The short answer
Ohio law does not assign bed bug costs. The only Ohio statute that names bed bugs is the hotel bedding rule (ORC 3731.13); the EPA-hosted 2023 compendium of state bed bug laws lists nothing else for Ohio, and the 2009 and 2011 bills to create a state program died. For a rental, the general landlord-tenant chapter governs, and neither of its duty sections uses the words “bed bug,” “pest,” “vermin” or “infestation.”
Landlord: ORC 5321.04(A)
“(1) Comply with the requirements of all applicable building, housing, health, and safety codes that materially affect health and safety; (2) Make all repairs and do whatever is reasonably necessary to put and keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition; (3) Keep all common areas of the premises in a safe and sanitary condition; ... (8) Except in the case of emergency or if it is impracticable to do so, give the tenant reasonable notice of the landlord’s intent to enter and enter only at reasonable times. Twenty-four hours is presumed to be a reasonable notice in the absence of evidence to the contrary.”
Tenant: ORC 5321.05
“(A) ... (1) Keep that part of the premises that he occupies and uses safe and sanitary; (2) Dispose of all rubbish, garbage, and other waste in a clean, safe, and sanitary manner; ... (5) Comply with the requirements imposed on tenants by all applicable state and local housing, health, and safety codes; ...
(B) The tenant shall not unreasonably withhold consent for the landlord to enter into the dwelling unit in order to inspect the premises, make ordinary, necessary, or agreed repairs ... supply necessary or agreed services ...
(C)(1) If the tenant violates any provision of this section ... the landlord may recover any actual damages that result from the violation together with reasonable attorney’s fees.”
Four scenarios
| Situation | Where it lands |
|---|---|
| Bugs present at move-in | Landlord: “fit and habitable,” 5321.04(A)(2) |
| Bugs arriving through a shared wall or hallway | Landlord: common areas and habitability, (A)(2)–(3) |
| Bugs arriving with the tenant’s used furniture or luggage | Tenant: “safe and sanitary,” 5321.05(A)(1); landlord’s damages route, (C)(1) |
| Tenant refuses access for inspection or treatment | Tenant: 5321.05(B); the landlord still owes 24 hours’ notice under 5321.04(A)(8) |
Every row depends on a fact about cause, and cause is what an inspection documents: where the bugs are concentrated, which life stages are present, whether the neighbors have them, whether there is a route through the wall. Both sections also point to local housing codes ((A)(1) and (A)(5)); we have not read Dayton’s code for this page and do not describe it. Who to ask →