COLUMBUS, Ohio — Governor Mike DeWine will hold a ceremonial signing today of a sweeping agricultural and amusement ride overhaul into law, putting his signature on House Bill 433 at the Ohio Expo Center’s Children’s Carousel ahead of the State Fair season.
The bill, sponsored by State Representatives Roy Klopfenstein (R-Haviland) and Sarah Fowler Arthur (R-Ashtabula), touches everything from the Ferris wheel at your county fair to the bakery down the street to the gas pump you fill up at every week.
Here is what changes and who feels it.
Your county fair rides
The most visible change for families is a restructured fee system for amusement ride inspections — the annual checks that determine whether carnival rides are safe to operate in Ohio.
Under the old system, rides were grouped into broad categories. The new law creates more specific classifications and adjusts fees accordingly, phased in over two years.
Kiddie rides stay at $100. Go-karts stay at $5 per kart. But new categories emerge for rides that previously had no clear designation. Family rides will cost operators $180 to inspect now, rising to $200 after December 1, 2027. Major rides go from nothing to $230, then $300. Spectacular rides hit $280 now, $400 later. Tower rides — think drop towers — jump to $1,300 now and $1,800 after December 2027. Large roller coasters face the steepest climb, from no defined category to $3,250 now and $4,000 after December 2027.
Those higher fees fall on ride operators and fair organizers, not directly on families at the gate. But in a business with thin margins, higher operating costs can eventually reach ticket prices.
The law also overhauls how inflatable ride operators — bounce houses, inflatable obstacle courses — are charged. Instead of a flat $104 per inflatable, operators now pay on a sliding scale based on how many inflatables they bring to a single location at the same time. Three or fewer inflatables run $102 now, dropping to $100 after December 2027. Four to ten inflatables drop to $89.50, then $75. Eleven or more fall to $77 now and just $50 per unit after December 2027.
For small businesses running inflatable party rentals or carnival operators hauling a dozen bounce houses to a festival, that sliding scale represents meaningful savings.
The annual permit fee for inflatables also drops — from $225 to $162.50 immediately, and down to $100 after December 2027.
Local bakeries get relief
Under the old law, a registered bakery that froze its own products — think a local shop selling frozen cookie dough or pastries — was required to obtain a separate frozen food facility license from the Ohio Department of Agriculture. The new law eliminates that requirement for registered bakeries.
It is a small but real reduction in regulatory burden for small and mid-sized bakery operations that freeze their own goods for retail or wholesale.
What is in your gas tank
Ohio law previously required retail gas stations to follow specific state disclosure rules about ethanol content in gasoline. The new law repeals those state-level requirements to bring Ohio in line with federal fuel labeling standards, which already govern what information must appear at the pump.
The practical effect for drivers is minimal — federal labeling requirements remain in place. The change primarily removes a layer of conflicting state rules that dealers had to navigate.
Auctioneers get a medical exception
Under the old law, auctioneers who let their license expire had few options for getting it reinstated. The new law creates a medical exception — if an auctioneer missed the deadline to place their license on inactive status because of a medical issue, they can now submit documentation and have the license retroactively placed on deposit.
The change protects auctioneer livelihoods during serious illness or recovery without requiring them to restart the full licensing process.
Online auction bid rigging is also now explicitly prohibited under the same rules that have long governed in-person auctions — closing a loophole as more agricultural sales move to online platforms.
Grape industry oversight tightened
The Ohio Grape Industries Committee, which manages marketing programs for Ohio wine grape producers, now has its books and records formally folded into the state Auditor’s annual review of the Ohio Department of Agriculture. The previous requirement for a separate internal audit by September 30 each year is eliminated, replacing it with the broader state audit process.
