be commenced initiated by the filing of an affidavit describing the property seized and stating the unlawful use made of it, the time and place of seizure, and the name of the person owning or using it at the time of seizure. If the name is unknown, that fact shall be stated. Upon the filing of the affidavit, the court shall issue a summons setting forth the facts stated in the affidavit and fixing a time and place for the hearing of the complaint. A copy of the summons shall be served on the owner or person using the property at the time of its seizure, if the owner or user is known, or by leaving a copy thereof at the owner's or user's usual residence or place of business in the county, at least three days before the time fixed for the hearing of the complaint. If the owner or user is unknown or a nonresident of the county or cannot be found therein, a copy of the summons shall be posted at a suitable place nearest the place of seizure, but if the owner's or user's address is known, a copy of the summons shall be mailed to the owner or user at least three days before the time fixed for the hearing of the complaint. On the date fixed for the hearing, the officer making the service shall make a return of the time and manner of making the service. Upon the proper cause shown, the court may postpone the hearing.

If A proceeding for the forfeiture of seized property that is initiated under this section shall not progress to actual forfeiture of the seized property unless so ordered by the court. The court may order the actual forfeiture of the seized property as part of the sentence that it imposes if the owner or person unlawfully using the property at the time of its seizure is arrested convicted, pleads guilty, and or confesses that the property at the time of its seizure was being used by the owner or user in violation of law or division rule, no proceeding of forfeiture shall be instituted, but the court in imposing sentence shall order the. Forfeited property so seized forfeited to shall be the property of the state, to be disposed of thereafter as the chief of the division of wildlife directs.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this section to the contrary, a proceeding of forfeiture shall not be instituted under this section unless the owner of the property or the person unlawfully using the property is convicted of a violation of law or division rule.

Sec. 1531.99.  (A) Whoever violates section 1531.02 of the Revised Code, or any division rule, other than a rule adopted under section 1531.25 of the Revised Code, is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.

(B) Whoever violates section 1531.02 of the Revised Code concerning the taking or possession of deer or violates division (K) of section 1531.06 or section 1531.07 or 1531.29 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the third degree on a first offense; on each subsequent offense, that person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree.

(C) Whoever violates section 1531.25 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree.

(D) Whoever violates section 1531.02 of the Revised Code concerning the buying, selling, or offering for sale of any wild animals or parts of wild animals, the minimum value of which animals or parts, in the aggregate, is more than one thousand dollars or more as established under section 1531.201 of the Revised Code, is guilty of a felony of the fifth degree.

(E) A court that imposes sentence for a violation of any section of this chapter governing the holding, taking, buying, selling, or possession of wild animals, including, without limitation, section 1531.11 of the Revised Code, shall require the person who is convicted of or pleads guilty to the offense, in addition to any fine, term of imprisonment, seizure, and forfeiture imposed, to make restitution for the minimum value of the wild animal illegally held, taken, bought, sold, or possessed as established under section 1531.201 of the Revised Code. An officer who collects moneys paid as restitution under this section shall pay those moneys to the treasurer of state who shall deposit them in the state treasury to the credit of the wildlife fund established under section 1531.17 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 1533.08.  Except as otherwise provided by division rule, any person desiring to collect or possess wild animals that are protected by law or their nests or eggs for scientific study, school instruction, other educational uses, or rehabilitation shall make an annual application to the chief of the division of wildlife for a wild animal collecting permit on a form furnished by the chief. Each applicant for a wild animal collecting permit, other than an applicant desiring to rehabilitate wild animals, shall pay an annual fee of twenty-five dollars for each permit. No fee shall be charged to an applicant desiring to rehabilitate wild animals. When it appears that the application is made in good faith, the The chief shall may issue to the applicant a permit to take, possess, and transport at any time and in any a manner that is acceptable to the chief specimens of wild animals protected by law or their nests and eggs for scientific study, school instruction, other educational uses, or rehabilitation and under any additional rules recommended by the wildlife council. Upon the receipt of a permit, the holder may take, possess, and transport those wild animals in accordance with the permit.

Each holder of a permit engaged in collecting or who posses such wild animals shall carry the permit at all times and shall exhibit it upon demand to any wildlife officer, constable, sheriff, deputy sheriff, or police peace officer, as defined in section 2935.01 of the Revised Code, or to the owner or person in lawful control of the land upon which the permit holder is collecting, or to any other person possesses the wild animals. Failure to so carry or exhibit the permit constitutes an offense under this section.

Each permit holder shall keep a daily record of all specimens collected or possessed under the permit and the disposition of the specimens and shall exhibit the daily record to any official of the division upon demand.

Each permit shall remain in effect for one year from the date of issuance unless it is revoked sooner by the chief.

All moneys received as fees for the issuance of a wild animal collecting permit shall be transmitted to the director of natural resources to be paid into the state treasury to the credit of the fund created by section 1533.15 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 1533.09.  Before the first fifteenth day of February March of each year, each wild animal collecting permit holder shall file with the division of wildlife a written report of his the permit holder's operations under the permit and the disposition of the specimens collected or possessed during the preceding calendar year on report blanks furnished by the chief of the division. Failure to file a report shall cause the permit to be forfeited as of the first fifteenth day of February March. Permits are not transferable. No permit holder or person collecting or possessing wild animals under authority of such a permit shall take, possess, or transport the wild animals for any purpose not specified in the permit.

Conviction of a violation of this section, failure to carry a permit and exhibit it to any person requesting to see it as provided in section 1533.08 of the Revised Code, or the violation of any other law concerning wild animals constitutes a revocation and forfeiture of the permit involved. The former permit holder shall not be entitled to another permit for a period of one year from the date of the conviction.

Sec. 1533.10.  Except as provided in this section or division (A)(2) of section 1533.12 of the Revised Code, no person shall hunt any wild bird or wild quadruped without a hunting license. Each day that any person hunts within the state without procuring such a license constitutes a separate offense. Except as otherwise provided in this section, every applicant for a hunting license who is a resident of the state and eighteen years of age or more shall procure a resident hunting license, the fee for which shall be eighteen dollars, unless the rules adopted under division (B) of section 1533.12 of the Revised Code provide for issuance of a resident hunting license to the applicant free of charge. Except as provided in rules adopted under division (B)(2) of that section, each applicant who is a resident of this state and who at the time of application is sixty-six years of age or older shall procure a special senior hunting license, the fee for which shall be one-half of the regular hunting license fee. Every applicant who is under the age of eighteen years shall procure a special youth hunting license, the fee for which shall be one-half of the regular hunting license fee. The owner of lands in the state and the owner's children of any age and grandchildren under eighteen years of age may hunt on the lands without a hunting license. The tenant and children of the tenant, residing on lands in the state, may hunt on them without a hunting license. Except as otherwise provided in division (A)(1) of section 1533.12 of the Revised Code, every applicant for a hunting license who is a nonresident of the state and who is eighteen years of age or older shall procure a nonresident hunting license, the fee for which shall be one hundred twenty-four dollars, unless the applicant is a resident of a state that is a party to an agreement under section 1533.91 of the Revised Code, in which case the fee shall be eighteen dollars.

The chief of the division of wildlife may issue a small game hunting license expiring three days from the effective date of the license to a nonresident of the state, the fee for which shall be thirty-nine dollars. No person shall take or possess deer, wild turkeys, fur-bearing animals, ducks, geese, brant, or any nongame animal while possessing only a small game hunting license. A small game hunting license does not authorize the taking or possessing of ducks, geese, or brant without having obtained, in addition to the small game hunting license, a wetlands habitat stamp as provided in section 1533.112 of the Revised Code. A small game hunting license does not authorize the taking or possessing of deer, wild turkeys, or fur-bearing animals. A nonresident of the state who wishes to take or possess deer, wild turkeys, or fur-bearing animals in this state shall procure, respectively, a special deer or wild turkey permit as provided in section 1533.11 of the Revised Code or a fur taker permit as provided in section 1533.111 of the Revised Code in addition to a nonresident hunting license or a special youth hunting license, as applicable, as provided in this section.

No person shall procure or attempt to procure a hunting license by fraud, deceit, misrepresentation, or any false statement.

This section does not authorize the taking and possessing of deer or wild turkeys without first having obtained, in addition to the hunting license required by this section, a special deer or wild turkey permit as provided in section 1533.11 of the Revised Code or the taking and possessing of ducks, geese, or brant without first having obtained, in addition to the hunting license required by this section, a wetlands habitat stamp as provided in section 1533.112 of the Revised Code.

This section does not authorize the hunting or trapping of fur-bearing animals without first having obtained, in addition to a hunting license required by this section, a fur taker permit as provided in section 1533.111 of the Revised Code.

No hunting license shall be issued unless it is accompanied by a written explanation of the law in section 1533.17 of the Revised Code and the penalty for its violation, including a description of terms of imprisonment and fines that may be imposed.

No hunting license shall be issued unless the applicant presents to the agent authorized to issue the license a previously held hunting license or evidence of having held such a license in content and manner approved by the chief, a certificate of completion issued upon completion of a hunter education and conservation course approved by the chief, or evidence of equivalent training in content and manner approved by the chief.

No person shall issue a hunting license to any person who fails to present the evidence required by this section. No person shall purchase or obtain a hunting license without presenting to the issuing agent the evidence required by this section. Issuance of a hunting license in violation of the requirements of this section is an offense by both the purchaser of the illegally obtained hunting license and the clerk or agent who issued the hunting license. Any hunting license issued in violation of this section is void.

The chief, with approval of the wildlife council, shall adopt rules prescribing a hunter education and conservation course for first-time hunting license buyers and for volunteer instructors. The course shall consist of subjects including, but not limited to, hunter safety and health, use of hunting implements, hunting tradition and ethics, the hunter and conservation, the law in section 1533.17 of the Revised Code along with the penalty for its violation, including a description of terms of imprisonment and fines that may be imposed, and other law relating to hunting. Authorized personnel of the division or volunteer instructors approved by the chief shall conduct such courses with such frequency and at such locations throughout the state as to reasonably meet the needs of license applicants. The chief shall issue a certificate of completion to each person who successfully completes the course and passes an examination prescribed by the chief.

Sec. 1533.11.  (A) Except as provided in this section, no person shall hunt deer on lands of another without first obtaining an annual special deer permit. Except as provided in this section, no person shall hunt wild turkeys on lands of another without first obtaining an annual special wild turkey permit. Each applicant for a special deer or wild turkey permit shall pay an annual fee of twenty-three dollars for each permit unless the rules adopted under division (B) of section 1533.12 of the Revised Code provide for issuance of a deer or wild turkey permit to the applicant free of charge. Except as provided in rules adopted under division (B)(2) of that section, each applicant who is a resident of this state and who at the time of application is sixty-six years of age or older shall procure a special senior deer or wild turkey permit, the fee for which shall be one-half of the regular special deer or wild turkey permit fee. Each applicant who is under the age of eighteen years shall procure a special youth deer or wild turkey permit, the fee for which shall be one-half of the regular special deer or wild turkey permit fee. Except as provided in division (A)(2) of section 1533.12 of the Revised Code, a deer or wild turkey permit shall run concurrently with the hunting license. The money received shall be paid into the state treasury to the credit of the wildlife fund, created in section 1531.17 of the Revised Code, exclusively for the use of the division of wildlife in the acquisition and development of land for deer or wild turkey management, for investigating deer or wild turkey problems, and for the stocking, management, and protection of deer or wild turkey. Every person, while hunting deer or wild turkey on lands of another, shall carry the person's special deer or wild turkey permit and exhibit it to any enforcement officer so requesting. Failure to so carry and exhibit such a permit constitutes an offense under this section. The chief of the division of wildlife shall adopt any additional rules the chief considers necessary to carry out this section and section 1533.10 of the Revised Code.

The owner and the children of the owner of lands in this state may hunt deer or wild turkey thereon without a special deer or wild turkey permit. The tenant and children of the tenant may hunt deer or wild turkey on lands where they reside without a special deer or wild turkey permit.

(B) A special deer or wild turkey permit is not transferable. No person shall carry a special deer or wild turkey permit issued in the name of another person.

(C) The wildlife refunds fund is hereby created in the state treasury. The fund shall consist of money received from application fees for special deer permits that are not issued. Money in the fund shall be used to make refunds of such application fees.

Sec. 1533.12.  (A)(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (A)(2) of this section, every person on active duty in the armed forces of the United States who is stationed in this state and who wishes to engage in an activity for which a license, permit, or stamp is required under this chapter first shall obtain the requisite license, permit, or stamp. Such a person is eligible to obtain a resident hunting or fishing license regardless of whether the person qualifies as a resident of this state. To obtain a resident hunting or fishing license, the person shall present a card or other evidence identifying the person as being on active duty in the armed forces of the United States and as being stationed in this state.

(2) Every person on active duty in the armed forces of the United States, while on leave or furlough, may take or catch fish of the kind lawfully permitted to be taken or caught within the state, may hunt any wild bird or wild quadruped lawfully permitted to be hunted within the state, and may trap fur-bearing animals lawfully permitted to be trapped within the state, without procuring a fishing license, a hunting license, a fur taker permit, or a wetlands habitat stamp required by this chapter, provided that the person shall carry on the person when fishing, hunting, or trapping, a card or other evidence identifying the person as being on active duty in the armed forces of the United States, and provided that the person is not otherwise violating any of the hunting, fishing, and trapping laws of this state.

In order to hunt deer or wild turkey, any such person shall obtain a special deer or wild turkey permit, as applicable, under section 1533.11 of the Revised Code. However, the person need not obtain a hunting license in order to obtain such a permit.

(B) The chief of the division of wildlife shall provide by rule adopted under section 1531.10 of the Revised Code all of the following:

(1) Every resident of this state with a disability that has been determined by the veterans administration to be permanently and totally disabling, who receives a pension or compensation from the veterans administration, and who received an honorable discharge from the armed forces of the United States, and every veteran to whom the registrar of motor vehicles has issued a set of license plates under section 4503.41 of the Revised Code, shall be issued an annual a fishing license, hunting license, fur taker permit, deer or wild turkey permit, or wetlands habitat stamp, or any combination of those licenses, permits, and stamp, free of charge on an annual, multi-year, or lifetime basis as determined appropriate by the chief when application is made to the chief in the manner prescribed by and on forms provided by the chief.

(2) Every resident of the state who was born on or before December 31, 1937, shall be issued an annual fishing license, hunting license, fur taker permit, deer or wild turkey permit, or wetlands habitat stamp, or any combination of those licenses, permits, and stamp, free of charge when application is made to the chief in the manner prescribed by and on forms provided by the chief.

(3) Every resident of state or county institutions, charitable institutions, and military homes in this state shall be issued an annual fishing license free of charge when application is made to the chief in the manner prescribed by and on forms provided by the chief.

(4) Any mobility impaired or blind person, as defined in section 955.011 of the Revised Code, who is a resident of this state and who is unable to engage in fishing without the assistance of another person shall be issued an annual fishing license free of charge when application is made to the chief in the manner prescribed by and on forms provided by the chief. The person who is assisting the mobility impaired or blind person may assist in taking or catching fish of the kind permitted to be taken or caught without procuring the license required under section 1533.32 of the Revised Code, provided that only one line is used by both persons.

(5) As used in division (B)(5) of this section, "prisoner of war" means any regularly appointed, enrolled, enlisted, or inducted member of the military forces of the United States who was captured, separated, and incarcerated by an enemy of the United States.

Any person who has been a prisoner of war, was honorably discharged from the military forces, and is a resident of this state shall be issued an annual a fishing license, hunting license, fur taker permit, or wetlands habitat stamp, or any combination of those licenses, permits, and stamp, free of charge on an annual, multi-year, or lifetime basis as determined appropriate by the chief when application is made to the chief in the manner prescribed by and on forms provided by the chief.

(C) The chief shall adopt rules pursuant to section 1531.08 of the Revised Code designating not more than two days, which need not be consecutive, in each year as "free sport fishing days" on which any resident may exercise the privileges accorded the holder of a fishing license issued under section 1533.32 of the Revised Code without procuring such a license, provided that the person is not otherwise violating any of the fishing laws of this state.

Sec. 1533.131.  The chief of the division of wildlife may sell gift certificates that may be used to obtain hunting and fishing licenses, fur taker, special deer, and special wild turkey permits, and wetlands habitat stamps. For the purposes of this section, the chief shall adopt rules in accordance with section 1531.10 of the Revised Code doing all of the following:

(A) Providing that a gift certificate may be used to obtain a resident or nonresident hunting license under section 1533.10 of the Revised Code, a resident or nonresident fishing license under section 1533.32 of the Revised Code, a fur taker permit under section 1533.111 of the Revised Code, a special deer or wild turkey permit under section 1533.11 of the Revised Code, a wetlands habitat stamp under section 1533.112 of the Revised Code, or a combination of those licenses, permits, and stamps;

(B) Prescribing the form for the gift certificates;

(C) Authorizing persons who are designated and authorized under section 1533.13 of the Revised Code to sell licenses and permits under this chapter also to sell gift certificates under this section;

(D) Establishing fees for the gift certificates, which shall equal the total of the fee for a resident or nonresident hunting license, a resident or nonresident fishing license, a fur taker permit, a special deer or wild turkey permit, a wetlands habitat stamp, or a combination of those licenses, permits, and stamps stamp, as applicable, and the fee established under section 1533.13 of the Revised Code;

(E) Requiring gift certificates to expire one year after the date of purchase.

Nothing in this section or rules adopted under it relieves an individual who receives a gift certificate for a hunting license from complying with the requirement established under section 1533.10 of the Revised Code to present, when applying for the license, a previously held hunting license or evidence of having held such a license in content and manner approved by the chief, a certificate of completion issued upon completion of a hunter education and conservation course approved by the chief, or evidence of equivalent training in content and manner approved by the chief.

Nothing in this section or rules adopted under it relieves an individual who receives a gift certificate for a fur taker permit from complying with the requirements established under section 1533.111 of the Revised Code to present, when applying for the permit, a previously held hunting license or trapping or fur taker permit or evidence of having held such a license or permit in content and manner approved by the chief, a certificate of completion issued upon completion of a trapper education course approved by the chief, or evidence of equivalent training in content and manner approved by the chief.

Sec. 1533.171.  (A) No person, in the act of hunting, pursuing, taking, or killing a wild animal, shall act in a negligent, careless, or reckless manner so as to injure persons or property.

(B) The court before whom any person is convicted of or pleads guilty to a violation of division (A) of this section shall report that fact, together with the violator's name and address, to the chief of the division of wildlife not later than ten days after the date of conviction or plea.

(C) Not later than seven days after receiving a notification under division (B) of this section, the chief shall revoke, for not less than one year nor more than five years, each hunting license, fur taker permit, special deer permit, special wild turkey permit, and wetlands habitat stamp issued to that person under this chapter. No fee paid for such a license, permit, or stamp shall be returned to the person.

Upon revoking a license, permit, or stamp, or a combination thereof, under this division, the chief immediately shall send a notice of that action by certified mail to the last known address of the person. The notice shall state the action taken, order the person to surrender the revoked license, permit, or stamp, or combination thereof, and state that the department of natural resources will not afford a hearing as required under section 119.06 of the Revised Code.

(D) If, after receiving a notice under division (C) of this section, the person decides to petition for a review of the revocation, the person shall file a petition for such a review not later than thirty days after receiving the notice in the municipal court or the county court, or, if the person is under eighteen years of age, the juvenile court, in whose jurisdiction the violation occurred. The review shall be limited to the question of the appropriateness of the period of revocation. The court shall send a copy of the petition to the chief by certified mail together with timely notice of the date, time, and place of a hearing on the petition. The filing of a petition for a review shall not stay the revocation during the pendency of the appeal.

(E) No person whose license, permit, or stamp, or a combination thereof, has been revoked under this section shall attempt to purchase, purchase, apply for, or receive any hunting license, fur taker permit, special deer permit, special wild turkey permit, or wetlands habitat stamp issued under this chapter or engage in hunting during the time any such license, permit, or stamp, or a combination thereof, is revoked.

Sec. 1533.68.  If a person is convicted of a violation of any law relative to the taking, possession, protection, preservation, or propagation of wild animals, or a violation of division (C) of section 2909.08 of the Revised Code while hunting, or is convicted of a violation of any rule of the division of wildlife, the court or magistrate before whom the conviction is had, as an additional part of the penalty in each case, shall may suspend or revoke each license or permit issued to the person in accordance with any section of the Revised Code pertaining to the hunting, fishing, trapping, breeding, and sale of wild animals or the sale of their hides, skins, or pelts. No fee paid for such a license or permit shall be returned to the person.

No person having a license or permit suspended or revoked as provided in this section, in the event of a hunting or trapping violation, shall engage in hunting or trapping, in the event of a violation of division (C) of section 2909.08 of the Revised Code while hunting, shall engage in hunting, or in the event of a fishing violation, shall engage in fishing, or purchase, apply for, or receive any such license or permit for the following periods of time, as applicable:

(A) Three years after the date of conviction if the person is convicted of taking or possessing a deer in violation of section 1531.02 of the Revised Code;

(B) Not more than three years after the date of conviction if the person is convicted of taking or possessing any other wild animal in violation of section 1531.02 of the Revised Code, is convicted of a misdemeanor violation of division (C) of section 2909.08 of the Revised Code while hunting, or is convicted of a second or subsequent violation of section 1533.17 of the Revised Code within a period of three consecutive years after the date of conviction of the immediately preceding violation of that section;

(C) Not more than five years after the date of conviction if the person is convicted of violating section 1533.171 or of taking or possessing an eagle or osprey in violation of section 1533.07 of the Revised Code or is convicted of a felony violation of division (C) of section 2909.08 of the Revised Code while hunting;

(D) Not more than five years after the date of conviction if the person is convicted of violating any section of this chapter or Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code not specified in division (A), (B), or (C) of this section.

All licenses and permits suspended or revoked as provided in this section shall be taken up by the magistrate and sent to the department of natural resources where they shall be filed with a record of the arrest until the person who held the suspended or revoked license or permit is lawfully entitled to obtain another license or permit.

Sec. 1533.86.  As used in sections 1533.86 to 1533.90 of the Revised Code:

(A) "Ginseng" means the plant Panax quinquefolius L., also known as Panax quinquefolium L., commonly known as American ginseng.

(B) "Wild ginseng" means ginseng that grows in an uncultivated state and in its natural habitat whether the plant occurs naturally from that habitat or was introduced or increased in abundance by sowing ginseng seed or transplanting ginseng plants from other areas and performing no other cultivation practices.

(C) "Cultivated ginseng" means ginseng that grows or has been grown in tilled beds under the shade of artificial structures or natural shade and is cultivated according to standard ginseng horticultural practices.

(D) "Harvest" means to cut, pick, dig, root up, gather, or otherwise collect ginseng or to attempt to cut, pick, dig, root up, gather, or otherwise collect ginseng.

(E) "Person" includes any legal entity defined as a person under section 1.59 6111.01 of the Revised Code and any political subdivision, instrumentality, or agency of this state, another state, or the United States.

(F) "Collector" means a person who harvests ginseng.

(G) "Grower" means a person who grows cultivated ginseng.

(H) "Dealer" means a person who buys or otherwise acquires or conveys ginseng for resale.

(I) "Buy" includes trade or barter.

(J) "Sell" includes trade or barter.

Sec. 1541.03.  All lands and waters dedicated and set apart for state park purposes shall be under the control and management of the division of parks and recreation, which shall protect, maintain, and keep them in repair. The division shall have the following powers over all such lands and waters:

(A) To make alterations and improvements;

(B) To construct and maintain dikes, wharves, landings, docks, dams, and other works;

(C) To construct and maintain roads and drives in, around, upon, and to the lands and waters to make them conveniently accessible and useful to the public;

(D) Except as otherwise provided in this section, to adopt, amend, and rescind, in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, rules necessary for the proper management of state parks, bodies of water, and the lands adjacent to them under its jurisdiction and control, including the following:

(1) Governing opening and closing times and dates of the parks;

(2) Establishing fees and charges for use of facilities in state parks;

(3) Governing camps, camping, and fees for camps and camping;

(4) Governing the application for and rental of, rental fees for, and the use of cabins cottages;

(5) Relating to public use of state park lands, and governing the operation of motor vehicles, including speeds, and parking on those lands;

(6) Governing all advertising within state parks and the requirements for the operation of places selling tangible personal property and control of food service sales on lands and waters under the control of the division, which rules shall establish uniform requirements;

(7) Providing uniform standards relating to the size, type, location, construction, and maintenance of structures and devices used for fishing or moorage of watercraft, rowboats, sailboats, and powercraft, as those terms are defined in section 1547.01 of the Revised Code, over waters under the control of the division and establishing reasonable fees for the construction of and annual use permits for those structures and devices;

(8) Governing state beaches, swimming, inflatable devices, and fees for them;

(9) Governing the removal and disposition of any watercraft, rowboat, sailboat, or powercraft, as those terms are defined in section 1547.01 of the Revised Code, left unattended for more than seven days on any lands or waters under the control of the division;

(10) Governing the establishment and collection of check collection charges for checks that are returned to the division or dishonored for any reason.

The division shall adopt rules under this section establishing a discount program for all persons who are issued a golden buckeye card under section 173.06 of the Revised Code. The discount program shall provide a discount for all park services and rentals, but shall not provide a discount for the purchase of merchandise.

The division shall not adopt rules establishing fees or charges for parking a motor vehicle in a state park or for admission to a state park.

Every resident of this state with a disability that has been determined by the veterans administration to be permanently and totally disabling, who receives a pension or compensation from the veterans administration, and who received an honorable discharge from the armed forces of the United States, and every veteran to whom the registrar of motor vehicles has issued a set of license plates under section 4503.41 of the Revised Code, shall be exempt from the fees for camping, provided that the resident or veteran carries in the state park such evidence of the resident's or veteran's disability as the chief of the division of parks and recreation prescribes by rule.

Unless otherwise provided by division rule, every resident of this state who is sixty-five years of age or older or who is permanently and totally disabled and who furnishes evidence of that age or disability in a manner prescribed by division rule shall be charged one-half of the regular fee for camping, except on the weekends and holidays designated by the division, and shall not be charged more than ninety per cent of the regular charges for state recreational facilities, equipment, services, and food service operations utilized by the person at any time of year, whether maintained or operated by the state or leased for operation by another entity.

As used in this section, "food service operations" means restaurants that are owned by the department of natural resources at Hocking Hills, Lake Hope, Malabar Farm, and Rocky Fork state parks or are part of a state park lodge. "Food service operations" does not include automatic vending machines, concession stands, or snack bars.

As used in this section, "prisoner of war" means any regularly appointed, enrolled, enlisted, or inducted member of the military forces of the United States who was captured, separated, and incarcerated by an enemy of the United States. Any person who has been a prisoner of war, was honorably discharged from the military forces, and is a resident of this state is exempt from the fees for camping. To claim this exemption, the person shall present written evidence in the form of a record of separation, a letter from one of the military forces of the United States, or such other evidence as the chief prescribes by rule that satisfies the eligibility criteria established by this section.

Sec. 1541.05.  (A) The chief of the division of parks and recreation, with the approval of the director of natural resources, may dispose of any of the following by sale, donation, trade, trade-in, recycling, or any other lawful means, in a manner that will benefit the division:

(1) Standing timber that as a result of wind, storm, pestilence, or any other natural occurrence may present a hazard to life or property, or timber that has weakened or fallen on lands under the control and management of the division, or any timber that requires management to improve wildlife habitat, protect against wildfires, provide access to recreational facilities, or improve the safety, quality, or appearance of any state park area;

(2) Spoils of a dredging operation conducted by the division in waters under the control and management of the division. Prior to the disposition of any spoils under this division, the chief shall notify the director of environmental protection of his the chief's intent so that the director may determine if the spoils constitute solid wastes or hazardous waste, as those terms are defined in section 3734.01 of the Revised Code, that shall must be disposed of in accordance with Chapter 3734. of the Revised Code. If the director does not notify the chief within thirty days after receiving notice of the disposition that the spoils shall must be disposed of in accordance with Chapter 3734. of the Revised Code, the chief may proceed with the disposition.

(3) Notwithstanding sections 125.12 to 125.14 of the Revised Code, excess supplies and surplus supplies, as those terms are defined in section 125.12 of the Revised Code;

(4) Agricultural products that are grown or raised by the division. As used in this division, "agricultural products" includes products of apiculture, animal husbandry, or poultry husbandry, field crops, fruits, and vegetables.

(5) Abandoned personal property, including golf balls that are found on property under the control and management of the division.

(B) In accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, the chief shall adopt, and may amend and rescind, such rules as are necessary to administer this section.

(C) Proceeds from the disposition of items under this section shall be deposited in the state treasury to the credit of the state park fund created in section 1541.22 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 1541.22.  (A) The chief of the division of parks and recreation shall collect all rentals from leases of state lands and moneys for pipe permits, dock licenses, concession fees, and special privileges of any nature from all lands and waters operated and administered by the division of parks and recreation. The chief shall keep a record of all such payments showing the amounts received, from whom, and for what purpose collected. All such payments shall be credited to the state park fund, which is hereby created in the state treasury, except such revenues required to be set aside or paid into depositories or trust funds for the payment of bonds issued under sections 1501.12 to 1501.15 of the Revised Code, and to maintain the required reserves therefor as provided in the orders authorizing the issuance of such bonds or the trust agreements securing such bonds, and except such revenues required to be paid and credited pursuant to the bond proceedings applicable to obligations issued pursuant to section 154.22 of the Revised Code. All moneys derived from the operation of the lands, waters, facilities, and equipment by the division, except such revenues required to be set aside or paid into depositories or trust funds for the payment of bonds issued under sections 1501.12 to 1501.15 of the Revised Code, and to maintain the required reserves therefor as provided in the orders authorizing the issuance of such bonds or the trust agreements securing such bonds, and except such revenues required to be paid and credited pursuant to the bond proceedings applicable to obligations issued pursuant to section 154.22 of the Revised Code, shall accrue to the credit of the state park fund. All fines, penalties, and forfeitures arising from prosecutions, convictions, confiscations, or other actions commenced under this chapter shall be deposited in the state treasury to the credit of the fund.

Except as otherwise provided in division (B) of this section and in sections 154.22, 1501.11, and 1501.14 of the Revised Code, such the fund shall not be expended for any purpose other than the administration, operation, maintenance, development, and utilization of lands and waters, and for facilities and equipment incident thereto, administered by the division, or for the further purchase of lands and waters by the state for park and recreational purposes.

(B) The chief shall use moneys in the fund from the issuance of Ohio state parks license plates under section 4503.575 of the Revised Code only to pay the costs of state park interpretive and educational programs and displays and the development and operation of state park interpretive centers.

Sec. 1547.08.  (A) No person shall operate a vessel within or through a designated bathing area or within or through any area that has been buoyed off designating it as an area in which vessels are prohibited.

(B)(1) No person shall operate a vessel at greater than idle speed or at a speed that creates a wake under any of the following circumstances:

(a) Within three hundred feet of any marina, boat docking facility, boat gasoline dock, launch ramp, recreational boat harbor, or harbor entrance on Lake Erie or on the Ohio river;

(b) During the period from sunset to sunrise according to local time within any water between the Dan Beard bridge and the Brent Spence bridge on the Ohio river for any vessel not documented by the United States coast guard as commercial;

(c) Within any area buoyed or marked as a no wake area on the waters in this state.

(2) Division (B)(1) of this section does not apply in either of the following places:

(a) An area designated by the chief of the division of watercraft unless it is marked by a buoy or sign as a no wake or idle speed area;

(b) Within any water between the Dan Beard bridge and the Brent Spence bridge on the Ohio river when the United States coast guard has authorized the holding of a special event of a community nature on that water.

(C) No person shall operate a vessel in any area of restricted or controlled operation in violation of the designated restriction.

(D) No person shall operate a vessel within three hundred feet of an official diver's flag unless the person is tendering the diving operation.

(E) All areas of restricted or controlled operation as described in division (A) of this section or as provided for in section 1547.14 or 1547.61 of the Revised Code shall be marked by a buoy or sign designating the restriction. All waters surrounded by or lying between such a buoy or sign and the closest shoreline are thereby designated as an area in which the designated restrictions shall apply in the operation of any vessel.

Markings on buoys designating areas of restricted or controlled operation shall be so spaced as to show all around the horizon. Lineal spacing between the buoys shall be such that under normal conditions of visibility any buoy shall be readily visible from the next adjacent buoy. No colors or symbols, except as provided for in rules of the chief, shall be used on buoys or signs for marking closed or controlled areas of boating waters.

Any state department, conservancy district, or political subdivision having jurisdiction and control of impounded boating waters may place such buoys or signs on its waters. Any political subdivision may apply to the chief for permission to place such buoys or signs on other waters within its territorial limits. No person shall place or cause to be placed a regulatory buoy or sign on, into, or along the waters in this state unless the person has complied with all the provisions of this chapter.

(F) No person shall enter, operate a vessel that enters, or allow a vessel to enter a federally declared security zone as defined in 33 C.F.R. Chapter I, subparts 6.01-1, 6.01-2, 6.01-3, 6.01-4, 6.01-5, 6.04-1, 6.04-5, 6.04-6, 6.04-7, and 6.04-8.

(G) No person shall permit any vessel to be operated on the waters in this state in violation of this section.

Sec. 1547.51.  There is hereby created within the department of natural resources the division of watercraft. The division shall administer and enforce all laws relative to the identification, numbering, registration, titling, use, and operation of vessels operated on the waters in this state and, with the approval of the director of natural resources, educate and inform the citizens of the state about, and promote, conservation, navigation, safety practices, and the benefits of recreational boating.

Sec. 1547.54.  (A)(1) Except as otherwise provided in section 1547.542 of the Revised Code, the owner of every watercraft requiring registration under this chapter shall file an application for a triennial registration certificate with the chief of the division of watercraft on forms that shall be provided by the chief or by an electronic means approved by the chief. The application shall be signed by the following:

(a) If the watercraft is owned by two persons under joint ownership with right of survivorship established under section 2131.12 of the Revised Code, by both of those persons as owners of the watercraft. The signatures may be done by electronic signature if the owners themselves are renewing the registration and there are no changes in the registration information since the issuance of the immediately preceding registration certificate. In all other instances, the signatures shall be done manually.

(b) If the watercraft is owned by a minor, by the minor and a parent or legal guardian. The signatures may be done by electronic signature if the parent or legal guardian and the minor themselves are renewing the registration and there are no changes in the registration information since the issuance of the immediately preceding registration certificate. In all other instances, the signatures shall be done manually.

(c) In all other cases, by the owner of the watercraft. The signature may be done by electronic signature if the owner is renewing the registration personally and there are no changes in the registration information since the issuance of the immediately preceding registration certificate. In all other instances, the signatures shall be done manually.

(2) An application for a triennial registration of a watercraft filed under division (A)(1) of this section shall be accompanied by the following fee:

(a) For canoes, rowboats, and inflatable watercraft that are numbered under section 1547.53 of the Revised Code, twelve dollars;

(b) For canoes, row boats, and inflatable watercraft that are not numbered under section 1547.53 of the Revised Code, seventeen dollars;

(c) For class A watercraft, including motorized canoes, thirty dollars;

(d) For class 1 watercraft, forty-five dollars;

(e) For class 2 watercraft, sixty dollars;

(f) For class 3 watercraft, seventy-five dollars;

(g) For class 4 watercraft, ninety dollars.

(3) For the purpose of registration, any watercraft operated by means of power, sail, or any other mechanical or electrical means of propulsion, except motorized canoes, shall be registered by length as prescribed in this section.

(4) If an application for registration is filed by two persons as owners under division (A)(1)(a) of this section, the person who is listed first on the title shall serve as and perform the duties of the "owner" and shall be considered the person "in whose name the watercraft is registered" for purposes of divisions (B) to (Q) of this section and for purposes of all other sections in this chapter.

(B) All registration certificates issued under this section are valid for three years and are renewable on a triennial basis unless sooner terminated or discontinued in accordance with this chapter. The renewal date shall be printed on the registration certificate. A registration certificate may be renewed by the owner in the manner prescribed by the chief. All fees shall be charged according to a proration of the time remaining in the registration cycle to the nearest year.

(C) In addition to the fees set forth in this section, the chief, or any authorized agent, shall charge an additional fee of three dollars for any registration certificate the chief or authorized agent issues. When the registration certificate is issued by an authorized agent, the additional fee of three dollars shall be retained by the issuing agent. When the registration certificate is issued by the chief, the additional fee of three dollars shall be deposited to the credit of the waterways safety fund established in section 1547.75 of the Revised Code.

(D)(1) Upon receipt of the application in approved form, the chief shall enter the same upon the records of the office of the division of watercraft, assign a number to the watercraft if a number is required under section 1547.53 of the Revised Code, and issue to the applicant a registration certificate. If a number is assigned by the chief, it shall be set forth on the certificate. The registration certificate shall be on the watercraft for which it is issued and available at all times for inspection whenever the watercraft is in operation, except that livery operators may retain the registration certificate at the livery where it shall remain available for inspection at all times and except as otherwise provided in division (D)(2) of this section.

(2) A person who is operating on the waters of this state a canoe, rowboat, or inflatable watercraft that has not been numbered under section 1547.53 of the Revised Code and who is stopped by a law enforcement officer in the enforcement of this chapter or rules adopted under it shall present to the officer, not later than seventy-two hours after being stopped, a registration certificate. The registration certificate shall have been obtained under this section for the canoe, rowboat, or inflatable watercraft prior to the time that it was stopped. Failure of the person to present the registration certificate within seventy-two hours constitutes prima-facie evidence of a violation of this section.

(E) No person shall issue or be issued a registration certificate for a watercraft that is required to be issued a certificate of title under Chapter 1548. of the Revised Code except upon presentation of a certificate of title for the watercraft as provided in that chapter, proof of current documentation by the United States coast guard, a renewal registration form provided by the division of watercraft, or a certificate of registration issued under this section that has expired if there is no change in the ownership or description of the watercraft.

(F) Whenever the ownership of a watercraft changes, a new application form together with the prescribed fee shall be filed with the chief or the chief's agent and a new registration certificate shall be issued. The application shall be signed manually by the person or persons specified in division divisions (A)(1)(a) to (c) of this section and shall be accompanied by a two-dollar transfer fee. Any remaining time on the registration shall be transferred. An authorized agent of the chief shall charge an additional fee of three dollars, which shall be retained by the issuing agent. If the certificate is issued by the chief, an additional fee of three dollars for each certificate issued shall be collected.

(G) If an agency of the United States has in force an overall system of identification numbering for watercraft or certain types of watercraft within the United States, the numbering system employed by the division shall be in conformity with that system.

(H)(1) The chief may assign any registration certificates to any authorized agent for the assignment of the registration certificates. If a person accepts that authorization, the person may be assigned a block of numbers and certificates that upon assignment, in conformity with this chapter and Chapter 1548. of the Revised Code and with rules of the division, shall be valid as if assigned directly by the division. Any

(2) Any person so designated as an agent by the chief shall post with the division security as may be required by the director of natural resources. The If a clerk of the court of common pleas applies for designation as an authorized agent of the chief, the division shall accept the clerk's bond that is required under section 2303.02 of the Revised Code for any security that is required for agents under this division.

(3) The chief may issue an order temporarily or permanently restricting or suspending an agent's authorization without a hearing if the chief finds that the agent has violated this chapter or Chapter 1548. of the Revised Code, rules adopted under them, or any agreements prescribed by the chief.

(I) All records of the division made or kept pursuant to this section shall be public records. Those records shall be available for inspection at reasonable hours and in a manner compatible with normal operations of the division.

(J) The owner shall furnish the division notice within fifteen days of the following:

(1) The transfer, other than through the creation of a security interest in any watercraft, of all or any part of the owner's interest or, if the watercraft is owned by two persons under joint ownership with right of survivorship established under section 2131.12 of the Revised Code, of all or any part of the joint interest of either of the two persons. The transfer shall not terminate the registration certificate.

(2) Any change in the address appearing on the certificate and, as. As a part of the notification, the owner shall furnish the chief with the owner's new address;.

(3) The destruction or abandonment of the watercraft.

(K) The chief may issue duplicate registration certificates or duplicate tags to owners of currently registered watercraft, the fee for which shall be four dollars.

(L) If the chief finds that a registration certificate previously issued to an owner is in error to a degree that would impair its basic purpose and use, the chief may issue a corrected certificate to the owner without charge.

(M) No authorized agent shall issue and no person shall receive or accept from an authorized agent a registration certificate assigned to the authorized agent under division (H) of this section unless the exact month, day, and year of issue are plainly written on the certificate by the agent. Certificates issued with incorrect dates of issue are void from the time they are issued.

(N) The chief, in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, shall adopt rules governing the renewal of watercraft registrations by electronic means.

(O) As used in this section:

(1) "Disabled veteran" means a person who is included in either of the following categories:

(a) Because of a service-connected disability, has been or is awarded funds for the purchase of a motor vehicle under the "Disabled Veterans' and Servicemen's Automobile Assistance Act of 1970," 84 Stat. 1998, 38 U.S.C. 1901, and amendments thereto;

(b) Has a service-connected disability rated at one hundred per cent by the veterans administration.

(2) "Prisoner of war" means any regularly appointed, enrolled, enlisted, or inducted member of the military forces of the United States who was captured, separated, and incarcerated by an enemy of the United States at any time, and any regularly appointed, enrolled, or enlisted member of the military forces of Great Britain, France, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, or the republics formerly associated with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or Yugoslavia who was a citizen of the United States at the time of the appointment, enrollment, or enlistment, and was captured, separated, and incarcerated by an enemy of this country during World War II.

(P) Any disabled veteran, congressional medal of honor awardee, or prisoner of war may apply to the chief for a certificate of registration, or for a renewal of the certificate of registration, without the payment of any fee required by this section. The application for a certificate of registration shall be accompanied by evidence of disability or by documentary evidence in support of a congressional medal of honor that the chief requires by rule. The application for a certificate of registration by any person who has been a prisoner of war shall be accompanied by written evidence in the form of a record of separation, a letter from one of the armed forces of a country listed in division (O)(2) of this section, or other evidence that the chief may require by rule, that the person was honorably discharged or is currently residing in this state on active duty with one of the branches of the armed forces of the United States, or was a prisoner of war and was honorably discharged or received an equivalent discharge or release from one of the armed forces of a country listed in division (O)(2) of this section.

(Q) Annually by the fifteenth day of January, the director of natural resources shall determine the amount of fees that would have been collected in the prior calendar year for each certificate of registration issued or renewed pursuant to division (P) of this section and shall certify the total amount of foregone revenue to the director of budget and management for reimbursement. The director of budget and management shall transfer the amount certified from the general revenue fund to the waterways safety fund created pursuant to section 1547.75 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 1547.541.  The owner of a wooden watercraft that is more than twenty-five years old, is essentially as originally constructed, and is owned primarily as a collector's item and for participation in club activities, exhibitions, tours, parades, and similar uses, but is not used for general recreation may apply to the chief of the division of watercraft for an historic watercraft identification plate. The chief, by rule, may establish additional criteria for the registration of historic watercraft that the chief considers necessary.

The chief shall prescribe the form of application and shall issue an historic watercraft identification plate, which shall be securely affixed to the watercraft. The plate shall bear no date, but shall bear the inscription "historic watercraft." A registration number assigned by the chief shall be shown on the plate. The plate is valid without renewal as long as the watercraft exists and ownership does not change. The fee for the plate is twenty-five dollars.

Whenever the ownership of an historic watercraft changes, an application for transfer of registration, together with a fee of ten dollars, shall be filed with the division of watercraft, and a new certificate of registration shall be issued.

The historic watercraft identification plate shall be shown on the watercraft in the same manner as a number required under sections 1547.53 and 1547.57 of the Revised Code.

If the watercraft is to be used for general recreation, it also shall be registered as required by section 1547.54 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 1547.75.  There is hereby created in the state treasury the waterways safety fund for the purposes provided in this chapter and Chapter 1548. of the Revised Code. All moneys collected or received to implement the chapters shall be deposited in the state treasury to the credit of the fund. All fines, penalties, and forfeitures arising from prosecutions, convictions, confiscations, or other actions commenced under this chapter shall be deposited in the state treasury to the credit of the fund.

Sec. 1547.99.  (A) Whoever violates section 1547.91 of the Revised Code is guilty of a felony of the fourth degree.

(B) Whoever violates division (F) of section 1547.08, section 1547.10, division (I) of section 1547.111, section 1547.13, or section 1547.66 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree.

(C) Whoever violates a provision of this chapter or a rule adopted thereunder, for which no penalty is otherwise provided, is guilty of a minor misdemeanor.

(D) Whoever violates section 1547.07 or 1547.12 of the Revised Code without causing injury to persons or damage to property is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.

(E) Whoever violates section 1547.07 or 1547.12 of the Revised Code causing injury to persons or damage to property is guilty of a misdemeanor of the third degree.

(F) Whoever violates division (M) of section 1547.54, division (G) of section 1547.30, or section 1547.131, 1547.25, 1547.33, 1547.38, 1547.39, 1547.40, 1547.65, 1547.69, or 1547.92 of the Revised Code or a rule adopted under division (A)(2) of section 1547.52 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.

(G) Whoever violates section 1547.11 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree and shall be punished as provided in division (G)(1), (2), or (3) of this section.

(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (G)(2) or (3) of this section, the court shall sentence the offender to a jail term of three consecutive days and may sentence the offender pursuant to section 2929.24 of the Revised Code to a longer jail term. In addition, the court shall impose upon the offender a fine of not less than one hundred fifty nor more than one thousand dollars.

The court may suspend the execution of the mandatory jail term of three consecutive days that it is required to impose by division (G)(1) of this section if the court, in lieu of the suspended jail term, places the offender under a community control sanction pursuant to section 2929.25 of the Revised Code and requires the offender to attend, for three consecutive days, a drivers' intervention program that is certified pursuant to section 3793.10 of the Revised Code. The court also may suspend the execution of any part of the mandatory jail term of three consecutive days that it is required to impose by division (G)(1) of this section if the court places the offender under a community control sanction pursuant to section 2929.25 of the Revised Code for part of the three consecutive days; requires the offender to attend, for that part of the three consecutive days, a drivers' intervention program that is certified pursuant to section 3793.10 of the Revised Code; and sentences the offender to a jail term equal to the remainder of the three consecutive days that the offender does not spend attending the drivers' intervention program. The court may require the offender, as a condition of community control, to attend and satisfactorily complete any treatment or education programs, in addition to the required attendance at a drivers' intervention program, that the operators of the drivers' intervention program determine that the offender should attend and to report periodically to the court on the offender's progress in the programs. The court also may impose any other conditions of community control on the offender that it considers necessary.

(2) If, within six years of the offense, the offender has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to one violation of section 1547.11 of the Revised Code, of a municipal ordinance relating to operating a watercraft or manipulating any water skis, aquaplane, or similar device while under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse, or a combination of them, of a municipal ordinance relating to operating a watercraft or manipulating any water skis, aquaplane, or similar device with a prohibited concentration of alcohol in the whole blood, blood serum or plasma, breath, or urine, of division (A)(1) of section 2903.06 of the Revised Code, or of division (A)(2), (3), or (4) of section 2903.06 of the Revised Code or section 2903.06 or 2903.07 of the Revised Code as they existed prior to March 23, 2000, in a case in which the jury or judge found that the offender was under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse, or a combination of them, the court shall sentence the offender to a jail term of ten consecutive days and may sentence the offender pursuant to section 2929.24 of the Revised Code to a longer jail term. In addition, the court shall impose upon the offender a fine of not less than one hundred fifty nor more than one thousand dollars.

In addition to any other sentence that it imposes upon the offender, the court may require the offender to attend a drivers' intervention program that is certified pursuant to section 3793.10 of the Revised Code.

(3) If, within six years of the offense, the offender has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to more than one violation identified in division (G)(2) of this section, the court shall sentence the offender to a jail term of thirty consecutive days and may sentence the offender to a longer jail term of not more than one year. In addition, the court shall impose upon the offender a fine of not less than one hundred fifty nor more than one thousand dollars.

In addition to any other sentence that it imposes upon the offender, the court may require the offender to attend a drivers' intervention program that is certified pursuant to section 3793.10 of the Revised Code.

(4) Upon a showing that serving a jail term would seriously affect the ability of an offender sentenced pursuant to division (G)(1), (2), or (3) of this section to continue the offender's employment, the court may authorize that the offender be granted work release after the offender has served the mandatory jail term of three, ten, or thirty consecutive days that the court is required by division (G)(1), (2), or (3) of this section to impose. No court shall authorize work release during the mandatory jail term of three, ten, or thirty consecutive days that the court is required by division (G)(1), (2), or (3) of this section to impose. The duration of the work release shall not exceed the time necessary each day for the offender to commute to and from the place of employment and the place in which the jail term is served and the time actually spent under employment.

(5) Notwithstanding any section of the Revised Code that authorizes the suspension of the imposition or execution of a sentence or the placement of an offender in any treatment program in lieu of being imprisoned or serving a jail term, no court shall suspend the mandatory jail term of ten or thirty consecutive days required to be imposed by division (G)(2) or (3) of this section or place an offender who is sentenced pursuant to division (G)(2) or (3) of this section in any treatment program in lieu of being imprisoned or serving a jail term until after the offender has served the mandatory jail term of ten or thirty consecutive days required to be imposed pursuant to division (G)(2) or (3) of this section. Notwithstanding any section of the Revised Code that authorizes the suspension of the imposition or execution of a sentence or the placement of an offender in any treatment program in lieu of being imprisoned or serving a jail term, no court, except as specifically authorized by division (G)(1) of this section, shall suspend the mandatory jail term of three consecutive days required to be imposed by division (G)(1) of this section or place an offender who is sentenced pursuant to division (G)(1) of this section in any treatment program in lieu of imprisonment until after the offender has served the mandatory jail term of three consecutive days required to be imposed pursuant to division (G)(1) of this section.

(6) As used in division (G) of this section, "jail term" and "mandatory jail term" have the same meanings as in section 2929.01 of the Revised Code.

(H) Whoever violates section 1547.304 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree and also shall be assessed any costs incurred by the state or a county, township, municipal corporation, or other political subdivision in disposing of an abandoned junk vessel or outboard motor, less any money accruing to the state, county, township, municipal corporation, or other political subdivision from that disposal.

(I) Whoever violates division (B) or (C) of section 1547.49 of the Revised Code is guilty of a minor misdemeanor.

(J) Whoever violates section 1547.31 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree on a first offense. On each subsequent offense, the person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the third degree.

(K) Whoever violates section 1547.05 or 1547.051 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree if the violation is not related to a collision, injury to a person, or damage to property and a misdemeanor of the third degree if the violation is related to a collision, injury to a person, or damage to property.

(L) The sentencing court, in addition to the penalty provided under this section for a violation of this chapter or a rule adopted under it that involves a powercraft powered by more than ten horsepower and that, in the opinion of the court, involves a threat to the safety of persons or property, shall order the offender to complete successfully a boating course approved by the national association of state boating law administrators before the offender is allowed to operate a powercraft powered by more than ten horsepower on the waters in this state. Violation of a court order entered under this division is punishable as contempt under Chapter 2705. of the Revised Code.

Sec. 1548.02.  The chief of the division of watercraft shall adopt such rules as the chief considers necessary to ensure uniform and orderly operation of this chapter, and the clerks of the courts of common pleas shall conform to those rules. The chief shall receive and file in the chief's office all information forwarded to the chief by the clerks under this chapter and shall maintain indexes covering the state at large for that information. These indexes shall be for the state at large and not for individual counties.

The chief shall check with the chief's record all duplicate certificates of title received in the chief's office from the clerks.

If it appears that any certificate of title has been improperly issued or is no longer required, the chief shall cancel the certificate. Upon the cancellation of any certificate of title, the chief shall notify the clerk who issued it, and the clerk shall enter the cancellation in the clerk's records. The chief also shall notify the person to whom the certificate of title was issued, as well as any lienholders appearing on it, of the cancellation and, if it is a physical certificate of title, shall demand the surrender of the certificate of title, but the cancellation shall not affect the validity of any lien noted on it. The holder of a physical certificate of title shall return it to the chief immediately.

The clerks shall keep on hand a sufficient supply of blank forms that, except certificate of title and memorandum certificate forms, shall be furnished and distributed without charge to registered manufacturers or dealers or to other persons residing within the county. The clerks shall provide the certificates of title, the ribbons for data processing, and removable backup media from moneys provided to the clerks from the automated title processing fund in accordance with division (B)(3)(b) of section 4505.09 of the Revised Code. The clerks shall furnish all other supplies from other moneys available to the clerks.

Sec. 2923.35.  (A)(1) With respect to property ordered forfeited under section 2923.32 of the Revised Code, with respect to any fine or civil penalty imposed in any criminal or civil proceeding under section 2923.32 or 2923.34 of the Revised Code, and with respect to any fine imposed for a violation of section 2923.01 of the Revised Code for conspiracy to violate section 2923.32 of the Revised Code, the court, upon petition of the prosecuting attorney, may do any of the following:

(a) Authorize the prosecuting attorney to settle claims;

(b) Award compensation to persons who provide information that results in a forfeiture, fine, or civil penalty under section 2923.32 or 2923.34 of the Revised Code;

(c) Grant petitions for mitigation or remission of forfeiture, fines, or civil penalties, or restore forfeited property, imposed fines, or imposed civil penalties to persons injured by the violation;

(d) Take any other action to protect the rights of innocent persons that is in the interest of justice and that is consistent with the purposes of sections 2923.31 to 2923.36 of the Revised Code.

(2) The court shall maintain an accurate record of the actions it takes under division (A)(1) of this section with respect to the property ordered forfeited or the fine or civil penalty. The record is a public record open for inspection under section 149.43 of the Revised Code.

(B)(1) After the application of division (A) of this section, any person who prevails in a civil action pursuant to section 2923.34 of the Revised Code has a right to any property, or the proceeds of any property, criminally forfeited to the state pursuant to section 2923.32 of the Revised Code or against which any fine under that section or civil penalty under division (I) of section 2923.34 of the Revised Code may be imposed.

The right of any person who prevails in a civil action pursuant to section 2923.34 of the Revised Code, other than a prosecuting attorney performing official duties under that section, to forfeited property, property against which fines and civil penalties may be imposed, and the proceeds of that property is superior to any right of the state, a municipal corporation, or a county to the property or the proceeds of the property, if the civil action is brought within one hundred eighty days after the entry of a sentence of forfeiture or a fine pursuant to section 2923.32 of the Revised Code or the entry of a civil penalty pursuant to division (I) of section 2923.34 of the Revised Code.

The right is limited to the total value of the treble damages, civil penalties, attorney's fees, and costs awarded to the prevailing party in an action pursuant to section 2923.34 of the Revised Code, less any restitution received by the person.

(2) If the aggregate amount of claims of persons who have prevailed in a civil action pursuant to section 2923.34 of the Revised Code against any one defendant is greater than the total value of the treble fines, civil penalties, and forfeited property paid by the person against whom the actions were brought, all of the persons who brought their actions within one hundred eighty days after the entry of a sentence or disposition of forfeiture or a fine pursuant to section 2923.32 of the Revised Code or the entry of a civil penalty pursuant to division (I) of section 2923.34 of the Revised Code, first shall receive a pro rata share of the total amount of the fines, civil penalties, and forfeited property. After the persons who brought their actions within the specified one-hundred-eighty-day period have satisfied their claims out of the fines, civil penalties, and forfeited property, all other persons who prevailed in civil actions pursuant to section 2923.34 of the Revised Code shall receive a pro rata share of the total amount of the fines, civil penalties, and forfeited property that remains in the custody of the law enforcement agency or in the corrupt activity investigation and prosecution fund.

(C)(1) Subject to divisions (A) and (B) of this section and notwithstanding any contrary provision of section 2933.41 of the Revised Code, the prosecuting attorney shall order the disposal of property ordered forfeited in any proceeding under sections 2923.32 and 2923.34 of the Revised Code as soon as feasible, making due provisions for the rights of innocent persons, by any of the following methods:

(a) Transfer to any person who prevails in a civil action pursuant to section 2923.34 of the Revised Code, subject to the limit set forth in division (B)(1) of this section;

(b) Public sale;

(c) Transfer to a state governmental agency for official use;

(d) Sale or transfer to an innocent person;

(e) If the property is contraband and is not needed for evidence in any pending criminal or civil proceeding, pursuant to section 2933.41 or any other applicable section of the Revised Code.

(2) Any interest in personal or real property not disposed of pursuant to this division and not exercisable by, or transferable for value to, the state shall expire and shall not revert to the person found guilty of or adjudicated a delinquent child for a violation of section 2923.32 of the Revised Code. No person found guilty of or adjudicated a delinquent child for a violation of that section and no person acting in concert with a person found guilty of or adjudicated a delinquent child for a violation of that section is eligible to purchase forfeited property from the state.

(3) Upon application of a person, other than the defendant, the adjudicated delinquent child, or a person acting in concert with or on behalf of either the defendant or the adjudicated delinquent child, the court may restrain or stay the disposal of the property pursuant to this division pending the conclusion of any appeal of the criminal case or delinquency case giving rise to the forfeiture or pending the determination of the validity of a claim to or interest in the property pursuant to division (E) of section 2923.32 of the Revised Code, if the applicant demonstrates that proceeding with the disposal of the property will result in irreparable injury, harm, or loss to the applicant.

(4) The prosecuting attorney shall maintain an accurate record of each item of property disposed of pursuant to this division, which record shall include the date on which each item came into the prosecuting attorney's custody, the manner and date of disposition, and, if applicable, the name of the person who received the item. The record shall not identify or enable the identification of the individual officer who seized the property, and the record is a public record open for inspection under section 149.43 of the Revised Code.

Each prosecuting attorney who disposes in any calendar year of any item of property pursuant to this division shall prepare a report covering the calendar year that cumulates all of the information contained in all of the records kept by the prosecuting attorney pursuant to this division for that calendar year and shall send the cumulative report, no later than the first day of March in the calendar year following the calendar year covered by the report, to the attorney general. Each report received by the attorney general is a public record open for inspection under section 149.43 of the Revised Code. Not later than the fifteenth day of April in the calendar year following the calendar year covered by the reports, the attorney general shall send to the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives a written notification that does all of the following:

(a) Indicates that the attorney general has received from prosecuting attorneys reports of the type described in this division that cover the previous calendar year and indicates that the reports were received under this division;

(b) Indicates that the reports are open for inspection under section 149.43 of the Revised Code;

(c) Indicates that the attorney general will provide a copy of any or all of the reports to the president of the senate or the speaker of the house of representatives upon request.

(D)(1)(a) Ten per cent of the proceeds of all property ordered forfeited by a juvenile court pursuant to section 2923.32 of the Revised Code shall be applied to one or more alcohol and drug addiction treatment programs that are certified by the department of alcohol and drug addiction services under section 3793.06 of the Revised Code and that are specified in the order of forfeiture. A juvenile court shall not specify an alcohol or drug addiction treatment program in the order of forfeiture unless the program is a certified alcohol and drug addiction treatment program and, except as provided in division (D)(1)(a) of this section, unless the program is located in the county in which the court that orders the forfeiture is located or in a contiguous county. If no certified alcohol and drug addiction treatment program is located in any of those counties, the juvenile court may specify in the order a certified alcohol and drug addiction treatment program located anywhere within this state. The remaining ninety per cent of the proceeds shall be disposed of as provided in divisions (D)(1)(b) and (D)(2) of this section.

All of the proceeds of all property ordered forfeited by a court other than a juvenile court pursuant to section 2923.32 of the Revised Code shall be disposed of as provided in divisions (D)(1)(b) and (D)(2) of this section.

(b) The remaining proceeds of all property ordered forfeited pursuant to section 2923.32 of the Revised Code, after compliance with division (D)(1)(a) of this section when that division is applicable, and all fines and civil penalties imposed pursuant to sections 2923.32 and 2923.34 of the Revised Code shall be deposited into the state treasury and credited to the corrupt activity investigation and prosecution fund, which is hereby created.

(2) The proceeds, fines, and penalties credited to the corrupt activity investigation and prosecution fund pursuant to division (D)(1) of this section shall be disposed of in the following order:

(a) To a civil plaintiff in an action brought within the one-hundred-eighty-day time period specified in division (B)(1) of this section, subject to the limit set forth in that division;

(b) To the payment of the fees and costs of the forfeiture and sale, including expenses of seizure, maintenance, and custody of the property pending its disposition, advertising, and court costs;

(c) Except as otherwise provided in division (D)(2)(c) of this section, the remainder shall be paid to the law enforcement trust fund of the prosecuting attorney that is established pursuant to division (D)(1)(c) of section 2933.43 of the Revised Code and to the law enforcement trust fund of the county sheriff that is established pursuant to that division if the county sheriff substantially conducted the investigation, to the law enforcement trust fund of a municipal corporation that is established pursuant to that division if its police department substantially conducted the investigation, to the law enforcement trust fund of a township that is established pursuant to that division if the investigation was substantially conducted by a township police department, township police district police force, or office of a township constable, or to the law enforcement trust fund of a park district created pursuant to section 511.18 or 1545.01 of the Revised Code that is established pursuant to that division if the investigation was substantially conducted by its park district police force or law enforcement department. The prosecuting attorney may decline to accept any of the remaining proceeds, fines, and penalties, and, if the prosecuting attorney so declines, they shall be applied to the fund described in division (D)(2)(c) of this section that relates to the appropriate law enforcement agency that substantially conducted the investigation.

If the state highway patrol substantially conducted the investigation, the director of budget and management shall transfer the remaining proceeds, fines, and penalties to the state highway patrol for deposit into the highway patrol state contraband, forfeiture, and other fund that is created by division (D)(1)(c) of section 2933.43 of the Revised Code. If the division of forestry in the department of natural resources substantially conducted the investigation, the director shall transfer the remaining proceeds to the division for deposit into the state forest fund created in section 1503.05 of the Revised Code. If the division of natural areas and preserves in that department substantially conducted the investigation, the director shall transfer the remaining proceeds to the division for deposit into the natural areas and preserves fund created in section 1517.11 of the Revised Code. If the division of wildlife in that department substantially conducted the investigation, the director shall transfer the remaining proceeds to the division for deposit into the wildlife fund created in section 1531.17 of the Revised Code. If the division of parks and recreation in that department substantially conducted the investigation, the director shall transfer the remaining proceeds to the division for deposit into the state park fund created in section 1541.22 of the Revised Code. If the division of watercraft in that department substantially conducted the investigation, the director shall transfer the remaining proceeds to the division for deposit into the waterways safety fund created in section 1547.75 of the Revised Code. If the department of taxation substantially conducted the investigation, the director shall transfer the remaining proceeds, fines, and penalties to the department for deposit into the department of taxation enforcement fund. If the state board of pharmacy substantially conducted the investigation, the director shall transfer the remaining proceeds, fines, and penalties to the board for deposit into the board of pharmacy drug law enforcement fund that is created by division (B)(1) of section 4729.65 of the Revised Code. If a state law enforcement agency, other than the state highway patrol, the division of forestry, natural areas and preserves, wildlife, parks and recreation, or watercraft in the department of natural resources, the department of taxation, or the state board of pharmacy, substantially conducted the investigation, the director shall transfer the remaining proceeds, fines, and penalties to the treasurer of state for deposit into the peace officer training commission fund.

The remaining proceeds, fines, and penalties that are paid to a law enforcement trust fund or that are deposited into the highway patrol state contraband, forfeiture, and other fund,; the state forest fund; the natural areas and preserves fund; the wildlife fund; the state park fund; the waterways safety fund; the department of taxation enforcement fund,; the board of pharmacy drug law enforcement fund,; or the peace officer training commission fund pursuant to division (D)(2)(c) of this section shall be allocated, used, and expended only in accordance with division (D)(1)(c) of section 2933.43 of the Revised Code, only in accordance with a written internal control policy adopted under division (D)(3) of that section, and, if applicable, only in accordance with division (B) of section 4729.65 of the Revised Code. The annual reports that pertain to the funds and that are required by divisions (D)(1)(c) and (3)(b) of section 2933.43 of the Revised Code also shall address the remaining proceeds, fines, and penalties that are paid or deposited into the funds pursuant to division (D)(2)(c) of this section.

(3) If more than one law enforcement agency substantially conducted the investigation, the court ordering the forfeiture shall equitably divide the remaining proceeds, fines, and penalties among the law enforcement agencies that substantially conducted the investigation, in the manner described in division (D)(2) of section 2933.43 of the Revised Code for the equitable division of contraband proceeds and forfeited moneys. The equitable shares of the proceeds, fines, and penalties so determined by the court shall be paid or deposited into the appropriate funds specified in division (D)(2)(c) of this section.

(E) As used in this section, "law enforcement agency" includes, but is not limited to, the state board of pharmacy and the department of taxation.

Sec. 2933.43.  (A)(1) Except as provided in this division or in section 2913.34 or sections 2923.44 to 2923.47 or 2925.41 to 2925.45 of the Revised Code, a law enforcement officer shall seize any contraband that has been, is being, or is intended to be used in violation of division (A) of section 2933.42 of the Revised Code. A law enforcement officer shall seize contraband that is a watercraft, motor vehicle, or aircraft and that has been, is being, or is intended to be used in violation of division (A) of section 2933.42 of the Revised Code only if the watercraft, motor vehicle, or aircraft is contraband because of its relationship to an underlying criminal offense that is a felony.

Additionally, a law enforcement officer shall seize any watercraft, motor vehicle, aircraft, or other personal property that is classified as contraband under division (B) of section 2933.42 of the Revised Code if the underlying offense involved in the violation of division (A) of that section that resulted in the watercraft, motor vehicle, aircraft, or personal property being classified as contraband, is a felony.

(2) If a law enforcement officer seizes property that is titled or registered under law, including a motor vehicle, pursuant to division (A)(1) of this section, the officer or the officer's employing law enforcement agency shall notify the owner of the seizure. The notification shall be given to the owner at the owner's last known address within seventy-two hours after the seizure, and may be given orally by any means, including telephone, or by certified mail, return receipt requested.

If the officer or the officer's agency is unable to provide the notice required by this division despite reasonable, good faith efforts to do so, the exercise of the reasonable, good faith efforts constitutes fulfillment of the notice requirement imposed by this division.

(B)(1) A motor vehicle seized pursuant to division (A)(1) of this section and the contents of the vehicle may be retained for a reasonable period of time, not to exceed seventy-two hours, for the purpose of inspection, investigation, and the gathering of evidence of any offense or illegal use.

At any time prior to the expiration of the seventy-two-hour period, the law enforcement agency that seized the motor vehicle may petition the court of common pleas of the county that has jurisdiction over the underlying criminal case or administrative proceeding involved in the forfeiture for an extension of the seventy-two-hour period if the motor vehicle or its contents are needed as evidence or if additional time is needed for the inspection, investigation, or gathering of evidence. Upon the filing of such a petition, the court immediately shall schedule a hearing to be held at a time as soon as possible after the filing, but in no event at a time later than the end of the next business day subsequent to the day on which the petition was filed, and upon scheduling the hearing, immediately shall notify the owner of the vehicle, at the address at which notification of the seizure was provided under division (A) of this section, of the date, time, and place of the hearing. If the court, at the hearing, determines that the vehicle or its contents, or both, are needed as evidence or that additional time is needed for the inspection, investigation, or gathering of evidence, the court may grant the petition and issue an order authorizing the retention of the vehicle or its contents, or both, for an extended period as specified by the court in its order. An order extending a period of retention issued under this division may be renewed.

If no petition for the extension of the initial seventy-two-hour period has been filed, prior to the expiration of that period, under this division, if the vehicle was not in the custody and control of the owner at the time of its seizure, and if, at the end of that seventy-two-hour period, the owner of the vehicle has not been charged with an offense or administrative violation that includes the use of the vehicle as an element and has not been charged with any other offense or administrative violation in the actual commission of which the motor vehicle was used, the vehicle and its contents shall be released to its owner or the owner's agent, provided that the law enforcement agency that seized the vehicle may require proof of ownership of the vehicle, proof of ownership or legal possession of the contents, and an affidavit of the owner that the owner neither knew of nor expressly or impliedly consented to the use of the vehicle that resulted in its forfeiture as conditions precedent to release. If a petition for the extension of the initial seventy-two-hour period has been filed, prior to the expiration of that period, under this division but the court does not grant the petition, if the vehicle was not in the custody and control of the owner at the time of its seizure, and if, at the end of that seventy-two-hour period, the owner of the vehicle has not been charged with an offense or administrative violation that includes the use of the vehicle as an element and has not been charged with any other offense or administrative violation in the actual commission of which the motor vehicle was used, the vehicle and its contents shall be released to its owner or the owner's agent, provided that the court may require the proof and affidavit described in the preceding sentence as conditions precedent to release. If the initial seventy-two-hour period has been extended under this division, the vehicle and its contents to which the extension applies may be retained in accordance with the extension order. If, at the end of that extended period, the owner of the vehicle has not been charged with an offense or administrative violation that includes the use of the vehicle as an element and has not been charged with any other offense or administrative violation in the actual commission of which the motor vehicle was used, and if the vehicle was not in the custody and control of the owner at the time of its seizure, the vehicle and its contents shall be released to its owner or the owner's agent, provided that the court may require the proof and affidavit described in the third preceding sentence as conditions precedent to release. In cases in which the court may require proof and affidavits as conditions precedent to release, the court also may require the posting of a bond, with sufficient sureties approved by the court, in an amount equal to the value of the property to be released, as determined by the court, and conditioned upon the return of the property to the court if it is forfeited under this section, as a further condition to release. If, at the end of the initial seventy-two-hour period or at the end of any extended period granted under this section, the owner has been charged with an offense or administrative violation that includes the use of the vehicle as an element or has been charged with another offense or administrative violation in the actual commission of which the motor vehicle was used, or if the vehicle was in the custody and control of the owner at the time of its seizure, the vehicle and its contents shall be retained pending disposition of the charge, provided that upon the filing of a motion for release by the owner, if the court determines that the motor vehicle or its contents, or both, are not needed as evidence in the underlying criminal case or administrative proceeding, the court may permit the release of the property that is not needed as evidence to the owner; as a condition precedent to a release of that nature, the court may require the owner to execute a bond with the court. Any bond so required shall be in an amount equal to the value of the property to be released, as determined by the court, shall have sufficient sureties approved by the court, and shall be conditioned upon the return of the property to the court to which it is forfeited under this section.

The final disposition of a motor vehicle seized pursuant to division (A)(1) of this section shall be determined in accordance with division (C) of this section.

(2) Pending a hearing pursuant to division (C) of this section, and subject to divisions (B)(1) and (C) of this section, any property lawfully seized pursuant to division (A) of this section because it was contraband of a type described in division (A)(13)(b), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), (i), or (j) of section 2901.01 of the Revised Code shall not be subject to replevin or other action in any court and shall not be subject to release upon request of the owner, and no judgment shall be enforced against the property. Pending the hearing, and subject to divisions (B)(1) and (C) of this section, the property shall be kept in the custody of the law enforcement agency responsible for its seizure.

Pending a hearing pursuant to division (C) of this section, and notwithstanding any provisions of division (B)(1) or (C) of this section to the contrary, any property lawfully seized pursuant to division (A) of this section because it was contraband of a type described in division (A)(13)(a) or (c) of section 2901.01 of the Revised Code shall not be subject to replevin or other action in any court and shall not be subject to release upon request of the owner, and no judgment shall be enforced against the property. Pending the hearing, and notwithstanding any provisions of division (B)(1) or (C) of this section to the contrary, the property shall be kept in the custody of the law enforcement agency responsible for its seizure.

A law enforcement agency that seizes property under division (A) of this section because it was contraband of any type described in division (A)(13) of section 2901.01 or division (B) of section 2933.42 of the Revised Code shall maintain an accurate record of each item of property so seized, which record shall include the date on which each item was seized, the manner and date of its disposition, and if applicable, the name of the person who received the item; however, the record shall not identify or enable the identification of the individual officer who seized the item. The record of property of that nature that no longer is needed as evidence shall be open to public inspection during the agency's regular business hours. Each law enforcement agency that, during any calendar year, seizes property under division (A) of this section because it was contraband shall prepare a report covering the calendar year that cumulates all of the information contained in all of the records kept by the agency pursuant to this division for that calendar year, and shall send a copy of the cumulative report, no later than the first day of March in the calendar year following the calendar year covered by the report, to the attorney general. Each report received by the attorney general is a public record open for inspection under section 149.43 of the Revised Code. Not later than the fifteenth day of April in the calendar year in which the reports are received, the attorney general shall send to the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives a written notification that does all of the following:

(a) Indicates that the attorney general has received from law enforcement agencies reports of the type described in this division that cover the previous calendar year and indicates that the reports were received under this division;

(b) Indicates that the reports are open for inspection under section 149.43 of the Revised Code;

(c) Indicates that the attorney general will provide a copy of any or all of the reports to the president of the senate or the speaker of the house of representatives upon request.

(C) The prosecuting attorney, village solicitor, city director of law, or similar chief legal officer who has responsibility for the prosecution of the underlying criminal case or administrative proceeding, or the attorney general if the attorney general has that responsibility, shall file a petition for the forfeiture, to the seizing law enforcement agency of the contraband seized pursuant to division (A) of this section. The petition shall be filed in the court that has jurisdiction over the underlying criminal case or administrative proceeding involved in the forfeiture. If the property was seized on the basis of both a criminal violation and an administrative regulation violation, the petition shall be filed by the officer and in the court that is appropriate in relation to the criminal case.

The petitioner shall conduct or cause to be conducted a search of the appropriate public records that relate to the seized property for the purpose of determining, and shall make or cause to be made reasonably diligent inquiries for the purpose of determining, any person having an ownership or security interest in the property. The petitioner then shall give notice of the forfeiture proceedings by personal service or by certified mail, return receipt requested, to any persons known, because of the conduct of the search, the making of the inquiries, or otherwise, to have an ownership or security interest in the property, and shall publish notice of the proceedings once each week for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county in which the seizure occurred. The notices shall be personally served, mailed, and first published at least four weeks before the hearing. They shall describe the property seized; state the date and place of seizure; name the law enforcement agency that seized the property and, if applicable, that is holding the property; list the time, date, and place of the hearing; and state that any person having an ownership or security interest in the property may contest the forfeiture.

If the property seized was determined by the seizing law enforcement officer to be contraband because of its relationship to an underlying criminal offense or administrative violation, no forfeiture hearing shall be held under this section unless the person pleads guilty to or is convicted of the commission of, or an attempt or conspiracy to commit, the offense or a different offense arising out of the same facts and circumstances or unless the person admits or is adjudicated to have committed the administrative violation or a different violation arising out of the same facts and circumstances; a forfeiture hearing shall be held in a case of that nature no later than forty-five days after the conviction or the admission or adjudication of the violation, unless the time for the hearing is extended by the court for good cause shown. The owner of any property seized because of its relationship to an underlying criminal offense or administrative violation may request the court to release the property to the owner. Upon receipt of a request of that nature, if the court determines that the property is not needed as evidence in the underlying criminal case or administrative proceeding, the court may permit the release of the property to the owner. As a condition precedent to a release of that nature, the court may require the owner to execute a bond with the court. Any bond so required shall have sufficient sureties approved by the court, shall be in a sum equal to the value of the property, as determined by the court, and shall be conditioned upon the return of the property to the court if the property is forfeited under this section. Any property seized because of its relationship to an underlying criminal offense or administrative violation shall be returned to its owner if charges are not filed in relation to that underlying offense or violation within thirty days after the seizure, if charges of that nature are filed and subsequently are dismissed, or if charges of that nature are filed and the person charged does not plead guilty to and is not convicted of the offense or does not admit and is not found to have committed the violation.

If the property seized was determined by the seizing law enforcement officer to be contraband other than because of a relationship to an underlying criminal offense or administrative violation, the forfeiture hearing under this section shall be held no later than forty-five days after the seizure, unless the time for the hearing is extended by the court for good cause shown.

Where possible, a court holding a forfeiture hearing under this section shall follow the Rules of Civil Procedure. When a hearing is conducted under this section, property shall be forfeited upon a showing, by a preponderance of the evidence, by the petitioner that the person from which the property was seized was in violation of division (A) of section 2933.42 of the Revised Code. If that showing is made, the court shall issue an order of forfeiture. If an order of forfeiture is issued in relation to contraband that was released to the owner or the owner's agent pursuant to this division or division (B)(1) of this section, the order shall require the owner to deliver the property, by a specified date, to the law enforcement agency that employed the law enforcement officer who made the seizure of the property, and the court shall deliver a copy of the order to the owner or send a copy of it by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the owner at the address to which notice of the seizure was given under division (A)(2) of this section. Except as otherwise provided in this division, all rights, interest, and title to the forfeited contraband vests in the state, effective from the date of seizure.

No property shall be forfeited pursuant to this division if the owner of the property establishes, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the owner neither knew, nor should have known after a reasonable inquiry, that the property was used, or was likely to be used, in a crime or administrative violation. No bona fide security interest shall be forfeited pursuant to this division if the holder of the interest establishes, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the holder of the interest neither knew, nor should have known after a reasonable inquiry, that the property was used, or likely to be used, in a crime or administrative violation, that the holder of the interest did not expressly or impliedly consent to the use of the property in a crime or administrative violation, and that the security interest was perfected pursuant to law prior to the seizure. If the holder of the interest satisfies the court that these requirements are met, the interest shall be preserved by the court. In a case of that nature, the court shall either order that the agency to which the property is forfeited reimburse the holder of the interest to the extent of the preserved interest or order that the holder be paid for the interest from the proceeds of any sale pursuant to division (D) of this section.

(D)(1) Contraband ordered forfeited pursuant to this section shall be disposed of pursuant to divisions (D)(1) to (7) of section 2933.41 of the Revised Code or, if the contraband is not described in those divisions, may be used, with the approval of the court, by the law enforcement agency that has custody of the contraband pursuant to division (D)(8) of that section. In the case of contraband not described in any of those divisions and of contraband not disposed of pursuant to any of those divisions, the contraband shall be sold in accordance with this division or, in the case of forfeited moneys, disposed of in accordance with this division. If the contraband is to be sold, the prosecuting attorney shall cause a notice of the proposed sale of the contraband to be given in accordance with law, and the property shall be sold, without appraisal, at a public auction to the highest bidder for cash. The proceeds of a sale and forfeited moneys shall be applied in the following order:

(a) First, to the payment of the costs incurred in connection with the seizure of, storage of, maintenance of, and provision of security for the contraband, the forfeiture proceeding, and, if any, the sale;

(b) Second, the remaining proceeds or forfeited moneys after compliance with division (D)(1)(a) of this section, to the payment of the balance due on any security interest preserved pursuant to division (C) of this section;

(c) Third, the remaining proceeds or forfeited moneys after compliance with divisions (D)(1)(a) and (b) of this section, as follows:

(i) If the forfeiture was ordered in a juvenile court, ten per cent to one or more alcohol and drug addiction treatment programs that are certified by the department of alcohol and drug addiction services under section 3793.06 of the Revised Code and that are specified in the order of forfeiture. A juvenile court shall not certify an alcohol or drug addiction treatment program in the order of forfeiture unless the program is a certified alcohol and drug addiction treatment program and, except as provided in division (D)(1)(c)(i) of this section, unless the program is located in the county in which the court that orders the forfeiture is located or in a contiguous county. If no certified alcohol and drug addiction treatment program is located in any of those counties, the juvenile court may specify in the order a certified alcohol and drug addiction treatment program located anywhere within this state.

(ii) If the forfeiture was ordered in a juvenile court, ninety per cent, and if the forfeiture was ordered in a court other than a juvenile court, one hundred per cent to the law enforcement trust fund of the prosecuting attorney and to the law enforcement trust fund of the county sheriff if the county sheriff made the seizure,; to the law enforcement trust fund of a municipal corporation if its police department made the seizure,; to the law enforcement trust fund of a township if the seizure was made by a township police department, township police district police force, or office of a township constable,; to the law enforcement trust fund of a park district created pursuant to section 511.18 or 1545.01 of the Revised Code if the seizure was made by the park district police force or law enforcement department,; to the highway patrol state contraband, forfeiture, and other fund if the state highway patrol made the seizure,; to the division of forestry law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund if the division of forestry in the department of natural resources made the seizure, to the division of natural areas and preserves law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund if the division of natural areas and preserves in that department made the seizure, to the division of wildlife law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund if the division of wildlife in that department made the seizure, to the division of parks and recreation law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund if the division of parks and recreation in that department made the seizure, or to the division of watercraft law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund if the division of watercraft in that department made the seizure; to the department of public safety investigative unit contraband, forfeiture, and other fund if the investigative unit of the department of public safety made the seizure,; to the department of taxation enforcement fund if the department of taxation made the seizure,; to the board of pharmacy drug law enforcement fund created by division (B)(1) of section 4729.65 of the Revised Code if the board made the seizure,; or to the treasurer of state for deposit into the peace officer training commission fund if a state law enforcement agency, other than the state highway patrol, the division of forestry, natural areas and preserves, wildlife, parks and recreation, or watercraft in the department of natural resources, the investigative unit of the department of public safety, the enforcement division of the department of taxation, or the state board of pharmacy, made the seizure. The prosecuting attorney may decline to accept any of the remaining proceeds or forfeited moneys, and, if the prosecuting attorney so declines, the remaining proceeds or forfeited moneys shall be applied to the fund described in this division that relates to the law enforcement agency that made the seizure.

A law enforcement trust fund shall be established by the prosecuting attorney of each county who intends to receive any remaining proceeds or forfeited moneys pursuant to this division, by the sheriff of each county, by the legislative authority of each municipal corporation, by the board of township trustees of each township that has a township police department, township police district police force, or office of the constable, and by the board of park commissioners of each park district created pursuant to section 511.18 or 1545.01 of the Revised Code that has a park district police force or law enforcement department, for the purposes of this division. There is hereby created in the state treasury the highway patrol state contraband, forfeiture, and other fund,; the division of forestry law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund; the division of natural areas and preserves law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund; the division of wildlife law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund; the division of parks and recreation law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund; the division of watercraft law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund; the department of public safety investigative unit contraband, forfeiture, and other fund,; the department of taxation enforcement fund,; and the peace officer training commission fund, for the purposes described in this division.

Proceeds or forfeited moneys distributed to any municipal corporation, township, or park district law enforcement trust fund shall be allocated from the fund by the legislative authority only to the police department of the municipal corporation, by the board of township trustees only to the township police department, township police district police force, or office of the constable, and by the board of park commissioners only to the park district police force or law enforcement department.

Additionally, no proceeds or forfeited moneys shall be allocated to or used by the state highway patrol, the division of forestry, natural areas and preserves, wildlife, parks and recreation, or watercraft in the department of natural resources, the department of public safety, the department of taxation, the state board of pharmacy, or a county sheriff, prosecuting attorney, municipal corporation police department, township police department, township police district police force, office of the constable, or park district police force or law enforcement department unless the state highway patrol, division of forestry, natural areas and preserves, wildlife, parks and recreation, or watercraft in the department of natural resources, department of public safety, department of taxation, state board of pharmacy, sheriff, prosecuting attorney, municipal corporation police department, township police department, township police district police force, office of the constable, or park district police force or law enforcement department has adopted a written internal control policy under division (D)(3) of this section that addresses the use of moneys received from the highway patrol state contraband, forfeiture, and other fund,; the division of forestry law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund; the division of natural areas and preserves law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund; the division of wildlife law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund; the division of parks and recreation law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund; the division of watercraft law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund; the department of public safety investigative unit contraband, forfeiture, and other fund,; the department of taxation enforcement fund,; the board of pharmacy drug law enforcement fund,; or the appropriate law enforcement trust fund.

The highway patrol state contraband, forfeiture, and other fund,; the division of forestry law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund; the division of natural areas and preserves law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund; the division of wildlife law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund; the division of parks and recreation law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund; the division of watercraft law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund; the department of public safety investigative unit contraband, forfeiture, and other fund,; the department of taxation enforcement fund,; and a law enforcement trust fund shall be expended only in accordance with the written internal control policy so adopted by the recipient, and, subject to the requirements specified in division (D)(3)(a)(ii) of this section, only to pay the costs of protracted or complex investigations or prosecutions, to provide reasonable technical training or expertise, to provide matching funds to obtain federal grants to aid law enforcement, in the support of DARE programs or other programs designed to educate adults or children with respect to the dangers associated with the use of drugs of abuse, to pay the costs of emergency action taken under section 3745.13 of the Revised Code relative to the operation of an illegal methamphetamine laboratory if the forfeited property or money involved was that of a person responsible for the operation of the laboratory, or for other law enforcement purposes that the superintendent of the state highway patrol, division of forestry, natural areas and preserves, wildlife, parks and recreation, or watercraft in the department of natural resources, department of public safety, department of taxation, prosecuting attorney, county sheriff, legislative authority, board of township trustees, or board of park commissioners determines to be appropriate. The board of pharmacy drug law enforcement fund shall be expended only in accordance with the written internal control policy so adopted by the board and only in accordance with section 4729.65 of the Revised Code, except that it also may be expended to pay the costs of emergency action taken under section 3745.13 of the Revised Code relative to the operation of an illegal methamphetamine laboratory if the forfeited property or money involved was that of a person responsible for the operation of the laboratory. The highway patrol state contraband, forfeiture, and other fund,; the division of forestry law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund; the division of natural areas and preserves law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund; the division of wildlife law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund; the division of parks and recreation law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund; the division of watercraft law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund; the department of public safety investigative unit contraband, forfeiture, and other fund,; the department of taxation enforcement fund,; the board of pharmacy drug law enforcement fund,; and a law enforcement trust fund shall not be used to meet the operating costs of the state highway patrol, of the division of forestry, natural areas and preserves, wildlife, parks and recreation, or watercraft in the department of natural resources, of the investigative unit of the department of public safety, of the department of taxation enforcement division, of the state board of pharmacy, of any political subdivision, or of any office of a prosecuting attorney or county sheriff that are unrelated to law enforcement.

Proceeds and forfeited moneys that are paid into the state treasury to be deposited into the peace officer training commission fund shall be used by the commission only to pay the costs of peace officer training.

Any sheriff or prosecuting attorney who receives proceeds or forfeited moneys pursuant to this division during any calendar year shall file a report with the county auditor, no later than the thirty-first day of January of the next calendar year, verifying that the proceeds and forfeited moneys were expended only for the purposes authorized by this division and division (D)(3)(a)(ii) of this section and specifying the amounts expended for each authorized purpose. Any

Any municipal corporation police department that is allocated proceeds or forfeited moneys from a municipal corporation law enforcement trust fund pursuant to this division during any calendar year shall file a report with the legislative authority of the municipal corporation, no later than the thirty-first day of January of the next calendar year, verifying that the proceeds and forfeited moneys were expended only for the purposes authorized by this division and division (D)(3)(a)(ii) of this section and specifying the amounts expended for each authorized purpose. Any

Any township police department, township police district police force, or office of the constable that is allocated proceeds or forfeited moneys from a township law enforcement trust fund pursuant to this division during any calendar year shall file a report with the board of township trustees of the township, no later than the thirty-first day of January of the next calendar year, verifying that the proceeds and forfeited moneys were expended only for the purposes authorized by this division and division (D)(3)(a)(ii) of this section and specifying the amounts expended for each authorized purpose. Any

Any park district police force or law enforcement department that is allocated proceeds or forfeited moneys from a park district law enforcement trust fund pursuant to this division during any calendar year shall file a report with the board of park commissioners of the park district, no later than the thirty-first day of January of the next calendar year, verifying that the proceeds and forfeited moneys were expended only for the purposes authorized by this division and division (D)(3)(a)(ii) of this section and specifying the amounts expended for each authorized purpose. The

The superintendent of the state highway patrol shall file a report with the attorney general, no later than the thirty-first day of January of each calendar year, verifying that proceeds and forfeited moneys paid into the highway patrol state contraband, forfeiture, and other fund pursuant to this division during the prior calendar year were used by the state highway patrol during the prior calendar year only for the purposes authorized by this division and specifying the amounts expended for each authorized purpose. The

The chiefs of the divisions of forestry, natural areas and preserves, wildlife, parks and recreation, and watercraft in the department of natural resources each shall file a report with the attorney general, not later than the thirty-first day of January of each calendar year, verifying that proceeds and forfeited moneys paid into the division of forestry law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund, the division of natural areas and preserves law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund, the division of wildlife law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund, the division of parks and recreation law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund, and the division of watercraft law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund, respectively, pursuant to this division during the prior calendar year were used by the appropriate division in the department of natural resources during the prior calendar year only for the purposes authorized by this division and specifying the amounts expended for each authorized purpose.

The executive director of the state board of pharmacy shall file a report with the attorney general, no later than the thirty-first day of January of each calendar year, verifying that proceeds and forfeited moneys paid into the board of pharmacy drug law enforcement fund during the prior calendar year were used only in accordance with section 4729.65 of the Revised Code and specifying the amounts expended for each authorized purpose. The

The peace officer training commission shall file a report with the attorney general, no later than the thirty-first day of January of each calendar year, verifying that proceeds and forfeited moneys paid into the peace officer training commission fund pursuant to this division during the prior calendar year were used by the commission during the prior calendar year only to pay the costs of peace officer training and specifying the amount used for that purpose.

The tax commissioner shall file a report with the attorney general, not later than the thirty-first day of January of each calendar year, verifying that proceeds and forfeited moneys paid into the department of taxation enforcement fund pursuant to this division during the prior calendar year were used by the enforcement division during the prior calendar year to pay only the costs of enforcing the tax laws and specifying the amount used for that purpose.

(2) If more than one law enforcement agency is substantially involved in the seizure of contraband that is forfeited pursuant to this section, the court ordering the forfeiture shall equitably divide the proceeds or forfeited moneys, after calculating any distribution to the law enforcement trust fund of the prosecuting attorney pursuant to division (D)(1)(c) of this section, among any county sheriff whose office is determined by the court to be substantially involved in the seizure, any legislative authority of a municipal corporation whose police department is determined by the court to be substantially involved in the seizure, any board of township trustees whose law enforcement agency is determined by the court to be substantially involved in the seizure, any board of park commissioners of a park district whose police force or law enforcement department is determined by the court to be substantially involved in the seizure, the state board of pharmacy if it is determined by the court to be substantially involved in the seizure, the division of forestry, natural areas and preserves, wildlife, parks and recreation, or watercraft in the department of natural resources if it is determined by the court to be substantially involved in the seizure, the investigative unit of the department of public safety if it is determined by the court to be substantially involved in the seizure, the enforcement division of the department of taxation if it is determined by the court to be substantially involved in the seizure and the state highway patrol if it is determined by the court to be substantially involved in the seizure. The proceeds or forfeited moneys shall be deposited in the respective law enforcement trust funds of the county sheriff, municipal corporation, township, and park district,; the board of pharmacy drug law enforcement fund,; the division of forestry law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund; the division of natural areas and preserves law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund; the division of wildlife law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund; the division of parks and recreation law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund; the division of watercraft law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund; the department of public safety investigative unit contraband, forfeiture, and other fund,; the department of taxation enforcement fund,; or the highway patrol state contraband, forfeiture, and other fund, in accordance with division (D)(1)(c) of this section. If a state law enforcement agency, other than the state highway patrol, the investigative unit of the department of public safety, the department of taxation, the division of forestry, natural areas and preserves, wildlife, parks and recreation, or watercraft in the department of natural resources, or the state board of pharmacy, is determined by the court to be substantially involved in the seizure, the state agency's equitable share of the proceeds and forfeited moneys shall be paid to the treasurer of state for deposit into the peace officer training commission fund.

(3)(a)(i) Prior to being allocated or using any proceeds or forfeited moneys out of the highway patrol state contraband, forfeiture, and other fund,; the division of forestry law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund; the division of natural areas and preserves law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund; the division of wildlife law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund; the division of parks and recreation law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund; the division of watercraft law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund; the department of public safety investigative unit contraband, forfeiture, and other fund,; the department of taxation enforcement fund,; the board of pharmacy drug law enforcement fund,; or a law enforcement trust fund under division (D)(1)(c) of this section, the state highway patrol, the division of forestry, natural areas and preserves, wildlife, parks and recreation, or watercraft in the department of natural resources, the department of public safety, the department of taxation, the state board of pharmacy, and a county sheriff, prosecuting attorney, municipal corporation police department, township police department, township police district police force, office of the constable, or park district police force or law enforcement department shall adopt a written internal control policy that addresses the state highway patrol's, division of forestry's, division of natural areas and preserves', division of wildlife's, division of parks and recreation's, division of watercraft's, department of public safety's, department of taxation's, state board of pharmacy's, sheriff's, prosecuting attorney's, police department's, police force's, office of the constable's, or law enforcement department's use and disposition of all the proceeds and forfeited moneys received and that provides for the keeping of detailed financial records of the receipts of the proceeds and forfeited moneys, the general types of expenditures made out of the proceeds and forfeited moneys, the specific amount of each general type of expenditure, and the amounts, portions, and programs described in division (D)(3)(a)(ii) of this section. The policy shall not provide for or permit the identification of any specific expenditure that is made in an ongoing investigation.

All financial records of the receipts of the proceeds and forfeited moneys, the general types of expenditures made out of the proceeds and forfeited moneys, the specific amount of each general type of expenditure by the state highway patrol, by the division of forestry, natural areas and preserves, wildlife, parks and recreation, or watercraft in the department of natural resources, by the department of public safety, by the department of taxation, by the state board of pharmacy, and by a sheriff, prosecuting attorney, municipal corporation police department, township police department, township police district police force, office of the constable, or park district police force or law enforcement department, and the amounts, portions, and programs described in division (D)(3)(a)(ii) of this section are public records open for inspection under section 149.43 of the Revised Code. Additionally, a written internal control policy adopted under this division is a public record of that nature, and the state highway patrol, the division of forestry, natural areas and preserves, wildlife, parks and recreation, or watercraft in the department of natural resources, the department of public safety, the department of taxation, the state board of pharmacy, or the sheriff, prosecuting attorney, municipal corporation police department, township police department, township police district police force, office of the constable, or park district police force or law enforcement department that adopted it shall comply with it.

(ii) The written internal control policy of a county sheriff, prosecuting attorney, municipal corporation police department, township police department, township police district police force, office of the constable, or park district police force or law enforcement department shall provide that at least ten per cent of the first one hundred thousand dollars of proceeds and forfeited moneys deposited during each calendar year in the sheriff's, prosecuting attorney's, municipal corporation's, township's, or park district's law enforcement trust fund pursuant to division (B)(7)(c)(ii) of section 2923.46 or division (B)(8)(c)(ii) of section 2925.44 of the Revised Code, and at least twenty per cent of the proceeds and forfeited moneys exceeding one hundred thousand dollars that are so deposited, shall be used in connection with community preventive education programs. The manner in which the described percentages are so used shall be determined by the sheriff, prosecuting attorney, department, police force, or office of the constable after the receipt and consideration of advice on appropriate community preventive education programs from the county's board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services, from the county's alcohol and drug addiction services board, or through appropriate community dialogue. The financial records described in division (D)(3)(a)(i) of this section shall specify the amount of the proceeds and forfeited moneys deposited during each calendar year in the sheriff's, prosecuting attorney's, municipal corporation's, township's, or park district's law enforcement trust fund pursuant to division (B)(7)(c)(ii) of section 2923.46 or division (B)(8)(c)(ii) of section 2925.44 of the Revised Code, the portion of that amount that was used pursuant to the requirements of this division, and the community preventive education programs in connection with which the portion of that amount was so used.

As used in this division, "community preventive education programs" includes, but is not limited to, DARE programs and other programs designed to educate adults or children with respect to the dangers associated with the use of drugs of abuse.

(b) Each sheriff, prosecuting attorney, municipal corporation police department, township police department, township police district police force, office of the constable, or park district police force or law enforcement department that receives in any calendar year any proceeds or forfeited moneys out of a law enforcement trust fund under division (D)(1)(c) of this section or uses any proceeds or forfeited moneys in its law enforcement trust fund in any calendar year shall prepare a report covering the calendar year that cumulates all of the information contained in all of the public financial records kept by the sheriff, prosecuting attorney, municipal corporation police department, township police department, township police district police force, office of the constable, or park district police force or law enforcement department pursuant to division (D)(3)(a) of this section for that calendar year, and shall send a copy of the cumulative report, no later than the first day of March in the calendar year following the calendar year covered by the report, to the attorney general.

The superintendent of the state highway patrol shall prepare a report covering each calendar year in which the state highway patrol uses any proceeds or forfeited moneys in the highway patrol state contraband, forfeiture, and other fund under division (D)(1)(c) of this section, that cumulates all of the information contained in all of the public financial records kept by the state highway patrol pursuant to division (D)(3)(a) of this section for that calendar year, and shall send a copy of the cumulative report, no later than the first day of March in the calendar year following the calendar year covered by the report, to the attorney general.

The chiefs of the divisions of forestry, natural areas and preserves, wildlife, parks and recreation, and watercraft in the department of natural resources each shall prepare a report covering each calendar year in which the division of forestry, natural areas and preserves, wildlife, parks and recreation, or watercraft in the department of natural resources, respectively, uses any proceeds or forfeited moneys in the division of forestry contraband, forfeiture, and other fund, the division of natural areas and preserves law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund, the division of wildlife law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund, the division of parks and recreation law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund, or the division of watercraft law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund, respectively, under division (D)(1)(c) of this section that cumulates all of the information contained in all of the public financial records kept by the appropriate division of the department of natural resources pursuant to division (D)(3)(a) of this section for that calendar year and shall send a copy of the cumulative report, not later than the first day of March in the calendar year following the calendar year covered by the report, to the attorney general.

The department of public safety shall prepare a report covering each fiscal year in which the department uses any proceeds or forfeited moneys in the department of public safety investigative unit contraband, forfeiture, and other fund under division (D)(1)(c) of this section that cumulates all of the information contained in all of the public financial records kept by the department pursuant to division (D)(3)(a) of this section for that fiscal year. The department shall send a copy of the cumulative report to the attorney general no later than the first day of August in the fiscal year following the fiscal year covered by the report. The director of public safety shall include in the report a verification that proceeds and forfeited moneys paid into the department of public safety investigative unit contraband, forfeiture, and other fund under division (D)(1)(c) of this section during the preceding fiscal year were used by the department during that fiscal year only for the purposes authorized by that division and shall specify the amount used for each authorized purpose.

The tax commissioner shall prepare a report covering each calendar year in which the department of taxation enforcement division uses any proceeds or forfeited moneys in the department of taxation enforcement fund under division (D)(1)(c) of this section, that cumulates all of the information contained in all of the public financial records kept by the department of taxation enforcement division pursuant to division (D)(3)(a) of this section for that calendar year, and shall send a copy of the cumulative report, not later than the first day of March in the calendar year following the calendar year covered by the report, to the attorney general.

The executive director of the state board of pharmacy shall prepare a report covering each calendar year in which the board uses any proceeds or forfeited moneys in the board of pharmacy drug law enforcement fund under division (D)(1)(c) of this section, that cumulates all of the information contained in all of the public financial records kept by the board pursuant to division (D)(3)(a) of this section for that calendar year, and shall send a copy of the cumulative report, no later than the first day of March in the calendar year following the calendar year covered by the report, to the attorney general. Each

Each report received by the attorney general is a public record open for inspection under section 149.43 of the Revised Code. Not later than the fifteenth day of April in the calendar year in which the reports are received, the attorney general shall send to the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives a written notification that does all of the following:

(i) Indicates that the attorney general has received from entities or persons specified in this division reports of the type described in this division that cover the previous calendar year and indicates that the reports were received under this division;

(ii) Indicates that the reports are open for inspection under section 149.43 of the Revised Code;

(iii) Indicates that the attorney general will provide a copy of any or all of the reports to the president of the senate or the speaker of the house of representatives upon request.

(4)(a) A law enforcement agency that receives pursuant to federal law proceeds from a sale of forfeited contraband, proceeds from another disposition of forfeited contraband, or forfeited contraband moneys shall deposit, use, and account for the proceeds or forfeited moneys in accordance with, and otherwise comply with, the applicable federal law.

(b) If the state highway patrol receives pursuant to federal law proceeds from a sale of forfeited contraband, proceeds from another disposition of forfeited contraband, or forfeited contraband moneys, the appropriate governmental officials shall deposit the proceeds into the highway patrol federal contraband, forfeiture, and other fund, which is hereby created in the state treasury. All interest or other earnings derived from the investment of the proceeds or forfeited moneys shall be credited to the fund. The state highway patrol shall use and account for that interest or other earnings in accordance with the applicable federal law.

(c) If the chief of the division of forestry, natural areas and preserves, wildlife, parks and recreation, or watercraft in the department of natural resources receives pursuant to federal law proceeds from a sale of forfeited contraband, proceeds from another disposition of forfeited contraband, or forfeited contraband moneys, the appropriate government officials shall deposit into the division of forestry law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund, the division of natural areas and preserves law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund, the division of wildlife law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund, the division of parks and recreation law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund, or the division of watercraft law enforcement contraband, forfeiture, and other fund, as appropriate, all interest or other earnings derived from the investment of the proceeds or forfeited moneys. The appropriate division shall use and account for that interest or other earnings in accordance with the applicable federal law.

(d) If the investigative unit of the department of public safety receives pursuant to federal law proceeds from a sale of forfeited contraband, proceeds from another disposition of forfeited contraband, or forfeited contraband moneys, the appropriate governmental officials shall deposit the proceeds into the department of public safety investigative unit federal equitable share account fund, which is hereby created in the state treasury. All interest or other earnings derived from the investment of the proceeds or forfeited moneys shall be credited to the fund. The department shall use and account for that interest or other earnings in accordance with the applicable federal law.

(d)(e) If the tax commissioner receives pursuant to federal law proceeds from a sale of forfeited contraband, proceeds from another disposition of forfeited contraband, or forfeited contraband moneys, the appropriate governmental officials shall deposit into the department of taxation enforcement fund all interest or other earnings derived from the investment of the proceeds or forfeited moneys. The department shall use and account for that interest or other earnings in accordance with the applicable federal law.

(e)(f) Divisions (D)(1) to (3) of this section do not apply to proceeds or forfeited moneys received pursuant to federal law or to the interest or other earnings that are derived from the investment of proceeds or forfeited moneys received pursuant to federal law and that are described in division (D)(4)(b) of this section.

(E) Upon the sale pursuant to this section of any property that is required to be titled or registered under law, the state shall issue an appropriate certificate of title or registration to the purchaser. If the state is vested with title pursuant to division (C) of this section and elects to retain property that is required to be titled or registered under law, the state shall issue an appropriate certificate of title or registration.

(F) Notwithstanding any provisions of this section to the contrary, any property that is lawfully seized in relation to a violation of section 2923.32 of the Revised Code shall be subject to forfeiture and disposition in accordance with sections 2923.32 to 2923.36 of the Revised Code; any property that is forfeited pursuant to section 2923.44 or 2923.45 of the Revised Code in relation to a violation of section 2923.42 of the Revised Code or in relation to an act of a juvenile that is a violation of section 2923.42 of the Revised Code may be subject to forfeiture and disposition in accordance with sections 2923.44 to 2923.47 of the Revised Code; and any property that is forfeited pursuant to section 2925.42 or 2925.43 of the Revised Code in relation to a felony drug abuse offense, as defined in section 2925.01 of the Revised Code, or in relation to an act that, if committed by an adult, would be a felony drug abuse offense of that nature, may be subject to forfeiture and disposition in accordance with sections 2925.41 to 2925.45 of the Revised Code or this section.

(G) Any failure of a law enforcement officer or agency, a prosecuting attorney, village solicitor, city director of law, or similar chief legal officer, a court, or the attorney general to comply with any duty imposed by this section in relation to any property seized or with any other provision of this section in relation to any property seized does not affect the validity of the seizure of the property, provided that the seizure itself was made in accordance with law, and is not and shall not be considered to be the basis for the suppression of any evidence resulting from the seizure of the property, provided that the seizure itself was made in accordance with law.

(H) Contraband that has been forfeited pursuant to division (C) of this section shall not be available for use to pay any fine imposed upon a person who is convicted of or pleads guilty to an underlying criminal offense or a different offense arising out of the same facts and circumstances.

Sec. 4115.04.  (A)(1) Every public authority authorized to contract for or construct with its own forces a public improvement, before advertising for bids or undertaking such construction with its own forces, shall have the director of commerce determine the prevailing rates of wages of mechanics and laborers in accordance with section 4115.05 of the Revised Code for the class of work called for by the public improvement, in the locality where the work is to be performed. Such Except as provided in division (A)(2) of this section, that schedule of wages shall be attached to and made part of the specifications for the work, and shall be printed on the bidding blanks where the work is done by contract. A copy of the bidding blank shall be filed with the director before such the contract is awarded. A minimum rate of wages for common laborers, on work coming under the jurisdiction of the department of transportation, shall be fixed in each county of the state by said the department of transportation, in accordance with section 4115.05 of the Revised Code.

(2) In the case of contracts that are administered by the department of natural resources, the director of natural resources or the director's designee shall include language in the contracts requiring wage rate determinations and updates to be obtained directly from the department of commerce through electronic or other means as appropriate. Contracts that include this requirement are exempt from the requirements established in division (A)(1) of this section that involve attaching the schedule of wages to the specifications for the work, making the schedule part of those specifications, and printing the schedule on the bidding blanks where the work is done by contract.

(B) Sections 4115.03 to 4115.16 of the Revised Code do not apply to:

(1) Public improvements in any case where the federal government or any of its agencies furnishes by loan or grant all or any part of the funds used in constructing such improvements, provided that the federal government or any of its agencies prescribes predetermined minimum wages to be paid to mechanics and laborers employed in the construction of such improvements;

(2) A participant in a work activity, developmental activity, or an alternative work activity under sections 5107.40 to 5107.69 of the Revised Code when a public authority directly uses the labor of the participant to construct a public improvement if the participant is not engaged in paid employment or subsidized employment pursuant to the activity;

(3) Public improvements undertaken by, or under contract for, the board of education of any school district or the governing board of any educational service center;

(4) Public improvements undertaken by, or under contract for, a county hospital operated pursuant to Chapter 339. of the Revised Code or a municipal hospital operated pursuant to Chapter 749. of the Revised Code if none of the funds used in constructing the improvements are the proceeds of bonds or other obligations which that are secured by the full faith and credit of the state, a county, a township, or a municipal corporation and none of the funds used in constructing the improvements, including funds used to repay any amounts borrowed to construct the improvements, are funds that have been appropriated for that purpose by the state, a board of county commissioners, a township, or a municipal corporation from funds generated by the levy of a tax;, provided, however, that a county hospital or municipal hospital may elect to apply sections 4115.03 to 4115.16 of the Revised Code to a public improvement undertaken by, or under contract for, the hospital.

Sec. 6111.034.  The director of environmental protection shall not issue any order under division (H) of section 6111.03 of the Revised Code that would require a board of county commissioners, legislative authority of a municipal corporation, or other governing board of any other public entity to levy an assessment for a water or sewer project unless the water and sewer commission created in division (B)(C) of section 1525.11 of the Revised Code certifies to the director that sufficient funds exist in the water and sewer fund created in division (A) of section 1525.11 of the Revised Code to advance money to the affected public entity in an amount equal to the total assessment that is not collectible as a result of section 929.03 or 1517.052 of the Revised Code, as applicable.

Section 2. That existing sections 123.01, 123.04, 307.37, 1501.011, 1501.07, 1501.32, 1502.01, 1502.03, 1502.12, 1503.23, 1504.02, 1506.04, 1507.01, 1515.10, 1517.02, 1517.11, 1517.14, 1517.15, 1520.02, 1520.03, 1520.05, 1520.07, 1521.01, 1521.04, 1521.05, 1521.13, 1521.14, 1521.18, 1521.19, 1521.99, 1525.11, 1525.12, 1531.01, 1531.02, 1531.04, 1531.06, 1531.17, 1531.20, 1531.99, 1533.08, 1533.09, 1533.10, 1533.11, 1533.12, 1533.131, 1533.171, 1533.68, 1533.86, 1541.03, 1541.05, 1541.22, 1547.08, 1547.51, 1547.54, 1547.541, 1547.75, 1547.99, 1548.02, 2923.35, 2933.43, 4115.04, and 6111.034 and sections 1502.11 and 1521.08 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.

Section 3.  Section 1525.11 of the Revised Code is presented in this act as a composite of the section as amended by both Am. Sub. H.B. 117 and Am. Sub. H.B. 356 of the 121st General Assembly. The General Assembly, applying the principle stated in division (B) of section 1.52 of the Revised Code that amendments are to be harmonized if reasonably capable of simultaneous operation, finds that the composite is the resulting version of the section in effect prior to the effective date of the section as presented in this act.

Section 4.  Section 1547.54 of the Revised Code is presented in this act as a composite of the section as amended by both Sub. H.B. 345 and Sub. S.B. 150 of the 124th General Assembly. The General Assembly, applying the principle stated in division (B) of section 1.52 of the Revised Code that amendments are to be harmonized if reasonably capable of simultaneous operation, finds that the composite is the resulting version of the section in effect prior to the effective date of the section as presented in this act.