A free, family-run haunted house that drew thousands of visitors to Genoa Township in past years will not open this Halloween. The DeLong family says they are canceling Slaybrook Manor for 2026 after receiving a 148-page violation-notice packet from the township just days before their planned opening.
The DeLong family built Slaybrook Manor as a home haunt designed to be family friendly, with no gore, violence, cursing, or other inappropriate material, according to NBC4 WCMH-TV. Joshua DeLong told the station that the family builds the haunt while the community fills it with love, community, laughter and screams. The family first hosted the attraction in 2024, when it pulled in 4,200 visitors over the course of a month, and the DeLongs say there were no issues that year.
A Tradition Built on Trust and Free Admission
Slaybrook Manor used a free ticketing system to manage how many guests were on site at once, and it allowed optional donations rather than requiring payment, per the station's report. The haunt also leaned into kid-friendly touches: young children were given “bravery sticks” so actors would know to soften or pause scares, according to the Slaybrook Manor Official Site. During its 2025 run, the haunt partnered with local animal rescue group Angels Assisting Felines at its entrance to help facilitate cat and kitten adoptions for attendees, according to a post from Angels Assisting Felines on Facebook.
In 2025, the family worked through violation issues with Genoa Township, including concerns over charging for the experience, the same report notes. The DeLongs say they corrected the cited violations and refunded ticket payments before going on to hold the home haunt for five nights that year, again reporting no issues.
Plans for 2026 Unravel Days Before Opening
The family reached out to Genoa Township in May about holding the haunt again this year and proposed moving the event to a township park, the station reported. They had planned to run Slaybrook Manor for one night, on October 24. Instead, Genoa Township mailed the DeLongs a 148-page packet including violation notices on Friday, just over a week before the planned opening date.
Facing the added setup time and potential legal costs that came with addressing the notice, the DeLongs decided not to open Slaybrook Manor this year. The family believes the township is treating their event like a commercial operation, even though they do not see it that way, the outlet notes.
Why Home Haunts Run Into Commercial-Grade Rules
Under Ohio Revised Code Section 519.02, township boards of trustees hold statutory authority in unincorporated territory to regulate land use, building dimensions, and temporary activities to promote public health and safety, according to Ohio Laws. Genoa Township's own zoning procedures require property owners to submit a Temporary Use Permit application at least 60 days before hosting a proposed temporary event or non-standard land use, per the Genoa Township Development & Zoning Department.
Complicating matters further, the Genoa Township Zoning Commission recommended comprehensive updates to its Zoning Resolution in June 2025, and those updates officially took effect on May 14, 2026, according to American Legal Publishing — meaning the rules governing the property shifted while the family was still trying to plan this year's event. Separately, under Ohio Administrative Code Section 1301:7-7-01 and State Fire Marshal Technical Bulletin TB 18-005, any temporary attraction designed to disorient or distract visitors is legally classified as a “special amusement building” and must satisfy strict fire and safety codes before allowing public entry, according to the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of State Fire Marshal. Under Section 914.7.1 of the 2025 Ohio Fire Code, that classification generally requires automatic fire sprinkler systems and smoke detection alarms, with narrow exemptions only for temporary spaces under 1,000 square feet with exit paths under 50 feet, per the International Code Council.
A Petition and a Family's Frustration
The DeLongs weren't alone in pushing back. In September 2025, the family launched a petition titled “Protect the Slaybrook Manor tradition” on Change.org aimed at Genoa Township trustees Mark Antonetz and Renee Vaughan, and it collected more than 680 signatures urging the township to adopt provisions allowing neighborhood home haunts.
Genoa Township declined NBC4's request for an interview, and a township spokesperson said the township does not comment on pending legal matters. Mailei DeLong told the station that the haunt's status as a family tradition made the likely cancellation heartbreaking, and that the family complied with each requirement only to see the requirements keep changing. She said the township gave no reason beyond logistics for not working with the family. Joshua DeLong said the township deprived children of the experience.
Genoa Township still designates official Beggars' Night trick-or-treating hours on Halloween night, from 6 to 8 p.m., according to FrightMaps. The township's own Fire Department also hosts an annual Halloween Open House each October featuring firefighter obstacle courses, Jaws of Life demonstrations, and fire prevention education, according to the Columbus Moms Network. For now, though, the homegrown haunt that once drew thousands of trick-or-treaters to one Genoa Township yard will sit dark this Halloween.
