Ohio lawmakers approve major property tax cut

Ohio House and Senate lawmakers approved more than 30 bills on Wednesday, among which were several property tax-related bills that would deliver a significant property tax cut by limiting how much taxes can increase solely due to rising property values.

The nonpartisan Legislative Service Commission estimates the bills will cut taxes by more than $2 billion over three years, according to Signal Ohio. 

The bill is now headed to Republican Gov. Mike DeWine for his signature. It is not clear whether DeWine will sign the bill, as he previously vetoed the Republicans’ plan for property tax relief, The Columbus Dispatch reported.

Before making a final decision on Wednesday, the Senate rewrote one of the bills to increase a homeowners’ tax discount.

Several Republican Ohio State representatives published press releases informing their constituents of their votes on property tax-related bills.

In his press release, State Rep. Brian Lorenz, R-Powell, said that “the passage of House Bills 129, 186, 309 and 335, marks real progress for Ohio taxpayers.”

“These bills take meaningful steps to rein in property tax growth, bring more transparency to local levies, and ensure homeowners, especially seniors, are not being priced out of their communities,” he said. “This is a strong start. I will continue fighting for conservative, commonsense reforms that protect taxpayers and keep Ohio affordable for the families who built it.”

State Rep. Riordan McClain, R-Upper Sandusky, said that “these changes will provide property tax relief in 2026 for Ohioans as well as lasting changes to the root causes of our recent tax spikes.”

“By adding reasonable inflationary caps, providing better transparency and empowering the county budget commission, there are tools in place to prevent what’s happened over the last few years moving forward,” he said.

State Rep. Bob Peterson, R-Sabina, pointed out that “concerns about the dramatic increases in property taxes have been the loudest and most frequent comments” he has ever heard from his constituents this year.

“These bills passed will keep property taxes in check and are critical elements that will ensure Ohioans keep more of their money in their pocket,” Peterson said.  

State Rep. Tracy Richardson, R-Marysville, also said that she voted in favor of passing the bills.

“My intent is to ensure that the residents of my district and all Ohioans receive property tax help in 2026 and protection from property tax hikes in the future. These bills build on our continuing efforts to make Ohio a more affordable place to live, work, and raise a family,” she wrote.

Ohio Republicans previously introduced several property tax-related bills.