After the passage of Ohio House Bill No. 197 (“Bill”), the Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Real Estate & Professional Licensing (“Department”), recently issued an alert that the failure of a land professional to file his or her 2020 license renewal by December 1, 2020, would result in the expiration of the land professional’s licensure. The Department stated that those who have not filed their 2020 renewal can expect a reminder letter via regular mail at the end of October.

The announcement comes pursuant to the Bill, enacted on March 27, 2020, which stated that persons required to maintain the validity of licenses during the period of emergency issued by a State of Ohio Executive Order on March 9, 2020, shall have until 90 days after the date of emergency ends or December 1, 2020, whichever date is sooner, to take the action required with respect to that license. Shortly after the passage of the Bill, the Department solidified its application to land professional registrations and issued a statement that the normal expiration and renewal date of land professional registrations of April 30 was extended “until either ninety days after the emergency order ends or December 1, 2020 – whichever is sooner.” According to the Department, licenses that expired after April 30 would remain active until the December 1 deadline despite, technically, having expired.

As of the publication of this alert, being October 21, 2020, the State of Ohio is still under a State of Emergency Executive Order.