Ohio § 2901.01

Full text of Ohio Ohio Revised Code § 2901.01, with citation guidance and answers to common questions.

§ 2901.01.

(A) As used in the Revised Code: (1) “ Force ” means any violence, compulsion, or constraint physically exerted by any means upon

or against a person or thing. (2) “ Deadly force ” means any force that carries a substantial risk that it will proximately result

in the death of any person. (3) “ Physical harm to persons ” means any injury, illness, or other physiological impairment, regardless of its

gravity or duration. (4) “ Physical harm to property ” means any tangible or intangible damage to property that, in any degree, results

in loss to its value or interferes with its use or enjoyment.  “Physical harm to property” does not include wear and tear occasioned by normal

use. (5) “ Serious physical harm to persons ” means any of the following: (a) Any mental illness or condition of such gravity as would normally require hospitalization

or prolonged psychiatric treatment; (b) Any physical harm that carries a substantial risk of death; (c) Any physical harm that involves some permanent incapacity, whether partial or total,

or that involves some temporary, substantial incapacity; (d) Any physical harm that involves some permanent disfigurement or that involves some

temporary, serious disfigurement; (e) Any physical harm that involves acute pain of such duration as to result in substantial

suffering or that involves any degree of prolonged or intractable pain. (6) “ Serious physical harm to property ” means any physical harm to property that does either of the following: (a) Results in substantial loss to the value of the property or requires a substantial

amount of time, effort, or money to repair or replace; (b) Temporarily prevents the use or enjoyment of the property or substantially interferes

with its use or enjoyment for an extended period of time. (7) “ Risk ” means a significant possibility, as contrasted with a remote possibility, that a

certain result may occur or that certain circumstances may exist. (8) “ Substantial risk ” means a strong possibility, as contrasted with a remote or significant possibility,

that a certain result may occur or that certain circumstances may exist. (9) “ Offense of violence ” means any of the following: (a) A violation of section 2903.01, 2903.02, 2903.03, 2903.04, 2903.11, 2903.12, 2903.13,

2903.15, 2903.18, 2903.21, 2903.211, 2903.22, 2905.01, 2905.02, 2905.11, 2905.32,

2907.02, 2907.03, 2907.05, 2909.02, 2909.03, 2909.24, 2911.01, 2911.02, 2911.11, 2917.01,

2917.02, 2917.03, 2917.31, 2917.321, 2919.25, 2921.03, 2921.04, 2921.34, or 2923.161,

of division (A)(1) of section 2903.34, of division (A)(1), (2), or (3) of section

2911.12, or of division (B)(1), (2), (3), or (4) of section 2919.22 of the Revised

Code or felonious sexual penetration in violation of former section 2907.12 of the

Revised Code; (b) A violation of an existing or former municipal ordinance or law of this or any other

state or the United States, substantially equivalent to any section, division, or

offense listed in division (A)(9)(a) of this section; (c) An offense, other than a traffic offense, under an existing or former municipal ordinance

or law of this or any other state or the United States, committed purposely or knowingly,

and involving physical harm to persons or a risk of serious physical harm to persons; (d) A conspiracy or attempt to commit, or complicity in committing, any offense under

division (A)(9)(a), (b), or (c) of this section; (e) A violation of division (C) of section 959.131 of the Revised Code . (10)(a) “ Property ” means any property, real or personal, tangible or intangible, and any interest or

license in that property.  “ Property ” includes, but is not limited to, cable television service, other telecommunications

service, telecommunications devices, information service, computers, data, computer

software, financial instruments associated with computers, other documents associated

with computers, or copies of the documents, whether in machine or human readable form,

trade secrets, trademarks, copyrights, patents, and property protected by a trademark,

copyright, or patent.  “ Financial instruments associated with computers ” include, but are not limited to, checks, drafts, warrants, money orders, notes of

indebtedness, certificates of deposit, letters of credit, bills of credit or debit

cards, financial transaction authorization mechanisms, marketable securities, or any

computer system representations of any of them. (b) As used in division (A)(10) of this section, “trade secret” has the same meaning

as in section 1333.61 of the Revised Code , and “telecommunications service” and “information service” have the same meanings

as in section 2913.01 of the Revised Code . (c) As used in divisions (A)(10) and (13) of this section, “cable television service,”

“computer,” “computer software,” “computer system,” “computer network,” “data,” and

“telecommunications device” have the same meanings as in section 2913.01 of the Revised Code . (11) “ Law enforcement officer ” means any of the following: (a) A sheriff, deputy sheriff, constable, police officer of a township or joint police

district, marshal, deputy marshal, municipal police officer, member of a police force

employed by a metropolitan housing authority under division (D) of section 3735.31 of the Revised Code , or state highway patrol trooper; (b) An officer, agent, or employee of the state or any of its agencies, instrumentalities,

or political subdivisions, upon whom, by statute, a duty to conserve the peace or

to enforce all or certain laws is imposed and the authority to arrest violators is

conferred, within the limits of that statutory duty and authority; (c) A mayor, in the mayor's capacity as chief conservator of the peace within the mayor's

municipal corporation; (d) A member of an auxiliary police force organized by county, township, or municipal

law enforcement authorities, within the scope of the member's appointment or commission; (e) A person lawfully called pursuant to section 311.07 of the Revised Code to aid a sheriff in keeping the peace, for the purposes and during the time when

the person is called; (f) A person appointed by a mayor pursuant to section 737.10 of the Revised Code as a special patrolling officer during riot or emergency, for the purposes and during

the time when the person is appointed; (g) A member of the organized militia of this state or the armed forces of the United

States, lawfully called to duty to aid civil authorities in keeping the peace or protect

against domestic violence; (h) A prosecuting attorney, assistant prosecuting attorney, secret service officer, or

municipal prosecutor; (i) A veterans' home police officer appointed under section 5907.02 of the Revised Code ; (j) A member of a police force employed by a regional transit authority under division (Y) of section 306.35 of the Revised Code ; (k) A special police officer employed by a port authority under section 4582.04 or 4582.28 of the Revised Code ; (l) The house of representatives sergeant at arms if the house of representatives sergeant

at arms has arrest authority pursuant to division (E)(1) of section 101.311 of the Revised Code and an assistant house of representatives sergeant at arms; (m) The senate sergeant at arms and an assistant senate sergeant at arms; (n) A special police officer employed by a municipal corporation at a municipal airport,

or other municipal air navigation facility, that has scheduled operations, as defined

in section 119.3 of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations , 14 C.F.R. 119.3 , as amended, and that is required to be under a security program and is governed

by aviation security rules of the transportation security administration of the United

States department of transportation as provided in Parts 1542. and 1544. of Title

49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, as amended. (12) “ Privilege ” means an immunity, license, or right conferred by law, bestowed by express or implied

grant, arising out of status, position, office, or relationship, or growing out of

necessity. (13) “ Contraband ” means any property that is illegal for a person to acquire or possess under a statute,

ordinance, or rule, or that a trier of fact lawfully determines to be illegal to possess

by reason of the property's involvement in an offense.  “ Contraband ” includes, but is not limited to, all of the following: (a) Any controlled substance, as defined in section 3719.01 of the Revised Code , or any device or paraphernalia; (b) Any unlawful gambling device or paraphernalia; (c) Any dangerous ordnance or obscene material. (14) A person is “not guilty by reason of insanity” relative to a charge of an offense

only if the person proves, in the manner specified in section 2901.05 of the Revised Code , that at the time of the commission of the offense, the person did not know, as a

result of a severe mental disease or defect, the wrongfulness of the person's acts. (B)(1)(a) Subject to division (B)(2) of this section, as used in any section contained in Title

XXIX of the Revised Code that sets forth a criminal offense, “ person ” includes all of the following: (i) An individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, and association; (ii) An unborn human who is viable. (b) As used in any section contained in Title XXIX of the Revised Code that does not

set forth a criminal offense, “ person ” includes an individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership,

and association. (c) As used in division (B)(1)(a) of this section: (i) “ Unborn human ” means an individual organism of the species Homo sapiens from fertilization until

live birth. (ii) “ Viable ” means the stage of development of a human fetus at which there is a realistic possibility

of maintaining and nourishing of a life outside the womb with or without temporary

artificial life-sustaining support. (2) Notwithstanding division (B)(1)(a) of this section, in no case shall the portion

of the definition of the term “ person ” that is set forth in division (B)(1)(a)(ii) of this section be applied or construed

in any section contained in Title XXIX of the Revised Code that sets forth a criminal

offense in any of the following manners: (a) Except as otherwise provided in division (B)(2)(a) of this section, in a manner so

that the offense prohibits or is construed as prohibiting any pregnant woman or her

physician from performing an abortion with the consent of the pregnant woman, with

the consent of the pregnant woman implied by law in a medical emergency, or with the

approval of one otherwise authorized by law to consent to medical treatment on behalf

of the pregnant woman.  An abortion that violates the conditions described in the immediately preceding

sentence may be punished as a violation of section 2903.01 , 2903.02 , 2903.03 , 2903.04 , 2903.05 , 2903.06 , 2903.08 , 2903.11 , 2903.12 , 2903.13 , 2903.14 , 2903.21 , or 2903.22 of the Revised Code , as applicable.  An abortion that does not violate the conditions described in the second immediately

preceding sentence, but that does violate section 2919.12, division (B) of section 2919.13 , or section 2919.15 , 2919.151 , 2919.17 , or 2919.18 of the Revised Code , may be punished as a violation of section 2919.12, division (B) of section 2919.13 , or section 2919.15 , 2919.151 , 2919.17 , or 2919.18 of the Revised Code , as applicable.  Consent is sufficient under this division if it is of the type otherwise adequate

to permit medical treatment to the pregnant woman, even if it does not comply with section 2919.12 of the Revised Code . (b) In a manner so that the offense is applied or is construed as applying to a woman

based on an act or omission of the woman that occurs while she is or was pregnant

and that results in any of the following: (i) Her delivery of a stillborn baby; (ii) Her causing, in any other manner, the death in utero of a viable, unborn human that

she is carrying; (iii) Her causing the death of her child who is born alive but who dies from one or more

injuries that are sustained while the child is a viable, unborn human; (iv) Her causing her child who is born alive to sustain one or more injuries while the

child is a viable, unborn human; (v) Her causing, threatening to cause, or attempting to cause, in any other manner, an

injury, illness, or other physiological impairment, regardless of its duration or

gravity, or a mental illness or condition, regardless of its duration or gravity,

to a viable, unborn human that she is carrying. (C) As used in Title XXIX of the Revised Code: (1) “School safety zone” consists of a school, school building, school premises, school

activity, and school bus. (2) “School,” “school building,” and “school premises” have the same meanings as in section 2925.01 of the Revised Code . (3) “ School activity ” means any activity held under the auspices of a board of education of a city, local,

exempted village, joint vocational, or cooperative education school district;  a governing

authority of a community school established under Chapter 3314. of the Revised Code;

 a governing board of an educational service center, or the governing body of a school

for which the director of education and workforce prescribes minimum standards under section 3301.07 of the Revised Code . (4) “School bus” has the same meaning as in section 4511.01 of the Revised Code .

Frequently Asked Questions About Ohio § 2901.01

What does Ohio Revised Code § 2901.01 cover?

Section 2901.01 is part of the Ohio Revised Code, the codified statutory law of Ohio. It sets out the legal rule or procedure described in the text above. Statutes are amended regularly, so always verify against the official source.

How do I cite Ohio § 2901.01?

A common citation format is "Ohio Revised Code § 2901.01" (Ohio). Legal writing may require the code abbreviation, section number, and year or edition. Match the style required by your court, professor, or publisher.

Is this the official text of Ohio law?

No. This page is for research and education and may not include the most recent amendments. For official current law, check the Ohio official source linked on this page or consult a licensed Ohio attorney.

How does Ohio § 2901.01 apply to my situation?

Statutes are interpreted in context, and application depends on your specific facts. Only a licensed attorney in Ohio can advise on how this section applies to you. Contact your state or local bar association for a referral.

Sources & Verification

Not legal advice. Verify against the official source and consult a licensed attorney in Ohio.