S.B. No. 253 - Summary

• Establishes new lead certification requirements and timelines for local authorities, requiring them to issue or deny lead hazard safety certifications within 30 days of application for rental registration purposes under section 5321.19 of the Revised Code.

• Creates Section 3742.47 establishing procedures for persons denied lead certifications to resubmit applications up to 180 days after denial with new test results for specific property components.

• Enacts Section 5747.504 creating a "lead certification delay adjustment" mechanism that reduces local government fund payments to municipalities with lead rental certification ordinances when they fail to comply with certification timelines, with withheld funds transferred to the general revenue fund.

• Modifies lead abatement tax credit provisions under Section 5747.50 to allow both taxpayers and lead abatement specialists to apply for credits, including assignment rights with discounts up to $10,000, while maintaining a $5 million annual cap on issued certificates.

• Changes the lead abatement tax credit under Section 5747.26 from nonrefundable to refundable, allowing excess credits to be refunded to taxpayers in the current year rather than carried forward, and modifies the credit order in Section 5747.98.