Ohio · application fee law
Are Rental Application Fees Legal in Ohio?
What Ohio lets a landlord charge to apply — and how that compares to what screening actually costs.
The legal line in Ohio
no cap — Ohio has no statewide cap on application fees. Fees are landlord-set and generally non-refundable; compare the charge to the real cost of screening.
What screening actually costs
A full tenant screen costs a landlord about $30. Landlords typically charge applicants $55 — so any fee well above ~$30 is mostly markup.
| Cap type | No cap |
|---|---|
| The legal line | no cap |
| Refund rights | No statutory refund right. |
| Receipt required | Not specified |
| Reusable screening report | Not specified |
| Statute | No specific application-fee statute (Ohio Rev. Code ch. 5321) |
Check your Ohio application fee
We'll compare it to the law and the real cost of screening.
How Ohio compares
See every state's cap, the real cost of screening, and the markup landlords add — the full picture in one place.
Informational only, not legal advice — verify No specific application-fee statute (Ohio Rev. Code ch. 5321) and current screening costs before acting.