As Introduced
136th General Assembly
Regular Session S. B. No. 30
2025-2026
Senators Blessing, Ingram
Cosponsors: Senators Chavez, Craig, Smith, Wilkin, Cutrona
A B I LL
To enact section 1333.97 of the Revised Code to
require retail merchants to give customers the
option to pay by cash.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
Section 1. That section 1333.97 of the Revised Code be
enacted to read as follows:
Sec. 1333.97. (A) As used in this section, "at retail"
includes any retail transaction conducted in person and excludes
any telephone, mail, or internet-based transaction.
(B) A person selling or offering for sale goods or
services at retail shall not require a buyer to pay using credit
or prohibit cash as payment. A person selling or offering for
sale goods or services at retail shall accept cash when offered
by the buyer as payment.
(C) A violation of division (B) of this section is an
unfair or deceptive act or practice in violation of section
1345.02 of the Revised Code. A person injured by a violation of
division (B) of this section has a cause of action and is
entitled to the same relief available to a consumer under
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As Introduced
section 1345.09 of the Revised Code. All powers and remedies
available to the attorney general to enforce sections 1345.01 to
1345.13 of the Revised Code are available to the attorney
general to enforce division (B) of this section.
(D) This section does not apply to any of the following:
(1) A person selling goods or services at an airport, if
at least two persons selling food in the same terminal accept
cash as payment;
(2) A parking facility owned by a municipal corporation,
regardless of whether the facility is operated by the municipal
corporation or another entity;
(3) A parking facility that accepts mobile payment, if the
facility does not accept payment by any means other than mobile
payment;
(4) A company in the business of renting motor vehicles,
if the company accepts a cashier's check or a certified check
when offered by a buyer as payment;
(5) A sports or entertainment venue with a seating
capacity of ten thousand or more irrespective of the event held
at the venue;
(6) A retail establishment that possesses and allows
customers to use a device that converts cash into a prepaid card
that a customer can use to complete a transaction at the retail
establishment if all of the following apply:
(a) There is no fee for converting cash into the prepaid
card.
(b) There is no fee for using the prepaid card.
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As Introduced
(c) A minimum deposit greater than five dollars is not
required to obtain the prepaid card.
(d) The customer is given the option of obtaining a
receipt indicating the amount of cash the customer deposited
onto the prepaid card.
(e) The prepaid card is not subject to an expiration date
or a limit on the number of transactions for which it may be
used.
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