Ohio will pass a law today that mandates local county government offices necessary for the transfer of real property to remain open at least to real estate professionals during the COVID-19 emergency. House Bill 197, which is expected to be signed into law March 27, 2020, will keep real estate transactions moving throughout the state. Several of Ohio’s 88 counties had either local auditor, recorder, tax map, or other necessary real estate related offices that had closed due to COVID-19. Now, these offices will be required to stay open to at least real estate professionals. This is an important step to keeping Ohio’s banking, lending, real estate, and general economy functioning. Counties may limit access and limit hours of operation, but they must keep these real estate services, deemed essential by the new law, open.
Critchfield, Critchfield & Johnston, Ltd. (CCJ) and our title company Heartland Title Agency, LLC (HTA) remain fully operational and able to handle all of your real estate and financing needs. CCJ and HTA are uniquely positioned within our industry with a deep bench of both attorneys and staff that can facilitate your transaction across multiple Ohio counties. HTA has always been an earlier adopter of industry best-practices, and today is no different. We are taking all possible steps including electronic recording, electronic notarization, in addition to careful cleaning and safety protocols, to make sure that we can continue to safely and effectively serve our customers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Please do not hesitate to contact us with questions.