The Overview
A thief who cuts the catalytic converter off your car in Ohio commits a felony starting Tuesday, Oct. 6. Scrapyards will need proof a converter belongs to the seller, and they'll have to pay by check instead of cash. Police and the state's public safety director will enforce the rules, with fines for businesses that break them. [](#ngr-8d1f8cb7-e6a5-4126-a1c7-927aeb3e67ea)
Gov. Mike DeWine signed House Bill 210 into law July 7, according to an Ohio Judicial Conference summary. Reps. Bill Roemer (R-Richfield) and Phil Plummer (R-Dayton) sponsored the bill. "Catalytic theft is a plague on working Ohioans," Roemer said in a statement from his office.
The House passed the bill 91-2 on June 4, 2025. The Senate passed it 32-1 on June 10, and the House agreed to its changes 92-2 that day.
What the Law Does
The law makes stealing a catalytic converter a fifth-degree felony for individuals and a separate offense for businesses, with fines up to $7,500 per violation paid to the agencies that handled the case. Scrap dealers must collect proof of ownership, such as a vehicle title, registration or repair invoice showing the vehicle identification number, and pay by traceable, non-cash means.
A seller who cannot produce that documentation may submit an affidavit, a signed sworn statement, but falsifying it is a crime. Motor vehicle salvage dealers are banned from purchasing catalytic converters, and anyone convicted of converter theft or related offenses is barred from holding a dealer registration or license. The state's public safety director can investigate dealers, issue subpoenas and fine anyone dealing scrap without registering $10,000.
The Demo
Insurance claim data ranked Ohio among the top 10 states for converter thefts in 2024. Ohio has nearly 12 million people in roughly 4.9 million households, according to the Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates.
The Debate
Plummer, a former Montgomery County sheriff, said he has "personally seen the damage" converter theft does to businesses and families, WHIO reported. Rep. Cecil Thomas (D-Cincinnati) pointed to a similar Cincinnati ordinance from 2012. "I'm proud to see that what we started locally is now being expanded across the state," Thomas said in a June 2025 statement.
The International Precious Metals Institute opposed the bill, arguing it wouldn't distinguish individual sellers from licensed businesses that handle used converters, which it said would interfere with legitimate recycling.
What's Next
The state must publish the affidavit form within 90 days after the law takes effect. A bipartisan federal bill, the Preventing Auto Recycling Theft Act, was introduced in Congress in 2025, with Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) co-leading the Senate version.
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