A Original rules
The Ohio Rules of Civil Procedure originally took effect July 1, 1970, pursuant to Article IV, Section 5 of the Ohio Constitution. Some rules have been amended in succeeding years, again pursuant to the Constitution.
Rule 86.Effective Date
Last verified July 1, 2026
In one sentenceRule 86 sets July 1, 1970 as the date the Ohio Rules of Civil Procedure originally took effect and provides that later amendments take effect the following July 1 and apply to pending and future actions, unless doing so would be infeasible or unjust in a particular case.
Full Text of Rule 86
B Effective date of amendments
Amendments to these rules filed hereafter by the Supreme Court with the General Assembly pursuant to Article IV, Section 5 of the Ohio Constitution, and not thereafter the subject of a concurrent resolution of disapproval, shall take effect on the following first day of July. They shall govern all proceedings in actions brought after they take effect and also all further proceedings in actions then pending, except to the extent that their application in a particular action pending when the amendments take effect would not be feasible or would work injustice, in which event the former procedure applies.
Plain-English Summary
Division (A) states that the Ohio Rules of Civil Procedure originally took effect July 1, 1970, under the Ohio Constitution, with some rules amended in the years since under the same constitutional authority. Division (B) provides that amendments the Supreme Court files with the General Assembly, and that aren't the subject of a concurrent resolution of disapproval, take effect the following July 1. Those amendments govern actions brought after they take effect and also all further proceedings in actions already pending, except where applying the amendment to a particular pending action wouldn't be feasible or would work an injustice -- in which case the prior procedure continues to apply to that action.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Ohio Rules of Civil Procedure first take effect?
July 1, 1970.
When do amendments to the Civil Rules take effect?
The following July 1 after the Supreme Court files them with the General Assembly, so long as the General Assembly doesn't pass a concurrent resolution disapproving them.
Do amendments apply to cases that are already pending?
Generally yes, to further proceedings in those cases, unless applying the amendment wouldn't be feasible or would work an injustice in that particular action, in which case the prior procedure continues to govern it.
Source & verification. The rule text, Effective Date, Amended dates, and Staff Notes are reproduced verbatim from the
official Ohio Rules of Civil Procedure (Ohio R. Civ. P. 86). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Ohio (Ohio Constitution, Art. IV, § 5(B)). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 1, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: effective daterules amendments