Rental conversions in Cincinnati

Since October 2, 2023, Cincinnati allows an accessory dwelling unit on a lot that permits single-family use and holds a single-family house, but not on a lot with a multi-family building.³ Cincinnati allows only one ADU per lot; it may be attached, such as an attic or basement unit, a converted garage or a rear addition, or detached, but it must be permanent construction with its own exterior entrance.³

Cincinnati caps an ADU at 25 feet in height, and an existing accessory building that doesn't meet lot coverage, setback or height rules can be converted only if its footprint isn't enlarged.³ A Cincinnati ADU needs no off-street parking of its own, but any parking the house is required to have must stay.³ Whether a Cincinnati ADU needs its own utility service is decided case by case by the utility provider.³

The owner, or a designated responsible person, must live in either the main house or the ADU; a restrictive covenant approved by the City Solicitor has to be recorded, and breaking the occupancy rule is a Class F civil offense with a $15,000 fine.³ Every Cincinnati ADU must be registered with the Zoning Administrator through the ezTrak portal, and a new owner must file a registration within 60 days of buying the property.³ Because the covenant is recorded, expect it to come up when the house is refinanced or sold.

A larger conversion, such as splitting a big house into two or three apartments, depends on the zoning district rather than the ADU rules. Cincinnati's Connected Communities zoning changes, approved by City Council on June 5, 2024 and in effect since July 1, 2024, allow missing-middle housing, remove density limits with a height bonus, and cut or drop parking minimums in target areas around transit lines and neighborhood business districts.¹⁴

Cincinnati requires a building permit for a change of occupancy and use, for excavation or fill, and for development in a floodplain.¹⁰ The Residential Code of Ohio, based on the 2018 International Residential Code, applies to the construction, alteration, replacement and repair of every one-, two- or three-family dwelling in the state.¹¹ The Residential Code of Ohio requires the units of a two-family dwelling to be separated by wall and floor assemblies with at least a 1-hour fire-resistance rating, or a 1/2-hour rating in a building with a full sprinkler system.¹² In a prewar house, that often means a new rated ceiling between floors and closing off an open stair.

Check your lot with the city's zoning office before you design anything, and if the house is in a historic district, the exterior changes need a Certificate of Appropriateness as well. A Certificate of Appropriateness is required to alter a locally designated Cincinnati landmark or a property in a local historic district; the Historic Conservation Office generally reviews exterior work, demolition, new construction and site work, and interior work that has no effect on the exterior needs none.¹⁵

Since September 1, 2020, Cincinnati has required every residential rental unit in the city to be registered with Buildings and Inspections, listing the units and bedrooms, average size and rent, and a local emergency contact.¹⁶ Cincinnati's rental registration costs $1.00 per unit, is required even if the property is already registered with the Hamilton County Auditor, and doesn't have to be renewed each year, though owners must keep it updated.¹⁷

The county keeps its own list under state law. Under Ohio Revised Code 5323.02, owners of rented homes in Hamilton County must file a free rental registration form with the County Auditor and update it within 60 days of any change, and a $150 penalty can be added to the tax bill of a rental that isn't registered.¹⁸

Cincinnati's Residential Rental Inspection program, active in Avondale, Clifton-Fairview-University Heights, College Hill, East Price Hill, Madisonville, West Price Hill and Westwood, requires an inspection of every unit at a rental with unresolved code violations, delinquent taxes or a history of health and safety violations, at $100 per unit for the first inspection.¹⁹

A Cincinnati ADU can be rented if the occupancy rule is met; residential rentals must be registered with Buildings and Inspections, and short-term rentals are allowed only if the owner or responsible person lives in one of the units and the rental is registered under Municipal Code Chapter 856.³ Every short-term rental operator in Cincinnati must register with the city before operating; registration lasts three years, and operators whose platform has no tax agreement with the city must report a 7% excise tax on gross revenue.²⁰

Because the owner has to live on site, a Cincinnati ADU works as a short-term rental only for someone who stays in the other unit.

EPA's lead renovation rule generally doesn't cover homeowners working on their own pre-1978 homes, but it does apply if you rent out all or part of your home.²¹ Before a renter signs a lease for most pre-1978 housing, federal law requires the landlord to disclose known lead-based paint and hazards, share available records, hand over EPA's Protect Your Family From Lead pamphlet and include a Lead Warning Statement.²²

The Residential Code of Ohio requires every sleeping room, including one in a basement, to have at least one operable emergency escape and rescue opening, unless the home has an automatic sprinkler system and the basement has the means of egress the code spells out.¹² The U.S. Fire Administration says homeowners and landlords should put smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level, test them monthly, and replace them 10 years from their manufacture date.²³ Ask the company to mark on the drawings how each bedroom in the unit meets the escape rule and where the alarms go.

Cincinnati City Council voted unanimously in 2023 to legalize ADUs; the change was developed with the Age Friendly Cincinnati Advisory Council to give seniors and people with disabilities more options, including moving into an ADU while still owning the main house.²⁴ More than one in four adults 65 and older fall each year.²⁵

For an aging parent, a ground-level unit beats an apartment over a garage. Ask for a step-free entry, a curbless shower, a lit path to the main house and a bedroom close to the bath. NAHB's Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) credential trains remodelers in home modifications for aging in place.²⁶

Calling the number on this page connects you, on a recorded line, with one independent company that handles rental conversions in the Cincinnati area. You talk through the unit, the construction and the price with them.

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Check the company yourself before you sign. Every contractor working within Cincinnati city limits must keep a current city registration, renewed each year, and the city cannot issue building permits until all the contractors on the job are registered.¹³ Check an Ohio license