SB 465

As Introduced
136th General Assembly
   Regular Session  S. B. No. 465
       2025-2026
  Senator Schaffer
  To amend, for the purpose of adopting new section  1
  numbers as indicated in parentheses, sections  2
  157.04 (157.06), 157.05 (157.07), 157.07  3
  (157.08), 157.08 (157.09), and 157.09 (157.10);  4
  to enact new sections 157.01, 157.02, 157.03,  5
  157.04, 157.05, and 157.11 and section 157.021;  6
  and to repeal sections 157.01, 157.02, 157.03,  7
  157.04, 157.05, 157.06, 157.07, 157.08, 157.09,  8
  157.10, and 157.11 of the Revised Code to update        9
  the Ohio Coordinate System to adhere to the  10
  National Spatial Reference System.  11
 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
     Section 1. That sections 157.04 (157.06), 157.05 (157.07),        12
157.07 (157.08), 157.08 (157.09), and 157.09 (157.10) be amended       13
for the purpose of adopting new section numbers as indicated in        14
parentheses and new sections 157.01, 157.02, 157.03, 157.04,  15
157.05, and 157.11 and section 157.021 of the Revised Code be  16
enacted to read as follows:  17
     Sec. 157.01. As used in this chapter:  18
     (A)  19
     "Conversions" means the relationship between metric units  20
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As Introduced
and foot units:  21
       (1) "International foot" means a distance equal to exactly  22
0.3048 meters.  23
       (2) "U.S. survey foot" means a distance equal to 1200/3937  24
meters.  25
       (B) "Height" means the coordinate value of the vertical  26
elements of the NSRS expressed as feet or meters and identified  27
as ellipsoid height, orthometric height, or dynamic height:  28
       (1) "Dynamic height" means the vertical distance of a  29
point proportional to the value of geopotential energy along a  30
surface.  31
       (2) "Ellopsoid height" means the distance from a point on  32
the earth's surface to a reference ellipsoid, measured along a  33
line perpendicular to the ellipsoid's surface, derived directly  34
from global navigation satellite system receivers, which use the  35
ellipsoid as a simple mathematical model to approximate the  36
earth's shape.  37
       (3) "Orthometric height" means the vertical distance of a  38
point above the geoid, which is the irregular surface of mean  39
sea level extended under the continents, measured along a plumb  40
line, perpendicular to the geoid, which is approximately  41
equivalent to the height above mean sea level.  42
       (C) "Metadata" means a set of data that describes and  43
gives information about other data. "Metadata" includes the  44
geodetic reference system utilized, applicable epoch, statement  45
of positional accuracy of coordinates, methodology, and date of  46
observation.  47
       (D) "National geodetic survey" means the agency located  48
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As Introduced
within the national ocean service of the national oceanic and  49
atmospheric administration under the United States department of  50
commerce or its successor agency.  51
       (E) "NSRS" means the national spatial reference system or  52
its successor.  53
       Sec. 157.02. The system of plane coordinates known as the  54
state plane coordinate system 2022, or its successors, that has  55
been established by the national geodetic survey for defining  56
and stating the horizontal positions or locations of points on,  57
above, or below the surface of the earth within this state shall  58
be known as the Ohio coordinate system.  59
       (A) The Ohio coordinate system shall consist of the  60
following two layers of zones as defined by the national  61
geodetic survey as part of the NSRS:  62
       (1) A single, statewide zone with full coverage of this  63
state;  64
       (2) A set of smaller low-distortion projection zones based  65
on county boundaries, that together provide the same coverage as  66
the single statewide zone.  67
       (B) The defining parameters of the Ohio coordinate system,  68
including zone definitions, are defined and published by the  69
national geodetic survey or its successors as part of the NSRS.  70
       Sec. 157.021. Geodetic coordinates include latitude,  71
longitude, and ellipsoid height. The official geodetic datums to  72
which geodetic coordinates are referenced within this state  73
shall be defined by the NSRS, including latitude, longitude,  74
ellipsoid height, orthometric height, and dynamic height.  75
       Sec. 157.03. (A) Pursuant to applicable geodetic standards  76
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As Introduced
and in alignment with the directives of the national geodetic  77
survey, the North American Pacific geopotential datum 2022, or  78
the most current official vertical datum established by the  79
national geodetic survey, shall be utilized for the  80
determination of orthometric heights of terrestrial points  81
within this state.  82
       (B) Legacy vertical datums, including the North American  83
vertical datum of 1988 and the national geodetic vertical datum  84
of 1929, may be retained solely for the purpose of maintaining  85
historical or legacy datasets. In such cases, the responsible  86
data custodian shall provide accurate and documented conversions  87
from the legacy datum to the currently adopted vertical datum.  88
       Sec. 157.04. (A) The plane coordinates of a point on the  89
earth's surface, to be used in expressing the position or  90
location of the point in the appropriate zone of the Ohio  91
coordinate system, shall consist of the following two distances,  92
expressed in feet and decimals of a foot or meters and decimals  93
of a meter, along with the metadata of the observations used to  94
determine the coordinates:  95
       (1) The east or x-coordinate shall give the distance east  96
of the Y axis. The Y axis of any zone shall be parallel with the  97
central meridian of that zone.  98
       (2) The north or y-coordinate shall give the distance  99
north of the X axis. The X axis of any zone shall be at right  100
angles to the central meridian of that zone.  101
       (B) The international foot shall be used for all foot  102
distance and coordinate conversions utilizing horizontal  103
coordinate systems tied to the state plane coordinate system  104
2022 or later datums or adjustments.  105
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       (C) The U.S. survey foot shall be used for all foot  106
distance and coordinate conversions utilizing horizontal  107
coordinate systems tied to datums previous to the state plane  108
coordinate system 2022 datum.  109
       (D) The international foot shall be used for all foot  110
distance and coordinate conversions utilizing orthometric  111
heights tied to the North American Pacific geopotential datums  112
2022 or later datums or adjustments.  113
       (E) The U.S. survey foot shall be used for all foot  114
distance and coordinate conversions utilizing orthometric  115
heights tied to legacy vertical datums or adjustments.  116
       Sec. 157.05. (A) All of the following shall be named in  117
any land description, plat, map, report of survey, or other  118
document in which coordinates based on the Ohio coordinate  119
system are used:  120
       (1) The name of the zone as provided by the national  121
geodetic survey;  122
       (2) The source geodetic datum, the adjustment date, and  123
the decimal-year epoch date of the survey or coordinate  124
derivation or calculation;  125
       (3) The metadata.  126
       (B) All of the following shall be named in any land  127
description, plat, map, report of survey, or other document in  128
which orthometric heights are used:  129
       (1) The vertical datum and adjustment used;  130
       (2) The source of the orthometric height and date of the  131
survey;  132
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       (3) The metadata.  133
       Sec. 157.04 157.06. Plane co-ordinatescoordinates, used to  134
reference and describe land boundary corners and made a part of  135
the recorded description of such corners, shall be considered  136
adequate evidence of the location of such corners in the absence  137
of original physical monuments or other acceptable controlling  138
evidence of original corner locations. In all instances where  139
reference has been made to such co-ordinates plane coordinates  140
in land surveys, the scale, sea level, and grid factors must  141
also be stated for the survey lines used in computing ground  142
distances and areas.  143
       Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to require a  144
purchaser or mortgagee of real property to rely wholly on a land  145
description, any part of which depends exclusively upon either  146
the Ohio co-ordinate coordinate system.  147
       Sec. 157.05 157.07. When any tract of land extends from  148
one zone into the other the co-ordinate coordinate zones  149
established by section 157.01 157.02 of the Revised Code, the  150
positions of all points on its boundaries may be referenced to  151
either one of the two zones.  152
       Sec. 157.07 157.08. Co-ordinates based on either Ohio co-  153
ordinate system and used to describe and locate positions of  154
land boundary corners shall be surveyed and determined within a  155
maximum positional error of plus or minus 0.05 metres, except  156
that it may be less than 0.05 metres if local land survey  157
standards of practice for positional errors so dictate, with  158
respect to the nearest horizontal control station established in  159
conformity with the standards of accuracy and specifications for  160
first and second-order geodetic surveying as prepared and  161
published by the federal geodetic control committee of the  162
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As Introduced
United States department of commerce. The standards and  163
specifications issued by the federal geodetic control committee  164
in force on the date of such a survey conducted to describe and  165
locate positions of land boundary corners shall apply. The  166
publication by the United States department of commerce of  167
existing control stations or the acceptance by the department of  168
newly established control stations with intent to publish them  169
shall constitute evidence of adherence to federal geodetic  170
control committee specifications. These limitations may be  171
modified by a duly authorized state government agency to comply  172
with local conditions.  173
       Sec. 157.08 157.09. Extension of co-ordinate coordinate  174
control by qualified surveyors for local co-ordinate coordinate  175
control densification shall be executed in conformity with  176
standards of accuracy and specifications for first or second-  177
order geodetic surveys as prepared and published by the federal  178
geodetic control committee of the United States department of  179
commerce pursuant to section 157.07 157.08 of the Revised Code.  180
Control monumentation for analysis of land boundaries,  181
construction control, engineering design and planning, and  182
photogrammetric survey control for such purposes shall be  183
executed in conformity with the standards of accuracy and  184
specifications for first, second, or third-order geodetic  185
surveys as prepared and published by the federal geodetic  186
control committee in force on the date of such survey.  187
       Sec. 157.09 157.10. Distances, bearings, and areas  188
computed indirectly from co-ordinates coordinates shall be  189
considered acceptable measurement evidence for land and other  190
surveys if such co-ordinates coordinates have been determined in  191
accordance with sections 157.04157.06, 157.07157.08, and 157.08  192
157.09 of the Revised Code.  193
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       Sec. 157.11. In accordance with sections 157.01 to 157.10  194
of the Revised Code, legacy coordinate systems including the  195
Ohio coordinate system of 1983 and the Ohio coordinate system of  196
1927 shall not be used after December 31, 2033, and the Ohio  197
coordinate system shall be used after that date. Nothing in  198
sections 157.01 to 157.10 of the Revised Code shall be construed  199
to require that land descriptions using the Ohio coordinate  200
system of 1983 and recorded before January 1, 2034, be conformed  201
to the Ohio coordinate system.  202
       Section 2. That sections 157.01, 157.02, 157.03, 157.04,  203
157.05, 157.06, 157.07, 157.08, 157.09, 157.10, and 157.11 of  204
the Revised Code are hereby repealed.  205