Informal Advisory Opinions
Commission guidance for a specific situation
Informal Advisory Opinions provide guidance on how the Ohio Ethics Law applies to specific situations presented to the Ohio Ethics Commission. Issued by the Commission’s advisory staff after review and approval by the Commission, these written responses explain how the law may apply to the facts described.
All advisory opinions provide the individual, and any person similarly situated, with both criminal and civil immunity as described in Section 102.08(E) of the Revised Code and Ohio Administrative Code 102-3-01(C).
Easily find advice using the search feature. For example, searching for family will return advice containing the word family.
For assistance finding or understanding existing advice please call (614) 466-7090 and ask to speak with an Advisory Attorney.
Informal Advisory Opinion Archive
Browse all Informal Advisory Opinions by year.
- 1988-INF-0225 (O'Brien)
- 1988-INF-0310 (Bell)
- 1988-INF-0407-1 (Shkurti)
- 1988-INF-0407-2 (Hall)
- 1988-INF-0407-3 (Ormsbee)
- 1988-INF-0615 (Lombardi)
- 1988-INF-0616 (Kravitz)
- 1988-INF-0901-1 (Murray)
- 1988-INF-0901-2 (Squeglia)
- 1988-INF-1011 (Austin)
- 1988-INF-1013 (Chamberlain)
- 1988-INF-1216-1 (Oppmann)
- 1988-INF-1216-2 (Patton)
- 1989-INF-0120-1 (Trupo) (now obsolete due to subsequent amendment to R.C. 102.03(J))
- 1989-INF-0120-2 (Murray) (overruled, in part, by 90-003 and 2023-01 noting donations to public agencies are public contracts)
- 1989-INF-0223-1 (Long)
- 1989-INF-0223-2 (Borrows)
- 1989-INF-0406-1 (Pierce)
- 1989-INF-0406-2 (Mellini)
- 1989-INF-0511-1 (Engel)
- 1989-INF-0511-2 (Kijowski)
- 1989-INF-0830 (Jones)
- 1989-INF-1018 (Moore)
- 1989-INF-1214 (Jager)
- 1990-INF-0118 (Haller)
- 1990-INF-0411 (Muehlauser)
- 1990-INF-0625 (Corzine)
- 1991-INF-0607 (Salisbury)
- 1991-INF-0618 (Srnec)
- 1991-INF-0821-1 (Poulton)
- 1991-INF-0821-2 (Shoemaker)
- 1991-INF-0828 (Rounsley)
- 1991-INF-0909 (Arndt)
- 1991-INF-1011-1 (Sweeney)
- 1991-INF-1011-2 (Stern)
- 1992-INF-0306-1 (Capizzi)
- 1992-INF-0306-2 (Thibaut)
- 1992-INF-0410 (Squeglia)
- 1992-INF-0710 (Saxbe)
- 1992-INF-1009-1 (Bender)
- 1992-INF-1009-2 (Brant)
- 1993-INF-0108 (Columbus Municipal Airport Authority)
- 1993-INF-0212-1 (Booth)
- 1993-INF-0212-2 (Urban)
- 1993-INF-0309 (Columbus Municipal Airport Authority)
- 1993-INF-0716 (Columbus Municipal Airport Authority)
- 1993-INF-1021-1 (Tillery)
- 1993-INF-1021-2 (Vehr)
- 1993-INF-1203-1 (Simko)
- 1993-INF-1203-2 (Miller)
- 1994-INF-0218-1 (Westfall)
- 1994-INF-0218-2 (Blaugrund)
- 1994-INF-0329-1 (Sweeney)
- 1994-INF-0329-2 (Marshall)
- 1994-INF-0421 (Forni)
- 1994-INF-0520 (Hackett)
- 1994-INF-0928 (Jones)
- 1995-INF-0208-1 (Mondell)
- 1995-INF-0208-2 (Hollister)
- 1995-INF-0622 (Sanders)
- 1995-INF-0811-1 (Gano)
- 1995-INF-0811-2 (Demske)
- 1995-INF-0811-3 (Wilkinson)
- 1995-INF-0811-4 (Schenk)
- 1995-INF-0927 (Rusnov)
- 1995-INF-0929 (Brown)
- 1995-INF-1117 (Mowery)
- 1995-INF-1218 (Philomena)
- 1996-INF-0202-1 (Cannon)
- 1996-INF-0202-2 (Davis)
- 1996-INF-0509-1 (Feheley)
- 1996-INF-0509-2 (Clark)
- 1996-INF-0513-1 (Keller)
- 1996-INF-0513-2 (Sico)
- 1996-INF-0624 (Wilkinson)
- 1996-INF-0913-1 (Edwards)
- 1996-INF-0913-2 (Hyle)
- 1996-INF-0913-3 (O’Brien)
- 1996-INF-1216-1 (Tuomala)
- 1996-INF-1216-2 (Barbour)
- 1997-INF-0211-1 (Parker)
- 1997-INF-0211-2 (Godshall)
- 1997-INF-0314-1 (Konstam)
- 1997-INF-0314-2 (Roller)
- 1997-INF-0317 (Randall)
- 1997-INF-0411-1 (Mapes)
- 1997-INF-0411-2 (Pater)
- 1997-INF-0520-1 (Milligan)
- 1997-INF-0520-2 (Tannous)
- 1997-INF-0630-1 (Milligan)
- 1997-INF-0630-2 (Willis)
- 1997-INF-0630-3 (Somani)
- 1997-INF-0926-1 (Richter)
- 1997-INF-0926-2 (Stitt)
- 1997-INF-0926-3 (Witt)
- 1997-INF-1103-1 (Jamison)
- 1997-INF-1103-2 (Jenkins)
- 1998-INF-0130-1 (Snyder)
- 1998-INF-0130-2 (Bobb)
- 1998-INF-0306 (Bossart)
- 1998-INF-0316 (Scholl)
- 1998-INF-0409 (Connors)
- 1998-INF-0417 (Young)
- 1998-INF-0515-1 (McLaughlin)
- 1998-INF-0515-2 (Stringer)
- 1998-INF-0515-3 (Silver)
- 1998-INF-0612 (Crescimano)
- 1998-INF-0619-1 (Snyder)
- 1998-INF-0619-2 (Crites)
- 1998-INF-0820 (Banks)
- 1998-INF-0925 (Gains)
- 1998-INF-1008-1 (Lordi)
- 1998-INF-1008-2 (Engler)
- 1998-INF-1029 (Lynch)
- 1998-INF-1202 (Walker)
- 1999-INF-0112-1 (Drabik)
- 1999-INF-0112-2 (Parker)
- 1999-INF-0219-1 (McKinley)
- 1999-INF-0219-2 (Orth)
- 1999-INF-0326-1 (Romer-Sensky)
- 1999-INF-0326-2 (Proctor)
- 1999-INF-0326-3 (Belinky)
- 1999-INF-0507-1 (Yost)
- 1999-INF-0507-2 (Hartung)
- 1999-INF-0629 (Schneider)
- 1999-INF-0720 (Mentel)
- 1999-INF-0806-1 (Jackson)
- 1999-INF-0806-2 (Reece)
- 1999-INF-1119-1 (Wallace)
- 1999-INF-1119-2 (Spino)
- 1999-INF-1119-3 (Eliason)
- 1999-INF-1119-4 (Pfeifer)
- 1999-INF-1217-1 (Sheerer)
- 1999-INF-1217-2 (Vigluicci)
- 1999-INF-1217-3 (Chapman)
- 1999-INF-1217-4 (Trivisonno)
- 1999-INF-1217-5 (Portune)
- 1999-INF-1227 (Conrad)
- 2000-INF-0121-1 (Wilkowski) (now obsolete due to subsequent amendment to R.C. 3314.03(A)(11)(e))
- 2000-INF-0121-2 (Knecht)
- 2000-INF-0316-1 (Frazier )
- 2000-INF-0316-2 (Schwartz)
- 2000-INF-0316-3 (Rosenbaum)
- 2000-INF-0414-1 (Shirey)
- 2000-INF-0414-2 (Blevins)
- 2000-INF-0414-3 (Boyd)
- 2000-INF-0414-4 (Baxter)
- 2000-INF-0523-1 (Frueauff)
- 2000-INF-0523-2 (Sigel)
- 2000-INF-0623-1 (Reese)
- 2000-INF-0623-2 (McAdams)
- 2000-INF-0714 (Johnson)
- 2000-INF-0811 (Horn)
- 2000-INF-0928 (Hatfield)
- 2000-INF-1027-1 (Blaugrund)
- 2000-INF-1027-2 (Barnes)
- 2000-INF-1215-1 (App)
- 2000-INF-1215-2 (Neyer)
- 2001-INF-0126-1 (Testa)
- 2001-INF-0126-2 (Montgomery)
- 2001-INF-0126-3 (Brooks)
- 2001-INF-0223-1 (Ulm)
- 2001-INF-0223-2 (Phillians)
- 2001-INF-0223-3 (Paynter)
- 2001-INF-0321 (Lucas)
- 2001-INF-0403 (Massie)
- 2001-INF-0406-1 (Barnes)
- 2001-INF-0406-2 (Townsend)
- 2001-INF-0406-3 (Luken)
- 2001-INF-0416 (Kampfer)
- 2001-INF-0510-1 (Dailey)
- 2001-INF-0510-2 (Fiorino)
- 2001-INF-0510-3 (Panzino)
- 2001-INF-0608 (Miller)
- 2001-INF-0622 (Burke)
- 2001-INF-0727-1 (Blanchard)
- 2001-INF-0727-2 (Vinci)
- 2001-INF-0727-3 (Braun)
- 2001-INF-0907-1 (Smith)
- 2001-INF-0907-2 (Robertson)
- 2001-INF-0907-3 (Thomas)
- 2001-INF-0907-4 (Teodosio)
- 2001-INF-0928 (Sheir)
- 2001-INF-1012-1 (Dailey)
- 2001-INF-1012-2 (Montgomery)
- 2001-INF-1012-3 (Gibbon)
- 2001-INF-1114 (Dupuis)
- 2001-INF-1116 (Teodosio)
- 2001-INF-1121 (Shackelford)
- 2001-INF-1214-1 (Jones)
- 2001-INF-1214-2 (Cannon)
- 2001-INF-1214-3 (Baits)
- 2001-INF-1228-1 (Tannous)
- 2001-INF-1228-2 (Tannous)
- 2002-INF-0124-1 (Stumphauzer)
- 2002-INF-0124-2 (Tannous)
- 2002-INF-0124-3 (Samuel)
- 2002-INF-0301-1 (Evans)
- 2002-INF-0301-2 (Monroe)
- 2002-INF-0318 (Fleming)
- 2002-INF-0402-1 (Murphy)
- 2002-INF-0402-2 (Landen)
- 2002-INF-0510 (Conomy)
- 2002-INF-0613 (Meeks)
- 2002-INF-0624-1 (Tannous)
- 2002-INF-0624-2 (White)
- 2002-INF-0802-1 (Samuel)
- 2002-INF-0802-2 (Sheets)
- 2002-INF-0802-3 (Rosenbaum)
- 2002-INF-0802-4 (Baker)
- 2002-INF-0913 (Hyland)
- 2002-INF-1021-1 (White)
- 2002-INF-1021-2 (Jenkins)
- 2002-INF-1021-3 (Vasquez)
- 2002-INF-1129 (Fleming)
- 2002-INF-1209-1 (Tannous)
- 2002-INF-1209-2 (Mountz)
- 2003-INF-0117-1 (Nevada)
- 2003-INF-0117-2 (Amid)
- 2003-INF-0117-3 (McLaughlin)
- 2003-INF-0117-4 (Peyton)
- 2003-INF-0221 (Kilroy)
- 2003-INF-0224-1 (Marshall) (overruled by 2025-02)
- 2003-INF-0224-2 (Stern)
- 2003-INF-0225-1 (Vekasy)
- 2003-INF-0225-2 (Mallo)
- 2003-INF-0407-1 (Tannous)
- 2003-INF-0407-2 (Dailey)
- 2003-INF-0407-3 (Italian Village Commission)
- 2003-INF-0508-1 (Susec)
- 2003-INF-0508-2 (Stergios)
- 2003-INF-0519 (Millet)
- 2003-INF-0527 (Compton)
- 2003-INF-0613-1 (Zaino)
- 2003-INF-0613-2 (Esser)
- 2003-INF-0718-1 (Annarino)
- 2003-INF-0718-2 (Armeni)
- 2003-INF-0718-3 (Thompson)
- 2003-INF-0805 (Shorr)
- 2003-INF-0910-1 (Carey)
- 2003-INF-0910-2 (Furnier)
- 2003-INF-0916 (Tannous)
- 2003-INF-0923-1 (Davis)
- 2003-INF-0923-2 (Portune)
- 2003-INF-1017 (Molnar)
- 2003-INF-1117-1 (DeJane)
- 2003-INF-1117-2 (Ostrowski)
- 2003-INF-1217 (DeJane)
- 2003-INF-1223 (Nourse)
- 2003-INF-1229-1 (Recktenwald)
- 2003-INF-1229-2 (Gillam)
- 2003-INF-1229-3 (DeJane)
- 2004-INF-0123 (Williams)
- 2004-INF-0130 (Fox)
- 2004-INF-0305 (Schrader)
- 2004-INF-0413 (Tyler)
- 2004-INF-0414-1 (Hayes)
- 2004-INF-0414-2 (Pierce)
- 2004-INF-0518 (Weiser)
- 2004-INF-0520 (Selvaggio)
- 2004-INF-0630 (Patterson)
- 2004-INF-0721 (Leffler)
- 2004-INF-0813 (Smith) (now obsolete due to subsequent amendment to R.C. 3319.07)
- 2004-INF-0825 (Sweet)
- 2004-INF-0929 (Kincaid)
- 2004-INF-1004 (Russell)
- 2004-INF-1008-1 (Snyder)
- 2004-INF-1008-2 (Vasquez)
- 2004-INF-1101 (Long)
- 2004-INF-1118 (Russell)
- 2005-INF-0131 (Morckel)
- 2005-INF-0202 (Armstrong)
- 2005-INF-0211 (Diemert)
- 2005-INF-0321-1 (Bissinger)
- 2005-INF-0321-2 (Madson)
- 2005-INF-0422 (Noe)
- 2005-INF-0525 (Anderson)
- 2005-INF-0608 (Engelman)
- 2005-INF-0630 (Riley)
- 2005-INF-0713 (Held)
- 2005-INF-0811 (Kreuter)
- 2005-INF-0824 (Thompson)
- 2005-INF-0929 (Baird)
- 2005-INF-1031 (Schuster)
- 2005-INF-1102-1 (Gillam)
- 2005-INF-1102-2 (Haines)
- 2005-INF-1109 (Arshinkoff)
- 2005-INF-1128-1 (McCarty)
- 2005-INF-1128-2 (Samuel)
- 2006-INF-0124-1 (Knight)
- 2006-INF-0124-2 (Wanless)
- 2006-INF-0124-3 (Cornell)
- 2006-INF-0223 (Besse)
- 2006-INF-0317 (Waldick)
- 2006-INF-0323 (McCausland)
- 2006-INF-0424-1 (Adams)
- 2006-INF-0424-2 (Schrader)
- 2006-INF-0424-3 (Dettwiller)
- 2006-INF-0612 (Lesicko)
- 2006-INF-0629-1 (Turner)
- 2006-INF-0629-2 (Moseley)
- 2006-INF-0629-3 (Timms)
- 2006-INF-0825-1 (Barbash)
- 2006-INF-0825-2 (Swan)
- 2006-INF-0829 (O’Reilly)
- 2006-INF-0929-1 (Wehr)
- 2006-INF-0929-2 (Krindler)
- 2006-INF-0929-3 (Proctor)
- 2006-INF-1030 (Wozniak)
- 2006-INF-1101-1 (Neubert)
- 2006-INF-1101-2 (Barron)
- 2006-INF-1201 (Barron)
- 2007-INF-0123-1 (Vest)
- 2007-INF-0123-2 (Frank)
- 2007-INF-0223 (Huey)
- 2007-INF-0226 (Allison)
- 2007-INF-0227 (Beatty)
- 2007-INF-0323-1 (Hissom)
- 2007-INF-0323-2 (Speck)
- 2007-INF-0501 (Mallo)
- 2007-INF-0507 (Kaschak)
- 2007-INF-0622-1 (Kulewicz)
- 2007-INF-0622-2 (Stephenson)
- 2007-INF-0627 (Piper)
- 2007-INF-0730-1 (Jones)
- 2007-INF-0730-2 (Lhota)
- 2007-INF-0801 (Minardo)
- 2007-INF-0829 (Ryan)
- 2007-INF-0830-1 (Plunkett)
- 2007-INF-0830-2 (Corbett)
- 2007-INF-0914 (Mertz)
- 2007-INF-0926 (Stiers)
- 2007-INF-1017 (Hunter)
- 2007-INF-1031-1 (Trout)
- 2007-INF-1031-2 (Shaffer)
- 2007-INF-1031-3 (Rough)
- 2007-INF-1105 (Jewell)
- 2007-INF-1130-1 (Campbell)
- 2007-INF-1130-2 (Kiesling)
- 2007-INF-1217 (Ryan)
- 2008-INF-0111 (Millet)
- 2008-INF-0116 (Logan)
- 2008-INF-0204 (Ryan)
- 2008-INF-0306 (Noel)
- 2008-INF-0307 (Cassetty)
- 2008-INF-0421-1 (Shannon)
- 2008-INF-0421-2 (Laliberte)
- 2008-INF-0425 (O’Shaughnessy)
- 2008-INF-0429 (Frank)
- 2008-INF-0530-1 (Hill)
- 2008-INF-0530-2 (Fountain)
- 2008-INF-0602-1 (Jones)
- 2008-INF-0602-2 (Weeks)
- 2008-INF-0602-3 (Craig)
- 2008-INF-0627-1 (Rogers)
- 2008-INF-0627-2 (Rogers)
- 2008-INF-0721 (Mallo)
- 2008-INF-0722 (Cranley)
- 2008-INF-1002-1 (Bennett)
- 2008-INF-1002-2 (Adams)
- 2008-INF-1002-3 (Young)
- 2008-INF-1002-4 (Engle)
- 2008-INF-1003 (Radcliff)
- 2008-INF-1223 (Wall)
- 2009-INF-0305-1 (Isbell)
- 2009-INF-0305-2 (Elisar)
- 2009-INF-0529-1 (Gilmore)
- 2009-INF-0529-2 (Koester)
- 2009-INF-0619 (Jacobs)
- 2009-INF-0716 (Payton)
- 2009-INF-0722 (Readey)
- 2009-INF-0819-1 (Hartley)
- 2009-INF-0819-2 (Chambers)
- 2009-INF-0901 (Lindsey)
- 2009-INF-1029 (Overmyer)
- 2009-INF-1102-1 (Wendell)
- 2009-INF-1102-2 (Jones)
- 2009-INF-1104 (Newman)
- 2009-INF-1203 (George)
- 2010-INF-0204 (Ryan)
- 2010-INF-0305 (Dolan)
- 2010-INF-0310-1 (Armstrong)
- 2010-INF-0310-2 (Collins)
- 2010-INF-0310-3 (House)
- 2010-INF-0310-4 (Nargang)
- 2010-INF-0427-1 (Henehan)
- 2010-INF-0427-2 (Chavanne)
- 2010-INF-0528 (Curp)
- 2010-INF-0629-1 (Lodermeier)
- 2010-INF-0629-2 (Piepsny)
- 2010-INF-0812-1 (Ronayne)
- 2010-INF-0812-2 (McTigue)
- 2010-INF-0812-3 (Joseph)
- 2010-INF-0812-4 (Levin)
- 2010-INF-0812-5 (Lambert)
- 2010-INF-0908-1 (Ray)
- 2010-INF-0908-2 (McCauley)
- 2010-INF-0921 (Parker) (but see, 2011-INF-0330, decided on different facts)
- 2010-INF-1020 (Naess)
- 2010-INF-1202 (Reid)
- 2011-INF-0118 (Solove)
- 2011-INF-0330 (Parker) (but see, 2010-INF-0921, decided on different facts)
- 2011-INF-0504-1 (Wadsworth)
- 2011-INF-0504-2 (Hann)
- 2011-INF-0620-1 (Cope)
- 2011-INF-0620-2 (Saxbe)
- 2011-INF-0726-1 (Brighton)
- 2011-INF-0726-2 (Porter)
- 2011-INF-0823 (Moore)
- 2011-INF-0926-1 (Casey)
- 2011-INF-0926-2 (McFarland)
- 2011-INF-0926-3 (Schmitz)
- 2011-INF-0928 (O’Meara)
- 2011-INF-1103-1 (Brey)
- 2011-INF-1103-2 (Silverman)
- 2011-INF-1216 (Hummer)
- 2012-INF-0206 (Chafin)
- 2012-INF-0405-1 (Brey)
- 2012-INF-0405-2 (Crandall)
- 2012-INF-0507-1 (Chase)
- 2012-INF-0507-2 (Dobbins)
- 2012-INF-0615-1 (Schmenk)
- 2012-INF-0615-2 (Womer Benjamin)
- 2012-INF-0920 (Read)
- 2013-INF-0117 (Armstrong)
- 2013-INF-0404 (Feheley)
- 2022-INF-0520 (Lecklider)
- 2023-INF-0524 (Boggs)