IOA Active in Ohio to Reduce License & Inspection Fees
The Inflatable Operators Association (IOA) and its members have continued to attend political events, write letters, and directly contact lawmakers in support of HB433 to reduce compliance fees. When the first attempt failed, IOA members worked with Rep. Klopfenstien to immediately re-submit as a stand-alone bill and hope to pass legislation to take effect asap. Currently, Ohio inflatable amusement ride owners pay an annual fee of $329 per ride for licensing and inspection.
HB433 successfully passed through the Ohio House of Representatives 85-4 and the bill has been introduced to the Ohio Senate. Additional positive support for the bill is from the Ohio Department of Agriculture where a sub-committee developed the proposed new fee structure and the amusement ride safety council unanimously approved. The next stop to successfully clear the bill process remains with the Ohio Senate and final legislative approval.
The change would still maintain our current Ride Safety program in Ohio, but adjust the fee structure proportionally between mechanical amusement attractions and smaller inflatable amusements. The adjustments are based upon actual time studies for time and resources provided for inspection. It isn’t clear when the current structure for fees was reviewed and the changes provide a much-needed adjustment based on the actual time required for different types of amusements rather than the previous flat fee grouping multiple types of amusements together
A significant problem with the current fee structure was the amount of time required for the inspection of much larger mechanical amusements and the inflatable amusements. Inflatable amusement rental companies typically provided units for much smaller private events and rely upon a variety of themes to provide a great selection of bounce houses or similar types of items and the fees added up quickly for companies with large inventory.
Easy math calculates a company with a variety of 100+ inflatable themed units is required to pay an annual compliance fee of $32,900 or more. This remains a concern for Ohio companies, but they continue to support current amusement ride safety programs and maintaining the effectiveness of the Ohio Ride Safety program. Changes with adjustments to newly proposed ride category classifications provide a relatively neutral impact on the current ride safety funding. In fact, many companies agree that the savings allows them additional funds for safety equipment and training of staff!
The revised plan proposed by the Ohio Department of Agriculture would provide a discount when multiple units are inspected at the same time and decrease the license fee for each inflatable amusement. If you are an inflatable amusement business, even small companies would see an annual savings of $500 – $1000 based on the number of inflatable amusements owned and licensed for use in Ohio. Larger companies operating within the sate could easily see a savings of $10,000 or more. Many also do NOT see it as a savings, but a significant amount that they have been over-charged for when previous ODA leadership refused to look into the similar revisions that current ODA administration is supporting.
History of IOA Success in Ohio
In 2018, the IOA was successful in getting 2 representatives appointed to the Ohio Amusement ride safety Board to represent Ohio inflatable amusement owners. The bill also modified a calendar year-based inspection process that expired on December 31, regardless of date the inspections were completed in that calendar year, to a annual inspection process allowing business owners to only reinspect units they own based on an annual inspection when the initial inspection occurred.
IOA Efforts Currently Active in Ohio
IOA has encouraged Ohio business owners to join IOA in order to support the efforts involved with influencing the positive changes for the industry. Regardless of membership status, we continue to reach out to nearly 400 Ohio Business owners encouraging them to contact there local state Senator to educate them on the current fee structure and how the newly proposed structure would benefit their rental businesses.
HB433 has currently been introduced to the Agriculture and Natural Resource Committee for approval. The final step for fee revisions in 2026! During House hearings, the Greater Ohio Showmen’s Association (GOSA) and Ohio Fair Managers Association (OFMA) opposed the changes. IOA hopes members write their State Senators to show their support to HB433 and the benefits it provides to small businesses in the inflatable industry. A recent email sent provides a link to find their local representation and an email link to contact them.
How Can You Help?
If you do business in Ohio or would like to support the reduction of the Ohio inspection and Licensing Fee Structure consider making a donation to the OHIO Amusement Ride Fee Revisions efforts.