Ohio Rev. Code § 303.12
Hearings shall be held in the county court house or in a public place designated by the commission.
The county or regional planning commission shall recommend the approval or denial of the proposed amendment or the approval of some modification of it and shall submit its recommendation to the county rural zoning commission. The recommendation shall be considered at the public hearing held by the county rural zoning commission on the proposed amendment.
The county rural zoning commission, within thirty days after the hearing, shall recommend the approval or denial of the proposed amendment, or the approval of some modification of it, and shall submit that recommendation together with the motion, application, or resolution involved, the text and map pertaining to the proposed amendment, and the recommendation of the county or regional planning commission on it to the board of county commissioners.
The board of county commissioners, upon receipt of that recommendation, shall set a time for a public hearing on the proposed amendment, which date shall be not more than thirty days from the date of the receipt of that recommendation. Notice of the hearing shall be given by the board by one publication in one or more newspapers of general circulation in the county, at least ten days before the date of the hearing.
The proposed amendment, if adopted by the board, shall become effective in thirty days after the date of its adoption, unless, within thirty days after the adoption, there is presented to the board of county commissioners a petition, signed by a number of qualified voters residing in the unincorporated area of the township or part of that unincorporated area included in the zoning plan equal to not less than eight per cent of the total vote cast for all candidates for governor in that area at the most recent general election at which a governor was elected, requesting the board to submit the amendment to the electors of that area for approval or rejection at a special election to be held on the day of the next primary or general election occurring at least ninety days after the petition is submitted. Each part of this petition shall contain the number and the full and correct title, if any, of the zoning amendment resolution, motion, or application, furnishing the name by which the amendment is known and a brief summary of its contents. In addition to meeting the requirements of this section, each petition shall be governed by the rules specified in section 3501.38 of the Revised Code.
The form of a petition calling for a zoning referendum and the statement of the circulator shall be substantially as follows:
"PETITION FOR ZONING REFERENDUM
(if the proposal is identified by a particular name or number, or both, these should be inserted here) ________________________
A proposal to amend the zoning map of the unincorporated area of ______________ Township, ___________________ County, Ohio, adopted _______ (date) __________ (followed by brief summary of the proposal).
To the Board of County Commissioners of __________________ County, Ohio:
We, the undersigned, being electors residing in the unincorporated area of _______________ Township, included within the _________________ County Zoning Plan, equal to not less than eight per cent of the total vote cast for all candidates for governor in the area at the preceding general election at which a governor was elected, request the Board of County Commissioners to submit this amendment of the zoning resolution to the electors of _____________ Township residing within the unincorporated area of the township included in the _______________ County Zoning Resolution, for approval or rejection at a special election to be held on the day of the next primary or general election to be held on ________(date)_______, pursuant to section 303.12 of the Revised Code.
Street Address Date of
Signature or R.F.D. Township Precinct County Signing
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
STATEMENT OF CIRCULATOR
I, _____________________(name of circulator)___________________, declare under penalty of election falsification that I am an elector of the state of Ohio and reside at the address appearing below my signature; that I am the circulator of the foregoing part petition containing _____(number)_______ signatures; that I have witnessed the affixing of every signature; that all signers were to the best of my knowledge and belief qualified to sign; and that every signature is to the best of my knowledge and belief the signature of the person whose signature it purports to be or of an attorney in fact acting pursuant to section 3501.382 of the Revised Code.
_____________________________
(Signature of circulator)
_____________________________ - (Address of circulator's - permanent residence in this - state)
_____________________________
(City, village, or township, - and zip code)
WHOEVER COMMITS ELECTION FALSIFICATION IS GUILTY OF A FELONY OF THE FIFTH DEGREE."
No amendment for which such a referendum vote has been requested shall be put into effect unless a majority of the vote cast on the issue is in favor of the amendment. Upon certification by the board of elections that the amendment has been approved by the voters, it shall take immediate effect.
Within five working days after an amendment's effective date, the board of county commissioners shall file the text and maps of the amendment in the office of the county recorder and with the regional or county planning commission, if one exists.
The failure to file any amendment, or any text and maps, or duplicates of any of these documents, with the office of the county recorder or the county or regional planning commission as required by this section does not invalidate the amendment and is not grounds for an appeal of any decision of the board of zoning appeals.
R.C. § 303.12