If implemented, the township’s motor vehicle tax would double to $10.
The township started collecting $5 for each motor registration in 2017, according to a township spokesperson.
That tax generated about $207,000 for the township last year. The new tax is expected to generate an additional $200,000 in annual revenue.
Ohio law permits townships to collect up to $10 in motor vehicle registration taxes, which must be done in separate $5 increments. The combined township and county tax cannot exceed $30 per vehicle.
Money raised through the tax can be used for road equipment, buildings to house road equipment, improvements and maintenance of roads and bridges, and traffic signs and signals.
Townships cannot impose local income or sales taxes under Ohio law.
According to the Ohio Department of Taxation, 308 of Ohio’s 1,308 townships have a motor vehicle registration tax in place, including Washington Twp.
Washington Twp. had a total of 42,549 motor vehicles registered in 2025, according to the Ohio Department of Public Safety permissive tax statistics.
This included 32,452 passenger cars, 140 motor homes, 887 motorcycles, 1,394 non-commercial trailers, 3,477 non-commercial trucks, 14 mopeds and 5 unconventional vehicles, among others.
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