The State of Ohio is divided into 88 counties, and each county in turn is divided into townships. A township is an administrative subdivision of the county, which is an administrative subdivision of the state.
Townships are governments which receive their authority by the state legislature.
Townships may purchase, receive, and hold real estate or personal property for the benefit of the township. How Townships Began In Ohio, townships were first laid out to facilitate the survey and sale of public lands as established by Congress in the Articles of Confederation of 1785. The evolution of Ohio township government came about with the formation of the Ohio Territory, as authorized by the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. Governor Arthur St. Clair, the appointed territorial governor, used the township as a means of establishing civil government throughout the territory. By 1802, Ohio had exceeded the 60,000 population figure fulfilling the 1787 ordinance for statehood.