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Ohio · reviewed September 2026

Seasonal RV site agreements in Ohio

What Ohio law says about seasonal and annual RV guests, sub-metered electricity, sales tax and online signatures — and the clauses your agreement should carry because of it. Written for park owners, not lawyers.

Guest or tenant?Ohio's landlord-tenant act does not apply to 'recreational vehicle parks, recreation camps, combined park-camps, temporary park-camps, and other similar facilities where circumstances indicate a transient occupancy' (§ 5321.01(C)).
Metered electricOhio has no statute specific to campground sub-metering.
Sales / lodging taxState sales tax applies to 'lodging by a hotel' (5+ sleeping rooms) furnished to 'transient guests' (under 30 consecutive days); bare campsite/RV-site rentals are not hotel rooms and are not named in the statute, so seasonal site fees are generally outside the state lodging sales tax, but county/municipal lodging taxes (R.C. 5739.09) vary and some counties define lodging to include campgrounds.
Signing onlineUniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) (Ohio Rev. Code ch. 1306)

Short version. Details, citations and sources are below.

Is a seasonal guest a tenant in Ohio?

Ohio's landlord-tenant act does not apply to 'recreational vehicle parks, recreation camps, combined park-camps, temporary park-camps, and other similar facilities where circumstances indicate a transient occupancy' (§ 5321.01(C)). There is no fixed day count; the test is whether the facts look transient, so a camper who lives on site year-round as a primary residence risks being treated as a tenant. Chapter 3729 gives licensed parks a specific process when a 'campsite use agreement' expires: the user has 5 days to remove property, then the operator sends a 10-day written notice and can ask municipal/county court for an order to have the RV and property removed and stored.

What that means for notices and removal

For end-of-agreement holdovers: § 3729.13 process (5-day removal period, 10-day written notice, court seizure order). If circumstances make the occupancy non-transient, use forcible entry and detainer under R.C. ch. 1923 (3-day notice, § 1923.04) and ch. 5321 rules.

Cite: Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.01(C); § 3729.13

Sub-metering electricity to RV sites in Ohio

Ohio has no statute specific to campground sub-metering. A May 2026 Ohio Supreme Court decision held that third-party submetering/reseller companies are public utilities under R.C. 4905.03, and legislation to regulate resellers is pending, so the rules are in flux. Owner-operated at-cost sub-metering of seasonal sites is common, but keep charges at or below your utility's rate and watch PUCO/legislative action.

Cite: Ohio Rev. Code § 4905.03; In re Complaint of Ohio Power Co. v. Nationwide Energy Partners, 2026-Ohio-1406

Sales and lodging tax on seasonal sites in Ohio

State sales tax applies to 'lodging by a hotel' (5+ sleeping rooms) furnished to 'transient guests' (under 30 consecutive days); bare campsite/RV-site rentals are not hotel rooms and are not named in the statute, so seasonal site fees are generally outside the state lodging sales tax, but county/municipal lodging taxes (R.C. 5739.09) vary and some counties define lodging to include campgrounds. Confirm with the Ohio Department of Taxation and your county.

Cite: Ohio Rev. Code § 5739.01(B)(2), (M), (N); § 5739.09

Signing agreements online in Ohio

Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA). Electronic signatures are valid for seasonal site agreements when the guest agrees to sign electronically, intends to sign, and the record is kept in a form that can be reproduced and shown not to have changed. Seasonal Sites records the signer’s typed name, email, time, IP address and a SHA-256 fingerprint of the exact text signed, and stores the signed PDF.

Cite: Ohio Rev. Code ch. 1306

Clauses to include in a Ohio seasonal agreement

These are added on top of the eleven sections in the free template. Adjust the bracketed parts and have a local attorney read the result.

Recreational use, not a residence"The Site is licensed for recreational use only. The Guest maintains a permanent residence elsewhere at the address above, and the Site is not the Guest’s primary residence. Nothing in this agreement creates a residential tenancy." In this state the line between a recreational guest and a residential tenant is what decides which removal process applies, so say it plainly and keep the guest’s home address on file.
Notice periodMatch the notice periods in your termination section to the ones the state uses (5-day notice appears in the rules summarized above) rather than inventing shorter ones; a shorter contractual notice is not enforceable where the statute sets a floor.
Metered electricityBill metered electricity at your actual utility cost and say so in the agreement; where a state or utility tariff speaks to resale, at-cost pass-through is the safe harbor everywhere we looked.
Term length and taxState the exact term dates and that the agreement is for a continuous stay of 30 days or more, and keep the signed copy with the term on it — where the summary above shows a long-stay exemption, that document is usually what the auditor asks for.
Electronic signature consent"The Guest consents to sign this agreement electronically and to receive invoices, receipts and notices by email at the address above." Keep the signer name, email, date/time, IP address and a fingerprint of the signed text.

Your state association is a good second opinion on all of this: Ohio Campground Owners Association (OCOA).

Get the free seasonal site agreement template

Eleven plain-English sections, Word and PDF, with bracketed fields to fill in. Then paste the Ohio clauses above into it.

Or skip the paperwork entirely

Seasonal Sites takes this same agreement, fills in each guest’s name, site, rate and dates, emails them a link to sign on their phone, puts the installments on autopay, bills metered electric from your readings, and keeps the signed PDF with the audit record. Renewals for the whole park go out in one click. It works beside whatever reservation system you already use.

Other states

Sources

This page summarizes public sources as of September 2026 for park owners and is not legal or tax advice. Statutes, tariffs and tax rules change; confirm anything you rely on with the agency or an attorney licensed in Ohio. Found an error? Email hello@seasonalsites.com.