Homestead Exemption Amounts in Ohio

At a glance

Requirements one by one

Exemption amount

Ohio Rev. Code § 2329.66(A)(1) still prints a $125,000 base for a person's interest in one residence. Subsection (B) instructs the Ohio Judicial Conference to adjust the amount every three years for inflation. The official April 1, 2025–March 31, 2028 table reports $182,625 for both ordinary judgments and the special health-care category. The exemption concerns the person's interest in the property; § 2329.66(D) sets valuation dates for bankruptcy and other proceedings.

Who qualifies, and can spouses double it?

Section 2329.66(A) begins “Every person who is domiciled in this state” and (A)(1)(b) protects that person's interest in a residence used by the person or a dependent. Distinct qualifying owners may each claim their own protected interest. The statute does not describe a separate household-wide cap.

What it actually protects you from

Section 2329.66(A) exempts qualifying property from execution, garnishment, attachment, or sale to satisfy a judgment or order. For a judgment on health-care services or supplies, (A)(1)(a) allows a lien but delays its enforcement until the property is sold or otherwise transferred to someone other than the debtor's surviving spouse or minor children. Separately, § 2329.02 provides that a filed certificate of judgment creates a lien on the debtor's land; the homestead exemption limits collection from the qualifying interest.

Debts that can still reach your home

Section 2329.661(A) preserves specified mortgages, purchase-money and mechanic's liens, tax and other government liens, and certain judgments on manual labor or uninsured driving. Its subsection (B) voids an agreement that purports to waive Ohio's exemption laws.

What trips people up

The amount printed in § 2329.66(A)(1) is the base for the triennial calculation, not the currently published amount. The statute also distinguishes an exemption against collection from a judgment lien created under § 2329.02. Confirm both the applicable adjustment period and the nature of the debt before estimating protected equity.

Common questions

Do I need to record a homestead declaration? Section 2329.66(A)(1) states the exemption for a qualifying residential interest without a recording condition. A judgment certificate under § 2329.02 is a different document filed by a creditor.

Does the exemption give sale proceeds a one-year window? Section 2329.66(A)(1) describes an interest in residential property; it does not specify a separate holding period for cash proceeds after a sale.

Statutes and sources

• Ohio Rev. Code § 2329.66(A)(1): “Every person who is domiciled in this state may hold property exempt from execution, garnishment, attachment, or sale to satisfy a judgment or order.” Ohio Laws (accessed 2026-10-07).
• Ohio Rev. Code § 2329.66(B), (D): The Judicial Conference adjusts the statutory dollar amounts every three years; subsection (D) sets when the interest is valued. Ohio Laws (accessed 2026-10-07). The official adjustment table lists $182,625 for April 1, 2025 through March 31, 2028.
• Ohio Rev. Code § 2329.661: Division (A) lists claims outside the residence exemption and division (B) voids promises to waive exemptions. Ohio Laws (accessed 2026-10-07).
• Ohio Rev. Code § 2329.02: A qualifying judgment creates a land lien when its certificate is filed with the common pleas clerk. Ohio Laws (accessed 2026-10-07).