Vehicle registration plates of Ohio facts for kids
Current series | |
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Name | Sunrise in Ohio |
Slogan | Birthplace of Aviation |
Size | 12 in × 6 in 30 cm × 15 cm |
Material | Aluminum |
Serial format | ABC 1234 |
Introduced | December 29, 2021 |
Availability | |
Issued by | Ohio Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Motor Vehicles |
Manufactured by | Ohio Penal Industries |
History | |
First issued | July 11, 1908 |
In Ohio, all drivers must register their vehicles and display special license plates. This rule started in 1908. Before that, some cities in Ohio, like Cleveland, had their own license plates as early as 1902.
Today, the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) issues these plates. The BMV is part of the Ohio Department of Public Safety. Since July 1, 2020, most vehicles only need a license plate on the back. However, drivers can sometimes ask for a second, special plate for an extra cost.
Did you know that people in Ohio prisons make all the license plates? They work for Ohio Penal Industries at the Lebanon Correctional Institution. Since 2015, the plates have been made from aluminum. Before that, they were made from galvanized steel. The BMV usually creates a new license plate design every five years or when a new governor takes office.
Ohio's current license plate design is called "Sunrise in Ohio." Governor Mike DeWine showed it off on October 21, 2021. Drivers could start getting these new plates on December 29, 2021. This new design replaced the "Ohio Pride" plate, which had been used since April 2013.
Contents
How Ohio License Plates Started
On May 19, 1902, Cleveland was one of the first cities in the United States to require drivers to show special numbers on their vehicles. Over the next few years, many other cities and towns in Ohio also started issuing their own metal license plates. These plates had different designs and numbers.
In 1906, the state of Ohio tried to take over vehicle registration with a law called the Ward Automobile Law. But there were some legal challenges, and it took time for the law to be approved. Finally, the Ohio Supreme Court said the law was valid.
The state's Automobile Division was created in 1907. This group later became the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) that we know today. The Ward Law officially began on June 11, 1908. However, the Automobile Division couldn't issue plates right away because of a problem with how they were made.
The very first state vehicle registration was given to Thomas B. Paxton, Jr., from Cincinnati, for his Franklin car. By 1909, the state's plates replaced all the local city plates for cars. But motorcycles continued to use local plates until 1914.
Changes to Ohio License Plates Over Time
The Ward Law said that cars needed plates on both the front and back. For over 100 years, passenger cars in Ohio had both front and rear plates. The only time this changed was from 1944 to 1946. During World War II, only rear plates were issued to save metal for the war effort.
From 1910 to 1973, Ohio issued new license plates every year. But in 1943 and 1952, drivers used stickers on their windshields to show that their plates from the previous year were still valid. This was also done to save metal during World War II and the Korean War.
Early Ohio license plates, from 1908 to 1921, used special symbols or letters instead of writing out "OHIO" completely. The 1938 plate was special because it celebrated 150 years since the Northwest Territory was created. Ohio was formed from this territory. This was the first plate in Ohio to have a picture and a slogan! In 1953, the BMV celebrated Ohio's 150th birthday as a state. They issued a special front plate with the shape of Ohio and the words "sesqui-centennial."

From 1935 to 1979, license plate numbers were given out in groups for each of Ohio's 88 counties. At first, numbers had one or two letters and up to five characters. As more people got cars, six-character numbers were introduced in 1949. Then, in 1962, plates started having only numbers. This system of giving numbers by county stopped in 1980.
In 1956, the United States, Canada, and Mexico agreed to make license plates a standard size. Most car plates became 6 inches tall and 12 inches wide. The 1956 (dated 1957) Ohio plate was the first to fully follow these new rules.
Since 1983, plates have included a sticker showing the county where the car was registered. At first, this was a long sticker with the county name at the bottom. In 1992, Ohio started using a number system for counties. A red sticker with a two-digit number showed the county. This system was first used on special plates. Then, it was used on regular plates from 2001 to 2018. After 2018, regular plates went back to using county name stickers.
On April 3, 2019, Governor Mike DeWine signed a new law. This law said that cars no longer needed a front license plate. This change started on July 1, 2020.
Ohio Passenger License Plates
Ohio has had many different license plate designs over the years. Here are some of the main ones:
Plates from 1908 to 1973
Image | Years Used | Design | Slogan | Number Style | Notes |
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1908–09 | White numbers on a dark blue plate; "OH" symbol on the right | none | 12345 | |
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1910 | White numbers on a wood-colored plate; "OHIO" and "1910" on the sides | none | 12345 | |
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1911 | Black numbers on a white plate; "OHIO" and "1911" on the sides | none | 12345 | |
12345
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1912 | Green numbers on a white metal plate; "OHIO" and "1912" on the sides | none | 12345 | |
12345
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1913 | Maroon numbers on a white metal plate; "OHIO" and "1913" on the sides | none | 12345 | |
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1914 | Red numbers on a white metal plate; "OHIO" symbol and "1914" on the left | none | 123456 | |
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1915 | Black numbers on a white metal plate; "OHIO" symbol and "1915" on the left | none | 123456 | |
123456
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1916 | White numbers on a black metal plate; "OHIO 1916" on the left | none | 123456 | |
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1917 | Black numbers on a yellow metal plate; "OHIO" and "1917" on the sides | none | 123456 | |
123456
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1918 | Raised white numbers on a dark green plate; "OHIO" symbol and "1918" on the right | none | 123456 | This was the first plate with raised (embossed) numbers. |
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1919 | Raised white numbers on a maroon plate; "OHIO" symbol and "1919" on the left | none | 123456 | |
123456
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1920 | Raised white numbers on a dark blue plate; "OHIO" symbol on the left and "19" over "20" on the right | none | 123456 | |
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1921 | Raised white numbers on a forest green plate; "OHIO" symbol on the left and "19" over "21" on the right | none | 123456 | |
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1922 | Raised dark blue numbers on a white plate; "OHIO-1922" at the bottom | none | 123.456 | |
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1923 | Raised red numbers on a gray plate; "OHIO-1923" at the bottom | none | 123.456 | |
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1924 | Raised white numbers on a dark blue plate; "OHIO-1924" at the bottom | none | 123-456 | |
★12-345 | |||||
1925 | Raised black numbers on a cream plate; "OHIO-1925" at the bottom | none | 123-456 ★12-345 |
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1926 | Raised white numbers on a brown plate; "OHIO-1926" at the bottom | none | 123-456 ★12-345 A12-345 |
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1927 | Raised black numbers on a gray plate; "OHIO-1927" at the bottom | none | 123-456 ★12-345 A12-345 |
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1928 | Raised white numbers on a dark blue plate; "OHIO-1928" at the bottom | none | 123-456 ★12-345 A12-345 |
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1929 | Raised black numbers on a light green plate; "OHIO-1929" at the bottom | none | 123-456 A12-345 |
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1930 | Raised white numbers on a maroon plate; "OHIO-1930" at the bottom | none | 123-456 A12-345 |
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No image
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1931 | Raised black numbers on a gray plate; "OHIO-1931" at the bottom | none | 123-456 A12-345 |
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No image
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1932 | Raised white numbers on a dark blue plate; "OHIO-1932" at the bottom | none | 123-456 A12-345 |
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1933 | Raised black numbers on an orange plate; "OHIO-1933" at the top | none | 123-456 A12-345 |
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1934 | Raised white numbers on a maroon plate; "OHIO-1934" at the bottom | none | 123-456 A12-345 |
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1935 | Raised yellow numbers on a dark blue plate with a border; "OHIO - 1935" at the bottom | none | A·1234 AB·123 |
Numbers were given out in groups by county. |
1936 | Raised blue numbers on a white plate with a border; "OHIO - 1936" at the bottom | none | A·1234 AB·123 |
Numbers were given out in groups by county. | |
1937 | Raised maroon numbers on a white plate with a border; "OHIO - 1937" at the bottom | none | A·1234 AB·123 |
Numbers were given out in groups by county. | |
1938 | Raised black numbers on a white plate with a border; covered wagon picture at the bottom; "OHIO·38" on the right | "150 ANNIV· N·W·TERR·" on the left |
A·1234 AB·123 |
Celebrated 150 years since the Northwest Territory was created. | |
1939 | Raised blue numbers on a white plate with a border; "OHIO - 1939" at the bottom | none | A·1234 AB·123 |
Numbers were given out in groups by county. | |
1940 | Raised white numbers on a dark blue plate with a border; "OHIO - 1940" at the bottom | none | A·1234 AB·123 |
Numbers were given out in groups by county. | |
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1941 | Raised white numbers on a maroon plate with a border; "OHIO - 1941" at the bottom | none | A·1234 AB·123 |
Numbers were given out in groups by county. |
1942–43 | Raised dark green numbers on a white plate with a border; "OHIO - 1942" at the bottom | none | A·1234 AB·123 |
Used for 1943 with windshield stickers to save metal during World War II. | |
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1944 | Raised white numbers on a dark blue plate with a border; "OHIO - 1944" at the bottom | none | A·1234 AB·123 |
Numbers were given out in groups by county. |
1945 | Raised black numbers on a white plate with a border; "OHIO - 1945" at the bottom | none | A·1234 AB·123 |
Numbers were given out in groups by county. | |
1946 | Raised red numbers on a white plate with a border; "OHIO - 1946" at the bottom | none | A·1234 AB·123 |
Numbers were given out in groups by county. | |
1947 | Raised white numbers on a dark green plate with a border; "1947 - OHIO" at the bottom | none | A·1234 AB·123 |
Numbers were given out in groups by county. | |
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1948 | Raised black numbers on a light yellow plate with a border; "OHIO - 1948" at the bottom | none | A·1234 AB·123 |
Numbers were given out in groups by county. |
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1949 | Raised light yellow numbers on a black plate with a border; "1949 - OHIO" at the bottom | none | A·12345 AB·1234 |
Numbers were given out in groups by county. |
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1950 | Raised black numbers on a yellow plate with a border; "OHIO - 1950" at the bottom | none | A·12345 AB·1234 |
Numbers were given out in groups by county. |
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1951–52 | Raised white numbers on a dark blue plate with a border; "1951 - OHIO" at the bottom | none | A·12345 AB·1234 |
Used for 1952 with windshield stickers to save metal during the Korean War. |
1953 | Raised yellow numbers on a dark green plate with a border; "1803 - OHIO - 1953" at the bottom | none | A·12345 AB·1234 |
Celebrated Ohio's 150 years as a state. | |
1954 | Raised white numbers on a maroon plate with a border; "OHIO - 1954" at the bottom | none | A·12345 AB·1234 |
Numbers were given out in groups by county. | |
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1955 | Raised white numbers on a dark blue plate with a border; "1955 - OHIO" at the bottom | none | A·12345 AB·1234 |
Numbers were given out in groups by county. |
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1956 | Raised white numbers on a dark green plate with a border; "OHIO - 1956" at the bottom | none | A·12345 AB·1234 |
Numbers were given out in groups by county. |
1957 | Raised white numbers on a maroon plate with a border; "1957 - OHIO" at the bottom | none | A·12345 AB·1234 |
Numbers were given out in groups by county. | |
1958 | Raised white numbers on a dark blue plate with a border; "OHIO - 1958" at the bottom | none | A·12345 AB·1234 |
Numbers were given out in groups by county. | |
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1959 | Raised red numbers on a white plate with a border; "1959 - OHIO" at the bottom | none | A·12345 AB·1234 |
Numbers were given out in groups by county. |
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1960 | Raised blue numbers on a yellow plate with a border; "OHIO - 1960" at the bottom | none | A·12345 AB·1234 |
Numbers were given out in groups by county. |
1961 | Raised white numbers on a green plate with a border; "1961 - OHIO" at the bottom | none | A·12345 AB·1234 |
Numbers were given out in groups by county. | |
1962 | Raised white numbers on a maroon plate with a border; "OHIO - 1962" at the bottom | none | 12345 A·12345 |
Numbers were given out in groups by county. | |
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1963 | Raised white numbers on a dark blue plate with a border; "1963 - OHIO" at the bottom | none | 12345 A·12345 |
Numbers were given out in groups by county. |
1964 | Raised white numbers on a dark green plate with a border; "OHIO - 1964" at the bottom | none | 12345 A·12345 |
Numbers were given out in groups by county. | |
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1965 | Raised red numbers on a white plate with a border; "1965 - OHIO" at the bottom | none | 12345 A·12345 |
Numbers were given out in groups by county. |
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1966 | Raised white numbers on a red plate with a border; "OHIO 1966" at the bottom | none | 12345 A 12345 |
Numbers were given out in groups by county. |
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1967 | Raised white numbers on a blue plate with a border; "67 OHIO" at the bottom | none | 12345 A 12345 |
Over 1.4 million plates were destroyed in a fire at the prison plate shop in November 1966. Other states helped make replacement plates. |
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1968 | Raised red numbers on a white plate with a border; "OHIO 68" at the bottom | none | 12345 A 12345 |
Most plates were made in New York while Ohio's plate shop was being fixed. |
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1969 | Raised blue numbers on a white plate with a border; "69 OHIO" at the bottom | none | 12345 A 12345 |
Some plates were still made in New York. Ohio's plate shop was fully repaired by 1970. |
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1970 | Raised scarlet numbers on a gray plate with a border; "OHIO 70" at the bottom | none | 12345 A 12345 |
These plates used the colors of Ohio State University to celebrate its 100th birthday. |
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1971 | Raised black numbers on a yellow plate with a border; "71 OHIO" at the bottom | none | 12345 A 12345 |
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1972 | Raised yellow numbers on a dark blue plate with a border; "OHIO 72" at the bottom | none | 12345 A 12345 |
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1973 | Raised white numbers on a green plate with a border; "73 OHIO" at the bottom | "SEAT BELTS FASTENED?" at the top | 12345 A 12345 |
Plates from 1974 to Today
All Ohio passenger plates issued since October 2001 are still valid today if they have been registered continuously. Some older "Ohio Gold" plates, made from 1996 to 2001, needed to be replaced by 2022. This was because the reflective material on them had worn out.
Image | Years Used | Design | Slogan | Number Style | Notes |
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1974–75 | Raised green numbers on a reflective white plate with a border; "OHIO 74" at the bottom | "SEAT BELTS FASTENED?" at the top | 123456 A 12345 |
Used for 1975 with stickers. |
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1976–79 | Raised red numbers on a reflective white plate with a border; "OHIO" at the bottom | none | 123456 A 12345 |
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1980–84 | Raised blue numbers with an Ohio-shaped separator on a reflective white plate; "OHIO" at the top | none | ABC•123 | Letters I and O were only used as the second letter. County stickers were added in 1983. |
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1985 – December 1990 | Raised green numbers with an Ohio-shaped separator on a reflective white plate; "OHIO" at the top | none | 123•ABC | |
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January 1991 – November 1995 | Raised blue numbers with an Ohio-shaped separator on a reflective white plate; "OHIO" in blue at the top | "the heart of it all!" in red between the state name and numbers | ABC•123 | |
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November 1995 – July 1996 |
Numbers were made with narrower tools. Both types of plates were valid until 2002. | |||
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August 1996 – mid-1997 |
"Ohio Gold": Raised dark blue numbers on a reflective white and gold plate; "OHIO" in dark blue at the top | "the heart of it all!" in red between the state name and numbers | ABC 1234 | These plates were only given to new car registrations. Gold plates were valid until 2022. |
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Mid-1997 – September 2001 | "BIRTHPLACE OF AVIATION" in red between the state name and numbers | |||
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October 2001 – February 2004 | "Bicentennial": Raised dark blue numbers on a reflective white plate with the Ohio Bicentennial Commission logo and red and blue bars | Ohio Bicentennial; Birthplace of Aviation |
AB12CD | Letters I and O were not used in this number style. |
February 2004 – November 30, 2010 | "Sunburst": Raised dark blue numbers on a reflective white plate with the state seal and red and blue bars | Birthplace of Aviation | ABC 1234 | This plate was issued at the same time as the "Beautiful Ohio" plate starting in 2009. | |
November 23, 2009 – April 14, 2013 | "Beautiful Ohio": Raised dark blue numbers on a picture of rolling hills with a farm, city skyline, and a biplane | Beautiful Ohio; Birthplace of Aviation |
ABC 1234 | This plate was first an option, then became the standard plate in December 2010. It was designed by Frances Strickland. | |
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April 15, 2013 – December 28, 2021 | "Ohio Pride": Raised dark blue numbers on a background of words and a red triangle like an airplane wing | Birthplace of Aviation; DiscoverOhio.com; Many other slogans |
ABC 1234 | Any remaining "Beautiful Ohio" plates were melted down and reused for this design. This plate was designed by Aaron Roberts. It was easy to read but some people said it was hard to see the words in the background. |
December 29, 2021 – present | "Sunrise in Ohio": Dark blue numbers printed flat on a picture of a sunrise with a city, hills, river, wheat field, and a child swinging from a tree. It also has a Wright Flyer, the shape of Ohio, and a red banner with the slogan at the top. | Birthplace of Aviation | ABC 1234 | All new Ohio plates are now flat, not raised. Some early "Sunrise in Ohio" plates had a mistake where the Wright Flyer was flying backward. About 35,000 of these were made before the mistake was fixed. These plates will also be melted and reused. |
Special Ohio License Plates
Ohio law allows the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to issue many different kinds of special passenger plates.
Renewal Stickers
Drivers in Ohio use small stickers to show that their license plate registration is up to date. These stickers are placed on the license plate. The designs of these stickers have changed over the years.
Other Types of Ohio Plates
Ohio also issues different types of license plates for vehicles other than regular passenger cars. These include plates for commercial trailers, motorcycles, and trucks.
From 1976 to 1996, plates for pickup trucks and other light trucks (like SUVs) said "Non Comm" (meaning "non-commercial truck"). Large semi-trucks had plates that said "Commercial." Since 1996, most truck plates for everyday use simply say "Truck."
Temporary Tags
When you buy a vehicle from a car dealership, you get a temporary paper tag. This tag is valid for 30 or 45 days. The dealership fills out the tag by hand. Since March 2001, these tags have included a special hologram. The plate number is already printed on the tag, and the expiration date and vehicle details are written on it. Since August 2020, the Ohio Department of Public Safety has been moving towards printing temporary tags directly from a computer. They plan to stop using the old paper tags by January 2021.
County Numbers on Plates
In 1992, Ohio started using a special number system to show the county where a vehicle was registered. Each of Ohio's 88 counties was given a two-digit number, starting with 01 for Adams County and ending with 88 for Wyandot County.
This number system has been used on special license plates since it started. It was also used on regular passenger plates from 2001 to 2018. The county number is shown on small red stickers placed on the bottom left corner of the plate. These stickers also have the county name written in small letters below the number.
List of Ohio County Numbers
- Adams
- Allen
- Ashland
- Ashtabula
- Athens
- Auglaize
- Belmont
- Brown
- Butler
- Carroll
- Champaign
- Clark
- Clermont
- Clinton
- Columbiana
- Coshocton
- Crawford
- Cuyahoga
- Darke
- Defiance
- Delaware
- Erie
- Fairfield
- Fayette
- Franklin
- Fulton
- Gallia
- Geauga
- Greene
- Guernsey
- Hamilton
- Hancock
- Hardin
- Harrison
- Henry
- Highland
- Hocking
- Holmes
- Huron
- Jackson
- Jefferson
- Knox
- Lake
- Lawrence
- Licking
- Logan
- Lorain
- Lucas
- Madison
- Mahoning
- Marion
- Medina
- Meigs
- Mercer
- Miami
- Monroe
- Montgomery
- Morgan
- Morrow
- Muskingum
- Noble
- Ottawa
- Paulding
- Perry
- Pickaway
- Pike
- Portage
- Preble
- Putnam
- Richland
- Ross
- Sandusky
- Scioto
- Seneca
- Shelby
- Stark
- Summit
- Trumbull
- Tuscarawas
- Union
- Van Wert
- Vinton
- Warren
- Washington
- Wayne
- Williams
- Wood
- Wyandot