As used in sections 1506.30 to 1506.36 of the Revised Code:

Terms Used In Ohio Code 1506.30

  • Director: means the director of natural resources or the director's designee. See Ohio Code 1506.01
  • Person: means any agency of this state, any political subdivision of this state or of the United States, and any legal entity defined as a person under section 1. See Ohio Code 1506.01
  • Personal property: All property that is not real property.
  • Property: means real and personal property. See Ohio Code 1.59
  • state: means the state of Ohio. See Ohio Code 1.59

(A) “Abandoned property” means a submerged aircraft; a submerged watercraft, including a ship, boat, canoe, skiff, raft, or barge; the rigging, gear, fittings, trappings, and equipment of a submerged aircraft or watercraft; the personal property of the officers, crew, and passengers of a submerged aircraft or watercraft; the cargo of a submerged aircraft or watercraft that has been deserted, relinquished, cast away, or left behind and for which attempts at reclamation have been abandoned by the owners and insurers; and submerged materials resulting from activities of prehistoric and historic native Americans.

(B) “Lake Erie” means that portion of the waters and lands of Lake Erie belonging to the state as provided in section 1506.10 of the Revised Code.

(C) “Historical value” means the quality of significance exemplified by an object, structure, site, or district that is included in or eligible for inclusion in the national register of historic places.

(D) “Marine surveyor” means a person engaged in the business of mapping or surveying submerged lands and abandoned property.

(E) “Mechanical or other assistance” means all artificial devices used to raise or remove artifacts from abandoned property, including pry bars, wrenches and other hand or power tools, cutting torches, explosives, winches, flotation bags, lines to surface, extra divers buoyancy devices, and other buoyancy devices.

(F) “Recreational value” means value relating to an activity in which the public engages or may engage for recreation or sport, including scuba diving and fishing, as determined by the director of natural resources.