What Level of Government Is Columbus, Ohio?

Columbus operates under three overlapping levels of government: municipal, county, and state.

At the municipal level, Columbus is a home-rule city governed by a mayor and a seven-member City Council. Andrew Ginther served as mayor from 2016 until early 2025, when Shannon Hardin took office. City Hall is located at 90 W. Broad St. and handles services like Columbus Division of Police, Columbus Division of Fire, and the Department of Public Utilities, which manages water and sewer service for roughly 1.1 million customers across the region.

At the county level, Columbus sits almost entirely within Franklin County. The Franklin County Board of Commissioners oversees county-wide functions including the Franklin County Recorder's Office (373 S. High St.), the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, and the county court system. Columbus is the Franklin County seat.

At the state level, Columbus is the capital of Ohio, which means state agencies — the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Ohio Department of Taxation, and the Ohio General Assembly — are physically located here, mostly clustered near the Statehouse at Broad and High Streets downtown.

For most day-to-day needs — building permits, parking tickets, trash pickup — the Columbus city government is your first contact. For property records or court filings, that's Franklin County. Confirm current office hours at columbus.gov or franklincountyohio.gov before visiting, as hours shift periodically.