Section
648.01 Riot
648.02 Failure to disperse
648.03 Justifiable use of force to suppress riot
648.04 Disorderly conduct
648.05 Disturbing a lawful meeting
648.06 Misconduct at an emergency
648.07 Inducing panic
648.08 Making false alarms
648.09 Inciting to violence
648.10 Civil emergency
648.11 Loitering generally
648.12 Loitering for the purpose of engaging in drug-related activity
648.13 Loitering for the purpose of engaging in or soliciting sexual activity for hire
648.14 Unlawful congregation
648.15 Curfew
648.16 Obstructing sidewalks by loafing and loitering
648.17 Mufflers for gasoline engines
648.18 Disorderly houses; patronizing
648.19 Interference with vehicular traffic
648.20 Noise limitations
Cross-reference:
Arson, see § 642.06
Barking or howling dogs, see § 618.07
“Deadly force” defined, see § 606.01
Definitions generally, see § 606.01
Desecration, see § 642.05
Detention of shoplifters and those committing motion picture piracy; protection of institutional property, see § 654.17
Fireworks, see § 678.12
“Force” defined, see § 606.01
Interfering with civil rights, see § 654.13
Liquor sale to intoxicated person, see § 612.03
Menacing, see §§ 636.05 et seq.
Noisy mufflers, see § 438.22
“Peeling”; cracking exhaust noises, see § 432.38
Pointing and discharging firearms and other weapons, see § 678.10
Resisting arrest, see § 654.08
Sirens, whistles and bells on motor vehicles, see § 438.21
Statutory reference:
Cordoning off riot areas; prohibiting sales of firearms and explosives, see R.C. § 3761.16
Power to regulate peace disturbances, see R.C. § 715.49
Riot and civil disorder assistance by State Highway Patrol, see R.C. § 5503.02
Suspension of beer and liquor sales during emergency, see R.C. § 4301.251
(a) No person shall participate with four or more others in a course of disorderly conduct in violation of R.C. § 2917.11 or a substantially equivalent municipal ordinance:
(1) With purpose to commit or facilitate the commission of a misdemeanor, other than disorderly conduct;
(2) With purpose to intimidate a public official or employee into taking or refraining from official action, or with purpose to hinder, impede or obstruct a function of government;
(3) With purpose to hinder, impede or obstruct the orderly process of administration or instruction at an educational institution, or to interfere with or disrupt lawful activities carried on at the institution.
(b) No person shall participate with four or more others with purpose to do an act with unlawful force or violence, even though the act might otherwise be lawful.
(c) Whoever violates this section is guilty of riot, a misdemeanor of the first degree.
(R.C. § 2917.03)
(d) For the purposes of prosecuting violations of this section, the prosecution is not required to allege or prove that the offender expressly agreed with four or more others to commit any act that constitutes a violation this section prior to or while committing those acts.
(R.C. § 2917.031)
Statutory reference:
Aggravated riot, felony provisions, see R.C. § 2917.02
(a) Where five or more persons are participating in a course of disorderly conduct in violation of R.C. § 2917.11 or a substantially equivalent municipal ordinance, and there are other persons in the vicinity whose presence creates the likelihood of physical harm to persons or property or of serious public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, a law enforcement officer or other public official may order the participants and the other persons to disperse. No person shall knowingly fail to obey the order.
(b) Nothing in this section requires persons to disperse who are peaceably assembled for a lawful purpose.
(c) (1) Whoever violates this section is guilty of failure to disperse.
(2) Except as otherwise provided in division (c)(3) of this section, failure to disperse is a minor misdemeanor.
(3) Failure to disperse is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree if the failure to obey the order described in division (a) of this section creates the likelihood of physical harm to persons or is committed at the scene of a fire, accident, disaster, riot or emergency of any kind.
(R.C. § 2917.04)
A law enforcement officer or firefighter engaged in suppressing a riot or in protecting persons or property during a riot:
(a) Is justified in using force, other than deadly force, when and to the extent he or she has probable cause to believe such force is necessary to disperse or apprehend rioters;
(b) Is justified in using force, including deadly force, when and to the extent he or she has probable cause to believe such force is necessary to disperse or apprehend rioters whose conduct is creating a substantial risk of serious physical harm to persons.
(R.C. § 2917.05)
(a) No person shall recklessly cause inconvenience, annoyance or alarm to another, by doing any of the following:
(1) Engaging in fighting, in threatening harm to persons or property, or in violent or turbulent behavior;
(2) Making unreasonable noise or an offensively coarse utterance, gesture or display, or communicating unwarranted and grossly abusive language to any person;
(3) Insulting, taunting or challenging another, under circumstances in which that conduct is likely to provoke a violent response;
(4) Hindering or preventing the movement of persons on a public street, road, highway or right-of-way, or to, from, within or upon public or private property, so as to interfere with the rights of others, and by any act that serves no lawful and reasonable purpose of the offender;
(5) Creating a condition that is physically offensive to persons or that presents a risk of physical harm to persons or property, by any act that serves no lawful and reasonable purpose of the offender.
(b) No person while voluntarily intoxicated shall do either of the following:
(1) In a public place or in the presence of two or more persons, engage in conduct likely to be offensive or to cause inconvenience, annoyance or alarm to persons of ordinary sensibilities, which conduct the offender, if he or she were not intoxicated, should know is likely to have that effect on others;
(2) Engage in conduct or create a condition that presents a risk of physical harm to himself, herself or another, or to the property of another.
(c) Violation of any statute or ordinance of which an element is operating a motor vehicle, locomotive, watercraft, aircraft or other vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or any drug of abuse is not a violation of division (b) of this section.
(d) If a person appears to an ordinary observer to be intoxicated, it is probable cause to believe that the person is voluntarily intoxicated for purposes of division (b) of this section.
(e) Whoever violates this section is guilty of disorderly conduct.
(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (e)(2) of this section, disorderly conduct is a minor misdemeanor.
(2) Disorderly conduct is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree if any of the following applies:
A. The offender persists in disorderly conduct after reasonable warning or request to desist.
B. The offense is committed in the vicinity of a school or in a school safety zone.
C. The offense is committed in the presence of any law enforcement officer, firefighter, rescuer, medical person, emergency medical services person or other authorized person who is engaged in the person’s duties at the scene of a fire, accident, disaster, riot or emergency of any kind.
D. The offense is committed in the presence of any emergency facility person who is engaged in the person’s duties in an emergency facility.
(f) For the purpose of this section the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
(1) “Committed in the vicinity of a school.” Has the same meaning as in R.C. § 2925.01.
(2) “Emergency facility.” Has the same meaning as in R.C. § 2909.04.
(3) “Emergency facility person.” The singular of “emergency facility personnel” as defined in R.C. § 2909.04.
(4) “Emergency medical services person.” The singular of “emergency medical services personnel” as defined in R.C. § 2133.21.
(R.C. § 2917.11)
(a) No person, with purpose to prevent or disrupt a lawful meeting, procession or gathering, shall do either of the following:
(1) Do any act which obstructs or interferes with the due conduct of the meeting, procession or gathering.
(2) Make any utterance, gesture or display which outrages the sensibilities of the group.
(b) Whoever violates this section is guilty of disturbing a lawful meeting, a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.
(R.C. § 2917.12)
(a) No person shall knowingly do any of the following:
(1) Hamper the lawful operations of any law enforcement officer, firefighter, rescuer, medical person, emergency medical services person or other authorized person engaged in the person’s duties at the scene of a fire, accident, disaster, riot or emergency of any kind;
(2) Hamper the lawful activities of any emergency facility person who is engaged in the person’s duties in an emergency facility;
(3) Fail to obey the lawful order of any law enforcement officer engaged in the law enforcement officer’s duties at the scene of or in connection with a fire, accident, disaster, riot or emergency of any kind.
(b) Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit access or deny information to any news media representative in the lawful exercise of the news media representative’s duties.
(c) Whoever violates this section is guilty of misconduct at an emergency. Except as otherwise provided in this division, misconduct at an emergency is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. If violation of this section creates a risk of physical harm to persons or property, misconduct at an emergency is a misdemeanor of the first degree.
(d) For the purpose of this section, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
(1) “Emergency facility.” Has the same meaning as in R.C. § 2909.04.
(2) “Emergency facility person.” The singular of “emergency facility personnel” as defined in R.C. § 2909.04.
(3) “Emergency medical services person.” The singular of “emergency medical services personnel” as defined in R.C. § 2133.21.
(R.C. § 2917.13)
(a) No person shall cause the evacuation of any public place, or otherwise cause serious public inconvenience or alarm, by doing any of the following:
(1) Initiating or circulating a report or warning of an alleged or impending fire, explosion, crime or other catastrophe, knowing that the report or warning is false.
(2) Threatening to commit any offense of violence.
(3) Committing any offense, with reckless disregard of the likelihood that its commission will cause serious public inconvenience or alarm.
(b) Division (a)(1) of this section does not apply to any person conducting an authorized fire or emergency drill.
(c) (1) Whoever violates this section is guilty of inducing panic.
(2) Except as otherwise provided in division (c)(3), inducing panic is a misdemeanor of the first degree.
(3) If a violation of this section results in physical harm to any person, inducing panic is a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate state law. If a violation of this section results in economic harm of $1,000 or more, inducing panic is a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate state law. If the public place involved in a violation of division (a)(1) is a school or an institution of higher education, inducing panic is a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate state law. If a violation of this section pertains to a purported, threatened or actual use of a weapon of mass destruction, inducing panic is a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate state law.
(d) (1) It is not a defense to a charge under this section that pertains to a purported or threatened use of a weapon of mass destruction that the offender did not possess or have the ability to use a weapon of mass destruction or that what was represented to be a weapon of mass destruction was not a weapon of mass destruction.
(2) Any act that is a violation of this section and any other section of the Ohio Revised Code or these Codified Ordinances may be prosecuted under this section, the other section, or both sections.
(e) For the purpose of this section, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
(1) “Biological agent.” Has the same meaning as in R.C. § 2917.33.
(2) “Economic harm.” Any of the following:
A. All direct, incidental and consequential pecuniary harm suffered by a victim as a result of the criminal conduct. “Economic harm” as described in this division includes but is not limited to all of the following:
1. All wages, salaries or other compensation lost as a result of the criminal conduct;
2. The cost of all wages, salaries or other compensation paid to employees for time those employees are prevented from working as a result of the criminal conduct;
3. The overhead costs incurred from the time that a business is shut down as a result of the criminal conduct;
4. The loss of value to tangible or intangible property that was damaged as a result of the criminal conduct.
B. All costs incurred by the state or any political subdivision as a result of, or in making any response to, the criminal conduct that constituted the violation of this section or R.C. § 2917.32, or any substantially equivalent municipal ordinance, including but not limited to all costs so incurred by any law enforcement officers, firefighters, rescue personnel or emergency medical services personnel of the state or the political subdivision.
(3) “Emergency medical services personnel.” Has the same meaning as in R.C. § 2133.21.
(4) “Institution of higher education.” Any of the following:
A. A state university or college as defined in R.C. § 3345.12(A)(1), community college, state community college, university branch or technical college;
B. A private, nonprofit college, university or other post-secondary institution located in this state that possesses a certificate of authorization issued by the Ohio Board of Regents pursuant to R.C. Chapter 1713;
C. A post-secondary institution with a certificate of registration issued by the State Board of Career Colleges and Schools pursuant to R.C. Chapter 3332.
(5) “School.” Any school operated by a board of education or any school for which the State Board of Education prescribes minimum standards under R.C. § 3301.07, whether or not any instruction, extracurricular activities or training provided by the school is being conducted at the time a violation of this section is committed.
(6) “Weapon of mass destruction.” Any of the following:
A. Any weapon that is designed or intended to cause death or serious physical harm through the release, dissemination or impact of toxic or poisonous chemicals, or other precursors;
B. Any weapon involving a disease organism or biological agent;
C. Any weapon that is designed to release radiation or radioactivity at a level dangerous to human life;
D. Any of the following, except to the extent that the item or device in question is expressly excepted from the definition of “destructive device” pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(4) and regulations issued under that section:
1. Any explosive, incendiary or poison gas bomb, grenade, rocket having a propellant charge of more than four ounces, missile having an explosive or incendiary charge of more than one-quarter ounce, mine or similar device;
2. Any combination of parts either designed or intended for use in converting any item or device into any item or device described in division D.1. of this definition and from which an item or device described in that division may be readily assembled.
(R.C. § 2917.31)
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