county fairs

Ferris wheel under blue sky.
By: Jeffrey K. Lewis, Esq., Monday, July 12th, 2021

Fair season is in full swing, and after a year off, fair goers are eager to indulge in fair food, games, and rides.  Additionally, thanks to a new law, Ohio is hoping to make this the safest fair season yet.  This comes after the tragic death of Tyler Jarrell at the 2017 Ohio State Fair.  The 18-year-old fair goer passed away when the Fire Ball ride broke apart.  Tyler and seven others were injured in the accident, which was later blamed on excessive corrosion.  To help prevent another tragedy, Governor DeWine signed House Bill 189, also known as “Tyler’s Law”, into action last November.  Tyler’s Law, which is enforced by the Ohio Department of Agriculture (“ODA”), strengthens Ohio’s existing laws on amusement rides, adds additional safety inspection standards, defines specific qualifications for ride inspectors, and outlines additional owner responsibilities.

Tyler’s Legacy on Ohio’s Amusement Ride Laws

It may come as a surprise, but the ODA is not only responsible for safe food, meat, dairy, and protecting Ohio’s livestock, crops, and plants; it is also responsible for ensuring the safety and wellbeing of Ohioans and visitors from across the world when they visit Ohio’s fairs, festivals, and amusement parks.  Specifically, the ODA is responsible for ensuring that all amusement rides are safe for ride enthusiasts.  Below is a brief overview of Ohio’s current amusement ride laws and the ODA’s new requirements enacted by Tyler’s Law. 

Amusement Ride Permits.  Owners of amusement rides must apply for a yearly permit through the ODA.  The ODA will only issue a permit if the owner has submitted a completed application with inspection fees, provided proof of insurance, provided an itinerary of where the amusement ride will be operating, and proof that the ride has undergone and passed an initial inspection.  

Initial inspection, midseason inspection, and additional safety inspections.  Ohio law requires that all amusement rides complete an initial inspection and requires certain amusement rides to undergo a midseason inspection.  All inspections must be completed by authorized inspectors and the ODA may require additional safety inspections of any amusement ride throughout the year.  

Fatigue and Corrosion Review.  One of the key changes implemented by Tyler’s law is an owner’s obligation to complete a fatigue and corrosion review. These reviews are additional safety inspections to help prevent another tragedy like the one in 2017.  A ride owner’s obligations are determined by how their ride is categorized.  Ohio has categorized amusement rides as follows: 

  • “Low Intensity Rides” – includes all kiddie rides, carousels, go karts, and inflatable devises.  A kiddie ride is a ride that is primarily designed for children 48 inches and under. 
  • “Intermediate Rides” – all rides that are not Low Intensity Rides, Towers, or Rollercoasters. 
  • “Towers” – any amusement ride, other than a roller coaster, whose main body components reach a height of twenty feet or more. 
  • “Roller Coasters” – any ride licensed under Ohio law and whose main body components reach a height of fifty feet or more.  

Owners of any type of amusement ride must ensure that that their ride meets the manufacturer’s minimum requirements for inspection and testing.  If there are no manufacturer specifications, then an owner must ensure that the ride conforms to generally accepted engineering standards and practices. 

In addition to meeting a manufacturer’s specifications or accepted engineering standards, owners of Intermediate Rides, Towers, and Roller Coasters must also conduct a visual inspection of their ride looking for signs of fatigue and corrosion.  If fatigue or corrosion are found, the owner must discuss the findings with the ride’s manufacturer or a registered engineer and implement any suggested mitigation strategies.  Once an owner has completed their visual fatigue and corrosion review, the owner must document the findings and provide the ODA with a copy.  All documents must be maintained for the life of the ride and provided to any subsequent owner.  If an owner fails to implement and follow the suggested mitigation strategies, the ODA can immediately shut down the ride.   

As it stands, owners of Low Intensity Rides and Intermediate Rides are the only category of owners obligated to follow the new fatigue and corrosion review rules.  Owners of Towers will be required to follow the new rules starting in April of 2022 and Owners of Roller Coasters will have to comply starting in April of 2023. 

Records of storage and/or out state operation.  Tyler’s law also requires owners of portable amusement rides to provide documentation providing all locations and dates where the ride was stored for 30 days or more.  Additionally, an owner is required to provide documentation identifying all locations and dates where the ride was operated, if it was operated outside of Ohio.  

Ride Inspections.  Ohio law also establishes the minimum number of times a ride must be inspected each year as well as the number of inspectors that must be at each inspectio

Ride Category

Number of Inspections

Number of Inspectors for Initial Inspection

Number of Inspectors for Additional Inspections

Low Intensity 

1

1

1

Intermediate 

2

2

1

Towers

2

2

2

Roller Coasters

2

2

2

Maintenance requirements.  Owners are required to maintain maintenance, repair, pre-opening inspection, and any additional inspection records for each amusement ride.  An owner is required to keep these records for at least two years.  Owners must also provide checklists and training to any person who is to be performing ride maintenance throughout the ride’s operational cycle.  

Valid decals.  Owners of amusement rides are required to display a decal issued by the ODA representing that the owner and ride have complied with Ohio’s laws and are allowed to operate within the state.  If no decal appears, a ride should be prevented from operating until a valid permit is furnished by the owner.  

Rider Obligations.  Owners are not the only party with responsibilities when it comes to amusement rides.  Riders are prohibited from engaging in certain conduct that create an increased risk of danger for a rider and others around them.  A rider must: 

  • Heed all warnings and directions of an amusement ride; and
  • Not behave in any way that might cause injury or contribute to injuring self or other riders while occupying an amusement ride.

Conclusion.  Although amusement parks like King’s Island and Cedar Point are already subject to some of the additional safety measures of Tyler’s Law, this will be the first fair season with the new regulations.  Fair has provided generations of Ohioans with fond memories, joy, and reasons to celebrate, and through Tyler’s legacy, Ohio seeks to take all the steps necessary to try and ensure that fair is nothing but a happy occasion for all. To learn more about Ohio’s laws regarding amusement rides visit the Ohio Revised Code and the Ohio Administrative Code.  

 

Fair rides
By: Peggy Kirk Hall, Monday, December 28th, 2020

Written by Jeffrey Lewis, Attorney, Agricultural & Resource Law Program

Ohio’s past fair season was mayhem thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, but some help is on the way.  The Ohio General Assembly passed legislation on December 22 aimed at updating laws and regulations governing agricultural societies and local county fairs.  Major highlights of the bill include increasing the amount that a county or independent agricultural society receives for operation expenses from a county, removing the cap on the amounts that a county may transfer to an agricultural society for junior club expenses associated with operating fairgrounds, and increasing the total amount of debt that a society may incur. Here’s a more detailed summary of the provisions contained within House Bill 665.

County payments to county or independent agricultural societies

For county and independent agricultural societies, H.B. 665 increases, from $800 to $1,600, the max amount that a county treasurer must annually transfer to a society operating within the county. The County Auditor is required to request that the County Treasurer make the transfer if: (1) the society held an annual fair; (2) the society has made an annual report to the Director of Agriculture concerning the fair; and (3) the Director presents a certificate to the County Auditor indicating that the society has complied with the applicable laws of Ohio.

H.B. 665 also removes the $500 cap on the annual amount that a Board of County Commissioners must reimburse an agricultural society for junior club expenses. Additionally, the $2,000 cap on the amount that a Board of Commissioners must annually appropriate to a county agricultural society has been removed, but only if the society: (1) owns or leases real estate used as a fairground; (2) has control and management of the lands and buildings on the fairground; and (3) requests an appropriation from the Board.

Debt authorization

H.B. 665 expands the total amount of debt that an agricultural society may incur. Under the new law, county and independent agricultural societies’ annual payments for debt obligations cannot exceed 25% of the prior three-year average of its annual revenue. However, a county agricultural society must obtain approval from the Board of County Commissioners prior to incurring any debt if the Board pays or has paid money out of the county treasury to purchase the society’s fairgrounds. 

Other notable provisions

  • H.B. 665 removes restrictions on how proceeds for beer/liquor sales are to be used.
  • Any county or independent agricultural society member can sell seasonal tickets or passes for the society’s annual fair and the sale need not be conducted on the premises of the fairgrounds.
  • Any property owned by an agricultural society is now tax exempt, so long as that property is “used in furtherance” of the society’s purposes.
  • Modernizes the manner in which a county agricultural society must publish its annual financial information.
  • If the Board of County Commissioners wish to sell or exchange the fairgrounds, the Board must notify the applicable agricultural society 14 days prior to the sale or exchange.

H.B. 665 modernizes Ohio fair laws and agricultural society laws, some of which have not been updated since the 1950s. Many of the provisions contained within H.B. 665 were set to help out local agricultural societies for the 2020 fair season, and thus many provisions expired on December 1, 2020. However, the modernization and updates to Ohio’s laws will hopefully make next year’s fair season that much better. H.B. 665 now awaits Governor DeWine’s signature.

Posted In:
Tags: county fairs, agricultural societies, 4-H
Comments: 0
By: Ellen Essman, Tuesday, June 16th, 2020

There’s been a lot of action in the Ohio General Assembly over the last few weeks ahead of the body’s summer break.  Specifically, the House of Representatives has considered bills involving a student debt forgiveness program for veterinarians, animal abuse, road safety in Amish country, immunity for apiary owners for bee stings, and a bill meant to support county fairs during the COVID pandemic. Finally, both the Ohio House and Senate have passed bills that would limit liability involving the transfer of COVID-19.  

Animal-drawn vehicle lighting. House Bill 501, concerning slow-moving, animal drawn vehicles, was introduced in February of 2020 and was first heard in the House Transportation & Public Safety committee on June 2.  The purpose of HB 501 is to “clarify the law governing slow-moving vehicles and to revise the lighting and reflective material requirements applicable to animal-drawn vehicles.” The bill would require animal-drawn vehicles, like the buggies typically driven by the Amish, to have the following: (1) at least one white lamp in the front visible from 1,000 feet or more; (2) two red lamps in the rear visible from 1000 or more; (3) one yellow flashing lamp mounted on the top most portion of the rear of the vehicle; (4) a slow moving vehicle (SMV) emblem; and (5) micro-prism reflective tape that is visible from at least 500 feet to the rear when illuminated by low beams on a vehicle.  In the committee hearing, HB 501 had mostly positive feedback, and was touted as a solution to crashes involving animal-drawn vehicles in poor visibility. 

When the bee stings.  HB 496, which would grant apiary owners immunity for bee stings, passed the Ohio House on June 9, 2020.  The bill would protect the owner of a registered apiary from liability in the case of a personal injury or property damage from a sting if they do the following: (1) implement and comply with the beekeeping industry best management practices (BMPs) as established by the department of agriculture; (2) keep correct and complete records of their implementation and compliance with BMPs and make the records available in a legal proceeding; (3) comply with local zoning ordinances pertaining to apiaries; (4) operate the apiary in compliance with the Ohio Revised Code.  Notably, the bill would not protect apiarists from harming a person intentionally or through gross negligence.  The bill now moves on to the Ohio Senate for consideration.

Debt forgiveness for veterinarians.  The House also passed HB 67 on June 10, 2020.  This bill would create the “veterinarian student debt assistance program,” which would determine which veterinarians would receive student debt assistance, and how much each person would receive.  The amount awarded must be between $5,000 and $10,000.  Essentially, if the new veterinarian agrees to live in Ohio for a certain amount of time, and to participate in “charitable veterinarian services” like spaying and neutering for a nonprofit organization, humane society, law enforcement agency, or state, local, or federal government, student debt could be forgiven.  The details, including how many hours a veterinarian would need to work for charity, the types of charities that qualify, the amount of time a person must live in Ohio, and others would be determined by State Veterinary Medical Licenses Board. 

Animal abuse. HB 33 passed the lower chamber on June 11, 2020.  This bill would require veterinarians, social service professionals (people who work at the county Job and Family Services, Children’s Services), counselors, social workers, and other similar professions to report violations against “companion animals” (dogs, cats, other animals kept in a residential dwelling), to law enforcement and/or the county humane agent or animal control officer.  People in these professions would have to report when they have “knowledge or reasonable cause to suspect” that violations to companion animals are happening, and they know or suspect that a child or older adult (60 years and older) lives in the residence, and they know or suspect that the violation is having an impact on the child or older adult.  Violations include animal abandonment, injury, poisoning, cruelty, fighting, dog fighting, or sexual conduct with an animal. 

Assistance for county fairs.  If you’ve heard about any Ohio legislation recently, it was likely this bill.  HB 665 was passed by the House after much debate on June 11, 2020.  The 61 page bill makes a lot of changes to the statutory language.  Importantly, the bill would make it a misdemeanor for patrons not to follow written warnings and directions on amusement rides.  The bill also makes a number of changes to how county agricultural societies operate.  First of all, members of a county agricultural society would have to be residents of the county.  Members would have to pay a fee to retain membership, and the societies would have to issue a printed membership certificate to members.  In counties with an ag society, the county treasurer must transfer $1600 to the society each year as long as the society holds its annual exhibition, reports to the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA), and the director of ODA presents the society with a certificate showing it has followed applicable laws and regulations.  The bill also addresses independent agricultural societies, to which similar rules apply. The county board of commissioners would also be required to appropriate at least $100 to the ag society’s junior club.  The bill would require ag societies to create a report of its proceedings during the year, file a financial report and send it to the ODA director, and publish an announcement in the county newspaper or the society’s website a statement about the filing of the financial report, and contact information for people who want to obtain a copy of the report.  The bill also outlines the circumstances under which an ag society can sell fairgrounds or parts of fairgrounds.  Finally, an amendment to the bill was adopted that would allow rescheduling of horse races. 

So what was so controversial about this bill?  A suggested amendment to the bill led to a heated argument in the House.  The amendment would have banned sales and displays of confederate flags and other memorabilia at county fairs.  This ban is already in place at the Ohio State Fair, but not county fairs.  Ultimately, the bill passed in the house, but this amendment did not.  The vote to table the amendment was largely along party lines, with every Republican except one voting against the amendment, and all Democrats voting for.

COVID-19 liability. The House passed HB 606 back in May, and we discussed it in a blog post here.  As a refresher, the bill is meant to protect businesses, schools, corporations, people, etc. from liability.  It would accomplish this with the declaration: “orders and recommendations from the Executive Branch, from counties and local municipalities, from boards of health and other agencies, and from any federal government agency, do not create any new legal duties for purposes of tort liability.” In other words, as long as the person, school, or business did not expose or transfer the virus recklessly, intentionally, or with willful and wanton conduct, someone could not bring a civil action for injury, death, or loss to person or property if they contract COVID from the entity.  Furthermore, the bill also provides temporary civil immunity for health care providers, grants immunity to the State for care of persons in its custody or if an officer or employee becomes infected with COVID-19 in the performance or nonperformance of governmental functions and public duties, and expands the definition of “governmental functions” for purposes of political subdivision immunity to include actions taken during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ohio Senate passed a similar bill, SB 308. Unlike the House bill, SB 308 provides immunity only in the health care context.  The bill would provide immunity from civil liability for doctors, nurses, and others working in the health care arena during “disasters” like the current pandemic.  It would also provide a qualified immunity from liability to services providers for “manufacturing” and any other service “that is part of or outside of a service provider's normal course of business conducted during the period of a disaster or emergency declared due to COVID-19 and ending on April 1, 2021.” 

What’s next?  The Ohio Senate is scheduled to meet next week on an “as needed” basis.  During these tentatively scheduled sessions, the senate could consider the bills that have cleared the House—HBs 496, 67, 33, and 665.  If passed by the Senate, the bills would then move on to Governor DeWine for approval.  We will keep you updated on what the Senate and Governor decide.  In the case of the COVID immunity bills, each bill moved to the opposite house, where they are currently being considered in committees.  We’ll have to wait and see if one or both are sent on to DeWine, or if the two houses choose to somehow combine the bills into one document. 

Subscribe to RSS - county fairs