Selling landlocked land in Ohio

How Ohio law handles land with no road access

An owner can petition county commissioners for a road across a neighbor's land to a public highway. The board must find it serves public convenience or welfare, and the petitioner pays the landowners' compensation.

Statutory route: Petition to the board of county commissioners for a road through another person's land to a public highway.

Common-law route: Easement by necessity recognized but narrow: no way of necessity is implied if any other reasonable route exists, even a costly one (Trattar v. Rausch, 1950).

Law: ORC 5553.41 to 5553.43. Court routes take time and cost money. Ask a local attorney.

Your options as a landlocked owner

• Ask a neighbor to sell or grant an access easement, in writing and recorded.
• Offer the land to the neighbor who borders it. They are often the most natural buyer.
• Use the Ohio legal route above to create access, then sell.
• Sell as-is to a cash buyer who accepts land without access.

Ohio land at a glance

• Average farm real estate value: $9,650 per acre (2026, USDA).
• Average property tax on farmland: about $30.27 per acre per year (2022 Census of Agriculture).
• Transfer tax: Statewide real property conveyance fee of $1 per $1,000 (0.1%) charged by the county auditor. There is also an optional county permissive tax of up to $3 per $1,000 (0.3%). Total 0.1% to 0.4% depending on county.
• Seller disclosure: The residential property disclosure law covers real property improved by a building with one to four dwelling units. Vacant land is not covered.

These are statewide averages, not an appraisal. See selling land in Ohio for county values, or try the land value estimator.

How a cash sale handles this

Liberty Acres is a family-owned cash land buyer. We buy land anywhere in the US, in any condition, including land with back taxes, inherited land and land with no road access. We pay back taxes and all closing costs, use no agents and charge no commissions, and close through a title company, escrow company or real estate attorney who pays you by wire or check.

Common questions