Finding Ohio Agency Decisions

Finding Ohio agency decisions can be tricky. According to the Ohio Administrative Law Handbook and Agency Directory (a Westlaw source), “State agencies are not required to publish their administrative decisions or opinions, which can present a challenge to the researcher who wishes to locate this type of material. Fortunately, decisions or opinions can increasingly be found on agency Web sites.”

But what if they’re not on the agency’s website? Fortunately, our Ohio Primary Law Research Guide can help. There you’ll find a handy chart of Ohio agencies and a listing of where you can find their administrative decisions – whether on the Web, in Lexis or Westlaw, HeinOnline, LLMC, Hannah Capitol Connection, in print, or on dreaded microform (ask a librarian for help!).

Take PUCO as an example. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio has an impressive online presence, with agency decisions on the Web back to 1967. Lexis and Westlaw will get you back to 1953. But if you want to go back to where it all started in 1934, then you’d need consult a print source called “Department Reports of the State of Ohio.” This, and the coverage of other agency decisions, is spelled out in our guide.