Ohio county government

Ohio county government is the structure of official managerial and legal bodies of the counties of Ohio, USA. It is marked by a loose organization and a diffusion of power, the basic framework not having been changed since the nineteenth century. The Ohio Constitution allows counties to set up a home rule charter government as many cities and villages do, but only Summit and Cuyahoga counties have done so.

Counties operating under a constitutional government operate under Dillon's Rule. They are creatures of the state, and have only those powers granted to them by the Ohio General Assembly and the Ohio Constitution, any power implied by those express powers, and those powers essential to their existence. However, Article X of the Ohio Constitution gives county government benefits similar to those conferred on cities and villages under the home rule amendments of 1912.