Ohio Local Government
Structure and Finance

Bulletin 835-98

C. Local Governments Generally

Local political subdivisions, all creatures of the state government, share certain attributes, as follows:

1. They have no sovereignty of their own. Any sovereignty they possess, such as limited immunity from liability, derives from the state government.

2. They have limited powers. The Constitution of Ohio and the Ohio Revised Code outline the powers of each type of local government.

3. All local governments except for municipalities and charter counties are administrative units of state government, instruments for administering state law. Municipalities and charter counties possess home rule authority, which gives them law-making authority of their own. Recent legislation gives townships limited self-government, if approved by the voters of the township, as described in ORC 504 and 505.

All local governments fall within two major categories: general-purpose and special-purpose. General-purpose governments are municipalities, counties and townships. Special purpose governments overlie general purpose governments and provide a wide variety of services.