03/10/2026
Legally Speaking with Taft - Ohio New E-Verify Law
Legally Speaking
by Marc Fleischauer and Bob Dunlevey
Taft/
Ohio's New E-Verify Law:
What Contractors Need to Do Before the Next Bid
*Effective March 20, 2026*
Ohio’s new E-Verify Workforce Integrity Act is about to change how contractors staff and run nonresidential projects in Ohio. It is a straightforward concept, but the details matter, and the penalties for missteps are real.
What the law does and when it hits
House Bill 246 creates a new chapter of the Ohio Revised Code that requires certain construction employers to use the federal E-Verify system and punishes specific hiring and retention practices that involve unauthorized workers. The Act applies to “nonresidential construction contractors,” their subcontractors at any tier, and labor brokers (i.e., non‑union entities that hire workers and supply labor to contractors or their subs).
A “nonresidential construction project” is defined broadly as construction or renovation of any building, highway, bridge, utility, or related infrastructure. Residential buildings, certain agricultural structures, manufactured homes, industrialized units, and mobile homes are carved out, so purely residential contractors fall outside this statute, though they may be covered if they also perform nonresidential work.
The law takes effect March 20, 2026, so contractors have a short runway to get procedures in place before they sign new work that comes under the statute.