(A) The director of environmental protection or his authorized representative, upon proper identification and upon stating the purpose and necessity of an inspection, may enter at reasonable times upon any public or private property, real or personal, to inspect or investigate, obtain samples, and examine and copy records to determine compliance with this chapter and rules adopted and orders issued under it. The director or his authorized representative may apply for, and any judge of a court of record may issue for use within the court's territorial jurisdiction, an administrative inspection warrant under division (F) of section 2933.21 of the Revised Code or other appropriate search warrant necessary to achieve the purposes of this chapter.

(B) If the entry authorized by division (A) of this section is refused or if the inspection or investigation so authorized is refused, hindered, or thwarted by intimidation or otherwise, and if the director or his authorized representative applies for and obtains a search warrant under division (A) of this section to conduct the inspection or investigation, the owner or operator of the premises where entry was refused or inspection or investigation was refused, hindered, or thwarted is liable to the director for the reasonable costs incurred by him for the regular salaries and fringe benefit costs of personnel assigned to conduct the inspection or investigation from the time the entry, inspection, or investigation was refused, hindered, or thwarted until the search warrant is executed; for the salary, fringe benefits, and travel expenses of the attorney general or an authorized assistant incurred in obtaining the search warrant; and for expenses necessarily incurred for the assistance of local law enforcement officers in executing the search warrant. In the application for the search warrant, the director may request, and the court, in its order granting the search warrant, may order the owner or operator of the premises to reimburse the director for such of those costs as the court finds reasonable. From the moneys recovered under this division, the director shall reimburse the attorney general for the costs incurred by him or his authorized assistant in connection with the proceedings for obtaining the search warrant, shall reimburse the political subdivision in which the premises is located for the assistance of its law enforcement officers in executing the search warrant, and shall deposit the remainder of any such moneys to the credit of the general revenue fund.

Effective Date: 07-01-1996.