A Franklin County judge has handed Columbus a major local-control victory, clearing the way for the city to keep regulating pesticides in the zones that protect its drinking water. In a mid-June ruling, Judge Bill Sperlazza found that a 2023 state law could not be used to strip Columbus of the authority to protect its water system.
Judge Rules H.B. 507 Unconstitutional For Columbus
Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Bill Sperlazza granted the city's motion for summary judgment in Case No. 24CV-2220, finding that H.B. 507's blanket restriction on local pesticide rules violates the Ohio Constitution and unlawfully restricts Columbus' ability to protect and operate its drinking-water utility, according to the judgment from CW Columbus. As reported by CW Columbus, City Attorney Zach Klein said, “This ruling is an important win for Columbus, reaffirming our right to make decisions locally that protect the health of our residents and the environment.” The outlet also notes that the State of Ohio has the option to appeal the decision.
Why Columbus Took On The State Law
The city argued that its Wellfield Protection Program, laid out in Chapter 1115 of the Columbus City Code, is a narrowly tailored local tool to safeguard groundwater and that H.B. 507's broad preemption would block those protections. Environmental groups had warned that the bill combined unrelated subjects and risked violating Ohio's single-subject rule, and the Ohio Environmental Council made that case publicly when the measure moved through the legislature, according to the Ohio Environmental Council. That legislative backstory, paired with the city's public-health rationale, figured prominently in the court's analysis.
What The Ruling Means For The City's Water Supply
The judgment explains that Columbus operates three municipal water plants and that the Parsons Avenue Water Plant draws from a groundwater aquifer that supplies about 15 percent of the system. It also confirms that the city's Wellfield Protection Program regulates substances, including pesticides, within defined protection zones, according to documents from CW Columbus. Materials from the city's water department describe the three treatment plants and the areas they serve, underscoring why the city argued local controls are necessary, according to the Columbus Division of Water. City officials have said the protections are tightly focused on safeguarding drinking water sources rather than imposing a broad pesticide ban across Columbus.
Legal Ripples Beyond Columbus
The judge grounded the decision in a mix of Ohio's single-subject rule and the city's home-rule authority, a combination that leaves sweeping preemption clauses in omnibus bills more vulnerable to constitutional attack. The Ohio Environmental Council and other advocates had argued that H.B. 507 bundled disparate provisions in a way that invited exactly this kind of lawsuit, according to the Ohio Environmental Council. If the State appeals, higher courts will have to sort out the tug-of-war between uniform state regulation and the power of local governments to protect public health.
What Happens Next
For now, Columbus' wellfield protections remain in place, and city attorneys say they can keep enforcing local rules inside the protected areas while the legal process plays out. The case is likely to be closely watched by other Ohio cities and state lawmakers as they decide whether to revisit H.B. 507's language or wait to see what an appeals court does with Judge Sperlazza's ruling.
