(A)(1) No person shall operate an amusement ride within the state without a permit issued by the director of agriculture under division (A)(2) of this section. The owner of an amusement ride, whether the ride is a temporary amusement ride or a permanent amusement ride, who desires to operate the amusement ride within the state shall, prior to the operation of the amusement ride and annually thereafter, submit to the department of agriculture an application for a permit, together with the appropriate permit and inspection fee, on a form to be furnished by the department. Prior to issuing any permit the department shall, within thirty days after the date on which it receives the application, inspect each amusement ride described in the application. The owner of an amusement ride shall have the amusement ride ready for inspection not later than two hours after the time that is requested by the person for the inspection.
(2) For each amusement ride found to comply with the rules adopted by the director under division (B) of this section and division (B) of section993.08of the Revised Code, the director shall issue an annual permit, provided that evidence of liability insurance coverage for the amusement ride as required by section993.06of the Revised Code is on file with the department.
(3) The director shall issue with each permit a decal indicating that the amusement ride has been issued the permit. The owner of the amusement ride shall affix the decal on the ride at a location where the decal is easily visible to the patrons of the ride. A copy of the permit shall be kept on file at the same address as the location of the amusement ride identified on the permit, and shall be made available for inspection, upon reasonable demand, by any person. An owner may operate an amusement ride prior to obtaining a permit, provided that the operation is for the purpose of testing the amusement ride or training amusement ride operators and other employees of the owner and the amusement ride is not open to the public.
(B)(1) The director, in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, shall adopt rules providing for both of the following:
(a) A schedule of fines, with no fine exceeding five thousand dollars, for violations of this chapter or any rules adopted under this division;
(b) The classification of amusement rides and rules for the safe operation and inspection of all amusement rides as are necessary for amusement ride safety and for the protection of the general public. The classification of amusement rides must identify those rides that need more comprehensive inspection and testing in addition to regular state inspections, taking into account hidden components integral to the safety of the ride.
(2)(a) Rules adopted by the director for the safe operation and inspection of amusement rides shall be reasonable and shall be based upon generally accepted engineering standards and practices. The rules shall establish a minimum number of inspections to be conducted on each ride depending on the size, complexity, nature of the ride, and the number of days the ride is in operation during the year for which the applicable permit is valid. The rules also shall require the minimum number of inspectors assigned to inspect a ride or rides to be reasonable and adequate given the number, size, complexity, and nature of the ride or rides.
(b) In adopting rules under this section, the director may adopt by reference, in whole or in part, the national fire code or the national electrical code (NEC) prepared by the national fire protection association or the American national standards institute (ANSI), or any other principles, tests, or standards of nationally recognized technical or scientific authorities.
(c) In adopting rules under this section, the director shall adopt, by reference, the following chapters of the American society for testing and materials (ASTM) international regarding amusement ride safety standards and any other equivalent national standard:
(i) ASTM F1193-18;
(ii) ASTM F770-18;
(iii) ASTM F2291-18.
(d) Insofar as is practicable and consistent with this chapter, rules adopted under this division shall be consistent with the rules of other states.
(3) The department shall cause this chapter and the rules adopted in accordance with this division and division (B) of section993.08of the Revised Code to be published in pamphlet form and a copy to be furnished without charge to each owner of an amusement ride who holds a current permit or is an applicant therefor.
(C) With respect to an application for a permit for an amusement ride, an owner may apply to the director for a waiver or modification of any rule adopted under division (B) of this section if there are practical difficulties or unnecessary hardships for the amusement ride to comply with the rules. Any application shall set forth the reasons for the request. The director, with the approval of the advisory council on amusement ride safety, may waive or modify the application of a rule to any amusement ride if the public safety is secure. Any authorization by the director under this division shall be in writing and shall set forth the conditions under which the waiver or modification is authorized, and the department shall retain separate records of all proceedings under this division.
(D)(1) The director shall employ and provide for training of a chief inspector and additional inspectors and employees as may be necessary to administer and enforce this chapter. The director may appoint or contract with other persons to perform inspections of amusement rides, provided that the persons meet the qualifications for inspectors established by rules adopted under division (B) of this section and are not owners, or employees of owners, of any amusement ride subject to inspection under this chapter. When employing a new chief inspector or an additional inspector after November 6, 2019, the director shall give preference to the following:
(a) An individual holding a level one or higher inspector certification from either the national association of amusement ride safety officials (NAARSO), the amusement industry manufacturers and suppliers (AIMS) international, or another substantially equivalent organization as determined by the director; and
(b) An individual who intends, within one year of being hired as an inspector, to complete the requirements for issuance of a level one or higher inspector certification from NAARSO, AIMS International, or another substantially equivalent organization as determined by the director.
(2) No person shall inspect an amusement ride who, within six months prior to the date of inspection, was an employee of the owner of the ride.
(3) Before the director contracts with other persons to inspect amusement rides, the director shall seek the advice of the advisory council on amusement ride safety on whether to contract with those persons. The advice shall not be binding upon the director. After having received the advice of the council, the director may proceed to contract with inspectors in accordance with the procedures specified in division (E)(2) of section1711.11of the Revised Code.
(4) With the advice and consent of the advisory council on amusement ride safety, the director may employ a special consultant to conduct an independent investigation of an amusement ride accident. This consultant need not be in the civil service of the state, but shall have qualifications to conduct the investigation acceptable to the council.
(E)(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (E)(1) of this section, the department shall charge the following amusement ride fees:
The go kart inspection fee is in addition to the inspection fee for the go kart track.
The director shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code establishing an annual fee that is less than one hundred five dollars for an inspection and reinspection of an inflatable ride. In adopting the rules, the director shall ensure that the fee reasonably reflects the costs of inspection and reinspection of an inflatable ride. If the director issues a permit for an inflatable ride for a time period of less than one year, the director shall charge a prorated fee for the permit equal to one-twelfth of the annual permit fee multiplied by the number of full months for which the permit is issued.
The fees for an expedited inspection, failure to cancel a scheduled inspection, and failure to have an amusement ride ready for inspection do not apply to go karts.
As used in division (E)(1) of this section, "expedited inspection" means an inspection of an amusement ride by the department not later than ten days after the owner of the amusement ride files an application for a permit under this section.
(2) All fees and fines collected by the department under this chapter shall be deposited in the state treasury to the credit of the amusement ride inspection fund, which is hereby created, and shall be used only for the purpose of administering and enforcing section1711.11of the Revised Code and this chapter.
(3) The owner of an amusement ride shall be required to pay a reinspection fee only if the reinspection is required by division (B)(2) of this section or rules adopted under that division, if the reinspection was conducted at the owner's request under division (F) of this section, if the reinspection is required by division (F) of this section because of an accident, or if the reinspection is required by division (F) of section993.07of the Revised Code. If a reinspection is conducted at the request of the chief officer of a fair, festival, or event where the ride is operating, the reinspection fee shall be charged to the fair, festival, or event.
(4) The rules adopted under division (B) of this section shall define "roller coaster," "aerial lifts," "go karts," and "other rides" for purposes of determining the fees under division (E) of this section. The rules shall define "other rides" to include go kart tracks.
(F) A reinspection of an amusement ride shall take place if an accident occurs, if the owner of the ride or the chief officer of the fair, festival, or event where the ride is operating requests a reinspection, if the chief inspector determines reinspection is necessary in accordance with section993.042of the Revised Code, or if the reinspection is required by division (F) of section993.07of the Revised Code.
(G) As a supplement to its annual inspection of a temporary amusement ride, the department may inspect the ride during each scheduled event, as listed in the schedule of events provided to the department by the owner pursuant to division (C) of section993.07of the Revised Code, at which the ride is operated in this state. These supplemental inspections are in addition to any other inspection or reinspection of the ride as may be required under this chapter or rules adopted under it, and the owner of the temporary amusement ride is not required to pay an inspection or reinspection fee for this supplemental inspection unless the supplemental inspection is being conducted pursuant to division (B)(2) of this section or rules adopted under that division. Nothing in this division shall be construed to prohibit the owner of a temporary amusement ride having a valid permit to operate in this state from operating the ride at a scheduled event before the department conducts a supplemental inspection.
(H) The department may annually conduct a midseason operational inspection of every amusement ride upon which it conducts an annual inspection pursuant to division (A) of this section. The midseason operational inspection is in addition to any other inspection or reinspection of the amusement ride as may be required pursuant to this chapter. The owner of an amusement ride shall submit to the department, at the time determined by the department, the midseason operational inspection fee specified in division (E) of this section. The director, in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, shall adopt rules specifying the time period during which the department will conduct midseason operational inspections.
Last updated September 25, 2023 at 2:52 PM