(A) No person, by means of fire or explosion, shall knowingly do any of the following:
(1) Cause, or create a substantial risk of, physical harm to any property of another without the other person’s consent;
(2) Cause, or create a substantial risk of, physical harm to any property of the offender or another, with purpose to defraud;
(3) Cause, or create a substantial risk of, physical harm to the statehouse or a courthouse, school building, or other building or structure that is owned or controlled by the state, any political subdivision, or any department, agency or instrumentality of the state or a political subdivision, and that is used for public purposes;
(4) Cause, or create a substantial risk of, physical harm, through the offer or the acceptance of an agreement for hire or other consideration, to any property of another without the other person’s consent or to any property of the offender or another with purpose to defraud;
(5) Cause, or create a substantial risk of, physical harm to any park, preserve, wildlands, brush- covered land, cut-over land, forest, timberland, greenlands, woods, or similar real property that is owned or controlled by another person, the state or a political subdivision without the consent of the other person, the state or the political subdivision; and/or
(6) With purpose to defraud, cause or create a substantial risk of, physical harm to any park, preserve, wildlands, brush-covered land, cut-over land, forest, timberland, greenlands, woods or similar real property that is owned or controlled by the offender, another person, the state or a political subdivision.
(B) No person, by means of fire or explosion, shall knowingly do any of the following:
(1) Cause, or create a substantial risk of, physical harm to any structure of another that is not an occupied structure;
(2) Cause, or create a substantial risk of, physical harm, through the offer or the acceptance of an agreement for hire or other consideration, to any structure of another that is not an occupied structure; and/or
(3) Cause, or create a substantial risk of, physical harm to any structure that is not an occupied structure and that is in or on any park, preserve, wildlands, brush-covered land, cut-over land, forest, timberland, greenlands, woods or similar real property that is owned or controlled by another person, the state or a political subdivision.
(C) (1) It is an affirmative defense to a charge under divisions (B)(1) or (B)(2) above that the defendant acted with the consent of the other person.
(2) It is an affirmative defense to a charge under division (B)(3) above that the defendant acted with the consent of the other person, the state or the political subdivision.
(D) (1) Whoever violates this section is guilty of arson.
(2) A violation of divisions (A)(1) or (B)(1) above is one of the following:
(a) Except as otherwise provided in division (D)(2)(b) below, a misdemeanor of the first degree; or
(b) If the value of the property or the amount of the physical harm involved is $1,000 or more, a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate state law.
(3) A violation of divisions (A)(2), (A)(3), (A)(4), (A)(5), (A)(6), (B)(2) or (C)(3) above is a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate state law.
(ORC 2909.03)
Statutory reference:
Aggravated arson, felony provisions, see Ohio R.C. 2909.02
Arson, felony provisions generally, see Ohio R.C. 2909.03
Convicted arsonist to make restitution to public agency, see Ohio R.C. 2929.28