(A) A municipal judge during the judge’s term of office shall be a qualified elector and a resident of the territory of the court to which the judge is elected or appointed. A municipal judge shall have been admitted to the practice of law in this state for at least one year preceding appointment or the commencement of the judge’s term and, for a total of at least six years preceding appointment or the commencement of the judge’s term, shall have either served as a judge of a court of record in any jurisdiction in the United States or done any of the following:

Ask a legal question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

(1) Engaged in the practice of law in this state;

(2) Practiced in a federal court in this state, regardless of whether at the time of that practice the person was admitted to the practice of law in this state or practiced in the courts of this state;

(3) Engaged in the authorized practice of law as in-house counsel for a business in this state or as an attorney for a government entity in this state, regardless of whether at the time of that practice the person was admitted to the practice of law in this state or practiced in the courts of this state.

(B) Except as provided in section 1901.08 of the Revised Code, the first election of any newly created office of a municipal judge shall be held at the next regular municipal election occurring not less than one hundred days after the creation of the office. Except as otherwise provided in division (G) of section 1901.01 of the Revised Code, the institution of a new municipal court shall take place on the first day of January next after the first election for the court.