Ohio No Chase Law
Agency discretion
Does Ohio have a no-chase law? No — Ohio has no statewide law restricting police pursuits. Each department sets its own chase policy.
What governs pursuits in Ohio
Ohio Rev. Code § 2935.031 (policy-adoption mandate); § 2921.331 (fleeing/failure to comply)
Ohio Rev. Code § 2935.031 requires every law enforcement entity to adopt a written motor-vehicle pursuit policy, considering standards from the Ohio Collaborative Community-Police Advisory Board, but does not itself dictate statewide substantive limits on when a pursuit may start or must end — that's set at the agency level (see e.g. Columbus and Marion PD pursuit policies published by the Ohio AG). § 2921.331 separately criminalizes fleeing/eluding, with sentencing factors tied to how the pursuit was conducted.
Will police chase a motorcycle in Ohio?
No statewide rule singles out motorcycles; individual departments' policies (which vary) set discretionary break-off criteria that in practice often apply extra caution to two-wheeled vehicles given crash risk, but there is no blanket no-chase-motorcycle law.
No US state has a literal law forbidding officers from chasing motorcycles. What riders call a "no-chase law" is nearly always a department policy that tells officers to break off a pursuit when the danger to the public outweighs the arrest — and fleeing remains a crime in Ohio regardless. See the state-by-state motorcycle guide for how this works everywhere.
Sources
- codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-2935.031
- law.justia.com/codes/ohio/title-29/chapter-2935/section-2935-031/
- codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-2921.331
- ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Files/Briefing-Room/News-Releases/Policy-and-Legislation
Verified as of August 2026. Department policies can change without notice — check the agency's published policy for current break-off criteria.