Ohio Real Estate Purchase Agreement Deadlines: The Statewide Contract

Ohio purchase agreement deadlines, in short: in the Ohio REALTORS statewide contract, blanks left empty default to a 10-day inspection period, a 3-day remedy period, earnest money within 3 days, loan application in 7 and loan commitment in 45. “Days” are calendar days including holidays, counted from 12:01 a.m. the day after acceptance, and time is of the essence.

More on this topic: Contract deadlines by state, every guide in one place.

Ohio has no mandatory form. Ohio REALTORS released its voluntary statewide contract in January 2023, and some regions use local forms, such as the Columbus contract covered below. Line numbers are from the statewide form's copyright-2022 printing. It's general information, not legal advice; the executed contract controls. Neighbouring states: Pennsylvania's contingency period and Michigan purchase agreement deadlines.

Key takeaways

• Most deadlines in the statewide contract have a default that applies if the blank is empty: proof of cash funds 3 days, loan application 7, loan commitment 45, earnest money 3, inspection 10, remedy 3, HOA documents 7, survey 14.
• Days are calendar days including holidays, in Eastern Time; “days after Acceptance” start at 12:01 a.m. the day after the Date of Acceptance (lines 10–13).
• By the end of the Inspection Period the buyer must terminate or deliver a written request to remedy, with the relevant report pages; silence accepts the property's condition (lines 211–215).
• If there's no signed remedy agreement by the end of the Remedy Period, the contract terminates unless the buyer withdraws the request in writing first (lines 216–221).
• Ohio law lets a buyer who didn't get the Residential Property Disclosure Form before signing rescind, within limits: 3 business days after receiving it, and no later than 30 days after acceptance or closing (ORC 5302.30).

What are the deadlines in the Ohio statewide purchase contract?

These are the main dates, with the default that applies when a blank is left empty:

Paragraph 33 makes time of the essence for all dates, and any change must be in writing and signed by all parties (lines 455–457).

How long is the inspection period in Ohio?

In the statewide contract, whatever number is written in, or 10 days from the Date of Acceptance if the blank is empty (lines 205–207). Inspections and tests have to be completed in that window, and the buyer picks which ones in paragraph 9.A: either any inspection at the buyer's discretion, or only the boxes checked, plus follow-up inspections an inspector recommends, which also have to fit inside the period (lines 185–204).

If the inspections turn up material defects, the buyer must, on or before the end of the Inspection Period, either terminate or send a request to remedy, in writing, with copies of the relevant pages of the reports. The form limits termination to material defects, meaning conditions affecting health, safety, habitability, use or value, and excludes routine maintenance and cosmetic items (lines 208–215). Doing nothing by the deadline accepts the property's condition. See the repair request process.

How does the Ohio remedy period work?

If the buyer sends a request to remedy a material defect the seller hadn't already disclosed, the parties have the days written in, or 3 days if blank, to reach a written agreement: the Remedy Period. It ends early once they sign one. If they don't, the contract terminates and the earnest money is handled under paragraph 6, unless the buyer withdraws the request in writing before the period ends. The buyer can still terminate during the Remedy Period (lines 216–221).

One gap to watch: the statewide form doesn't say when the Remedy Period starts. Reading it as starting when the request is delivered is one option; the Columbus form, by contrast, starts its Agreement to Remedy Period at the end of the inspection period. Agree on the start date in writing with the other agent when the request goes out, and note it on the file.

How are days counted in an Ohio purchase contract?

The definitions at the top of the statewide form set the rules. “Days” means calendar days, including holidays, and dates and times are Eastern Time (line 10). The Date of Acceptance is when the final writing is signed by everyone needed and delivered to the offering party or their broker (lines 11–12, 488–491). “Days after Acceptance” start at 12:01 a.m. the first day after it (line 13), so day 1 is the day after acceptance. Nothing in the form moves a deadline off a weekend or holiday.

The dates are illustrative; the executed contract controls. Check each one in the real estate deadline calculator, and see calendar days vs business days for why weekend deadlines matter here.

When can an Ohio buyer rescind over the property disclosure form?

Paragraph 8 of the statewide contract points to Ohio Revised Code 5302.30: unless exempt, sellers of one to four dwelling units must give the buyer the Ohio Residential Property Disclosure Form, and a buyer who didn't receive it before signing may be able to rescind (lines 175–180). Under the statute, a buyer who receives the form or an amendment after signing can rescind by a signed, dated written document delivered to the seller or the seller's agent within 3 business days after receiving it, and in any case before the earlier of closing or 30 days after the seller accepted the offer. A buyer who never receives the form has the same 30-day or closing limit. The right doesn't apply if the buyer got the form before making the offer.

For homes built before 1978, paragraph 10 covers the federal lead-based paint disclosure, and the federal rule gives the buyer a 10-day opportunity to inspect unless the parties agree otherwise in writing or the buyer waives it. See seller disclosure requirements by state.

What happens if you miss a deadline in an Ohio purchase contract?

Most buyer contingencies are written so that silence waives them: no inspection notice means the condition is accepted, no appraisal termination within 5 days of receipt waives the appraisal contingency, and no HOA, survey or flood notice waives those rights. The seller's remedies are usually termination rights with their own short windows, such as 3 days after the Loan Commitment Period ends. If the deal fails, the earnest money goes out only on written instructions signed by all parties or a final court order; if neither arrives within two years of deposit, the holder returns it to the buyer (lines 84–89). Paragraph 34 requires mediation before either side sues. Since July 2025 Ohio REALTORS also publishes optional mutual release and notice of termination forms for this contract. See what happens if you miss a contingency deadline.

How is the Columbus purchase contract different?

Central Ohio often uses the Real Estate Purchase Contract prepared by the Columbus REALTORS and the Columbus Bar Association (2/2025 edition). It shares the calendar-day definitions but differs on several dates:

If your contract says Columbus REALTORS in the footer, use its paragraph numbers, not the statewide form's.

How do you track Ohio purchase contract deadlines in Closingbird?

On day one, confirm the Date of Acceptance, fill every empty blank with its default and note which contingencies are checked. Add dates counted from other events as they happen: the appraisal window, the HOA review and the Remedy Period.

In Closingbird, the acceptance-based dates go in as “10 days after acceptance”, counted from the day after, exactly as line 13 does; the final walk-through is “2 days before closing”. Ohio's contract counts calendar days, so no business-day setting is needed except for the statutory 3-business-day disclosure window, which runs from receipt: set a fixed date for that and anything else counted from a delivery. Contract reading covers about the first 12,000 characters of a long document, so check that later dates in the ten pages came through (see how contract reading works). Each owner gets a morning reminder. See deadline tracking.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the inspection period in Ohio?

In the Ohio REALTORS statewide contract, the number written in, or 10 calendar days from the Date of Acceptance if the blank is empty (lines 205–207). The Columbus form has no default.

Do Ohio purchase contract deadlines include weekends?

Yes. The statewide contract defines days as calendar days including holidays, and nothing in it moves a deadline that falls on a weekend.

When is earnest money due in Ohio?

Within the days written in, or 3 days after the Date of Acceptance if blank, with confirmation to the seller within 5 days after that deadline (lines 73–80).

How long does an Ohio buyer have to get a loan commitment?

The days written in, or 45 days from the Date of Acceptance if blank; the buyer must deliver either the commitment or a denial with a termination notice by then (lines 41–48).

Can an Ohio buyer cancel if the disclosure form comes late?

Usually, within 3 business days after receiving it, and no later than closing or 30 days after acceptance, whichever is earlier (ORC 5302.30).

Run it in Closingbird

Upload an Ohio purchase contract, fill any empty blanks with the form's defaults, and give each deadline an owner who gets a morning reminder. Start a free trial (14-day free trial, no credit card required) or see pricing.

Related reading

• The deadlines in a purchase contract
• Pennsylvania agreement of sale contingency period
• Michigan purchase agreement deadlines
• Calendar days vs business days
• Real estate deadline calculator
• Business days calculator

Sources

Checked in October 2026. Rules and prices change, and many vary by state, so confirm with the source, your state's real estate commission or your broker before you rely on them.

• Ohio REALTORS: Residential Real Estate Purchase Contract, the statewide contract (copyright 2022; line numbers from this copy)
• Ohio REALTORS: Ohio REALTORS statewide purchase contract now available (January 25, 2023)
• Ohio REALTORS: two new forms for statewide contract use, mutual release and notice of termination (July 10, 2025)
• Columbus REALTORS and Columbus Bar Association: Real Estate Purchase Contract (2/2025 edition, copy hosted by the Columbus Bar Association)
• Ohio Revised Code § 5302.30, residential property disclosure form (FindLaw copy, current as of January 1, 2026; codes.ohio.gov was unreachable)
• US EPA: real estate disclosures about potential lead hazards (updated May 27, 2026)