(A) Except as provided in divisions (C) and (D) of this section, for the purposes of promoting traffic safety and efficiency and maintaining proper traffic capacity and traffic flow, a board of township trustees may adopt, by resolution, regulations for the management of access onto township roads in the unincorporated area of the township in accordance with sections 5552.05 and 5552.06 of the Revised Code. As part of those regulations, the board may require permits, including interim and temporary permits, for the construction, reconstruction, use, and maintenance of any point of access from public or private property onto those township roads. If the board adopts regulations that require permits, the regulations shall include standards that will be used for the approval or denial of a permit. Any regulations regarding the approval or denial of a permit shall specify a reasonable period for the approval or denial and shall provide that a failure to approve or deny, in whole or in part, any permit, license, or other approval sought within that period shall constitute a granting of approval for the permit, license, or other approval.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this division, a board of township trustees of a township other than an urban township may not adopt regulations authorized by this division until the date that is one year after the effective date of this section, and then only if the county does not adopt or initiate the process of adopting regulations under division (B) of this section within that one-year period. If the county initiates the process of adopting regulations under division (B) of this section within that one-year period but does not actually adopt regulations under division (B) of this section within two years after the effective date of this section, the township may adopt regulations authorized by this division on or after the date that is two years after the effective date of this section.

(B) For the purposes of promoting traffic safety and efficiency and maintaining proper traffic capacity and traffic flow, the board of county commissioners may adopt, by resolution, regulations for the management of access onto county and township roads in the unincorporated area of the county in accordance with sections 5552.04 and 5552.06 of the Revised Code. As part of those regulations, the board may require permits, including interim and temporary permits, for the construction, reconstruction, use, and maintenance of any point of access from public or private property onto those county and township roads. If the board adopts regulations that require permits, the regulations shall include standards that will be used for the approval or denial of a permit. Any regulations regarding the approval or denial of a permit shall specify a reasonable period for the approval or denial and shall provide that a failure to approve or deny, in whole or in part, any permit, license, or other approval sought within that period shall constitute a granting of approval for the permit, license, or other approval.

The same county regulations that apply to county roads shall apply to township roads. Except as provided in divisions (C) and (D) of this section, upon their effective date, the county regulations shall apply to all county and township roads in the unincorporated area of the county.

(C) On or after the appropriate date provided in division (A) of this section for adopting regulations under that division, the board of township trustees of a township other than an urban township may adopt the regulations authorized by that division. If such a board of township trustees adopts regulations, and a board of county commissioners later adopts regulations under division (B) of this section that apply to the same township roads, then, one year after the effective date of the county regulations, the regulations adopted by the board of township trustees shall be void, and the regulations adopted by the board of county commissioners shall apply to those township roads. However, the board of township trustees may establish an earlier date for the county regulations to take effect and the township regulations to be void by adopting a resolution establishing an earlier date and sending a certified copy of that resolution to the board of county commissioners.

(D) Except as otherwise provided in this division, if an urban township adopts regulations under division (A) of this section and the county also adopts regulations under division (B) of this section that affect township roads in that township, the county regulations shall have no effect on the township roads in that township. If the urban township adopts its regulations after the county adopts its regulations, however, the county regulations shall remain in effect for one year after the township regulations are adopted unless the board of county commissioners establishes an earlier date for the county regulations to expire within that urban township. After the earlier established date or one year, whichever is applicable, only the township regulations shall apply to the township roads in that urban township, although the county regulations shall continue to apply to the county roads in that urban township.

(E) Any county regulations adopted under this section shall be, to the extent possible, consistent with county zoning regulations and coordinated with any existing township zoning regulations. Any township regulations adopted under this section shall be, to the extent possible, consistent with any county or township zoning regulations in effect in the township.

Effective Date: 10-24-2002 .