Which Crimes In Ohio Require Sex Offender Registration?

We are frequently asked what crimes require mandatory sexual registration in Ohio. A simple search of one of the many online publications showing where sex offenders live, work, and go to school will show that the State of Ohio has a number of people who are required to register as sexual offenders. As of September 2023, Ohio has roughly 20,000 people on the sexual registry. Certain crimes require sex offender registration. In Ohio there are three tiers of classification for sex offenders. The most serious sex crimes are categorized under tier 3 registration which requires lifetime registry every 90 days. The lowest classification in Ohio is tier 1 registration which requires annual registration for 15 years. Tier 1 registration can be shorten to 10 years if certain conditions are met.

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We outlined the crimes below that require sexual registration for each of the three tiers under Ohio criminal law.

Sex Offender Classifications

Tier 3

Lifetime registration every 90 days for life.

1. 2907.02 Rape
2. 2907.03 Sexual Battery
3. 2903.01 Agg. Murder with sexual motivation
4. 2903.02 Murder with sexual motivation
5. 2903.04(A) Unlawful Death or termination of pregnancy as a result of committing or attempt to commit a felony with sexual motivation
6. 2905.01(A)(4) Kidnapping of minor to engage in sexual activity
7. 2905.01 (B) Kidnapping of minor, not by parent
8. 2907.05 (B) (New section of Gross Sexual Imposition)
9. 2903.11 Felonious Assault with sexual motivation
10. Pre-AWA (Adam Walsh Act) predators unless re-classified after hearing under ORC 2950.031 or 2950.032
11. Any sexual offense that occurs after the offender is classified as a Tier II or III offender.
12. Automatic classification after SVP specification 2971.03
13. Includes an attempt, complicity or conspiracy to commit any of these offenses.

Tier 2

Registration for 25 years every 180 days.

1. 2907.21 Compelling Prostitution
2. 2907.321 Pandering Obscenity Involving a minor
3. 2907.322 Pandering Sexually Oriented Material Involving a minor
4. 2907.323 (A)(1) and (2) Illegal Use of a Minor in Nudity-oriented Material or Performance
5. 2907.04 when offender is at least 4 years older, or when the offender is less than 4 years older and has prior conviction for 2907.02, 2907.03, 2907.04
6. 2907.05 (A)(4) Gross Sexual Imposition victim under 13
7. 2919.22 (B)(5) Child Endangering
8. 2905.01 (A)(1)-(3),(5) Kidnapping with sexual motivation
9. 2905.01 (A)(4), victim over 18
10. 2905.02 (B) Abduction with sexual motivation (new under SB 10)
11. Any sexual offense that occurs after the offender has been classified as a Tier I offender
12. Includes an attempt, complicity or conspiracy to commit any of these offenses
13. Pre-AWA Habitual offenders, unless re-classified after hearing under ORC 2950.031 or 2950.032

Tier 1

Registration for up to 15 years once per year.

1. 2907.07 Importuning
2. 2907.04 Unlawful Sexual Conduct with a Minor, non-consensual and offender less than 4 years older than victim, not previously convicted of 2907.02, 2907.03, or 2907.04
3. 2907.08 Voyeurism
4. 2907.06 Sexual Imposition
5. 2907.05 (A)(1)-(3), (5) Gross Sexual Imposition
6. 2907.323 (A)(3) Illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material or performance
7. 2905.05 (B) Child Enticement with sexual motivation (new under SB 10)
8. 2907.32 Pandering Obscenity
9. 2903.211 (A)(3) Menacing by stalking with sexual motivation (new under SB 10)
10. 2905.03(B) Unlawful Restraint with sexual motivation (new under SB 10)
11. Includes an attempt, complicity or conspiracy to commit any of these offenses
12. Child-victim offender not in Tier II or III

What Does Pre AWA Sexual Predator Mean?

Under the Adam Walsh Act (AWA), people convicted of sex offenses before Jan. 1, 2008, retain the same sex offender classification, registration requirements and notification requirements that they would have had they been convicted before that date. Before the AWA, people who had committed sex crimes before 2008 did not have to register as sex offenders. The AWA makes it easier for law enforcement and the public to track offenders who otherwise would not have had to register.

What Are The Sex Offender Registration Requirements?

There are strict rules for registry and notification for convicted sex offenders. These rules require registered offenders to report their address regularly. For example:

• Tier I offenders: Report in person to the sheriff every year to provide an accurate residential address and work/school address.
• Tier II offenders: Report in person to the sheriff every 180 days to provide an accurate residential address and work/school address.
• Tier III offenders: Report in person to the sheriff every 90 days to provide an accurate residential address and work/school address.

The failure to comply with these requirements can result in severe penalties. These could include additional years spent on the sex offender registry or even incarceration.

What Is A Sex Offender Not Allowed To Do In Ohio?

One of the most important details about the sex offender registry is its geographic limits for registered offenders. A registered sex offender cannot live within 1,000 feet of a school or daycare center. A violation of this offense is usually a civil penalty, not a criminal one. In some situations, registered sex offenders may live closer than 1,000 feet of a school or daycare if the living situation is temporary.

Get More Information About Ohio Sex Offender Registration

If you have been charged with a sex crime or you need to get accurate legal advice, Rittgers Rittgers & Nakajima is here to help you. Set up a consultation with us today. You can call us in Ohio at 513-496-0134, call us in Kentucky at 859-495-1669 or send us an email. Our office locations include Lebanon, West Chester, Cincinnati, Covington and Oxford.