Ohio HB 96 (Age Verification)
Ohio, United StatesMedium threat- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- Became Law
Stage 4 of 4: Became Law
Ohio's adult-site age check, tucked into the state budget bill after a standalone version stalled.
Latest update
HB 84 referred to Senate Judiciary
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Take action on this issueWhat it does
Ohio folded adult-content age verification into HB 96, the two-year state budget, after the standalone Innocence Act failed to pass on its own. The language makes any site presenting material obscene or harmful to juveniles verify a user is 18 with a photo ID or transaction data, enforced only by the Attorney General with penalties up to $100,000 per violation.
What’s at stake
Passing the mandate through a must-sign budget bill is how a stalled idea becomes law without a clean vote on its merits. In practice the rule is barely enforced, and major operators claim it does not reach them, so its real effect so far is smaller than its text. HB 84, passed by the House on March 18, 2026 and now in Senate Judiciary, would rewrite the section: sites would have to reverify users every two years and run a geofence through a licensed location-tracking provider that blocks Ohio users until they are verified.
Our take
Ohio could not pass this on its own, so it rode the budget instead, which is how contested mandates slip through. The law is on the books and thinly enforced. Passing it inside the budget let a checkpoint on lawful content become law with no standalone vote.
Timeline
HB 84 referred to Senate JudiciaryLatest
House passed HB 84, which would rewrite R.C. 1349.10 as the Innocence Act: reverification every two years and a geofence that blocks Ohio users until verified
Took effect
Signed into law in the budget act
Sponsors
Rep. Brian Stewart, Rep. Steve Demetriou
Votes
- House — Passed (59 to 38) · June 25, 2025
- Senate — Passed (23 to 10) · June 25, 2025
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