HB 639 Ohio House · 136th Legislature (2025-2026)

Create defense to nuisance claims re: racing facilities

HB 639 creates a legal defense for racing facilities and racetracks against nuisance lawsuits brought by property owners within a five-mile radius who purchased or built on their land after the facility was constructed. It states that claims based on typical operations - like noise, traffic, or lighting - cannot succeed if the facility is lawfully operating. The defense applies regardless of future changes to the facility’s size, technology, or racing types, but does not override environmental laws, health/safety regulations, or claims for physical damage or injury. This bill directly affects property owners in the defined area and ensures racing facilities cannot be sued for normal, lawful activities.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Jun 2026
House Passage
Jun 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Jan 5, 2026 Last action Jun 10, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

As Introduced As Passed by the House · 2 edits · Jun 3, 2026
MINOR
The bill text was reformatted to remove page headers and footers while adding a list of cosponsors. The actual legal language regarding the defense against nuisance claims for racing facilities remains unchanged.
TECHNICAL

Removed page numbers, line numbers, and version labels (As Introduced/As Passed) from the text.

Added a list of cosponsors representing various districts.

Floor votes · House Jun 4, 2026

How they voted

871
Passed
Total votes 88
Jun 4, 2026
D Democratic31
30 Yea 1 Nay
96% Yea
R Republican57
57 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
7
Key actions
2
Committee
2
Jun 10, 2026
Committee
Referred to committee
upper
Jun 4, 2026
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (87-1)
house
Jun 4, 2026
Introduced
Introduced
upper
Jun 3, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed
lower
Feb 4, 2026
Committee
Referred to committee
lower
Jan 5, 2026
Introduced
Introduced
lower
2 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors