Under current Ohio law, the offense of conviction determines whether the offender must register as a sex offender.  A statute identifies the crimes that are subject to sex offender registration.  There are three tiers of registration in Ohio.  Tier 1 requires registration for 15 years, or 10 in certain instances (with in– person registration once a year); Tier 2 requires registration for 25 years (with in– person registration every 180 days); and Tier 3 requires lifetime registration (with in– person registration every 90 days).
Not all sex offenders are subject to community notification.  Tier III offenders are subject to community notification, which means that whenever the person initially registers or moves to a new address, any neighbors within a 1,250– foot radius will be notified.
Failure to register as a sex offender is a felony of the 5th degree if the underlying offense is a felony.