faqs – local ordinances

The Mason Police Department is frequently contacted about local ordinances.

If you wish to speak to an officer or report a violation, please call Warren County Communications at 513.925.2525 (emergencies 9-1-1) or by e-mail or phone. Please note that e-mails will not be returned until the next business day.

noise complaints

Noise violations may include any unnecessary, excessive or offensive noise which annoys or disturbs the peace, quiet, comfort or repose of the neighboring inhabitants, between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. and pertaining to:

  • Loading and unloading
  • Musical instruments, radios, and the like.
  • Homeowners outdoor equipment on weekends between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. and on legal holidays.

Rumpke’s waste and recycling removal services are permitted to begin routes in the City at 5:00 a.m. Please contact the Mason Police Department if waste and recycling crews begin before the 5:00 a.m. start time.

City Noise Ordinance

barking or howling dogs

No owner, keeper or harborer of any animal shall permit or suffer the animal to continuously or frequently bark, howl or emit other audible sounds which create unreasonable, excessive or offensive noise to the annoyance or discomfort of any person of ordinary sensibilities in the vicinity of the animal.

City Barking or Howling Dogs Ordinance

parking

To report a parking violation within city limits, please contact the Mason Police Department.

If you have question regarding rules and regulations on parking, please review the City of Mason’s Parking Ordinance.

City Parking Ordinance

transient vendor/solicitor’s permit

The City of Mason regulates solicitors under city ordinance 707. Following are some of the more important parts of the ordinance that residents should be aware of when they are contacted by a solicitor.

Solicitors – FAQs

Who does the ordinance apply to? It applies, with some exceptions, to “…any person … who sells, offers for sale, or solicits orders for future delivery of goods … or attempts to arrange an appointment for a future estimate or sales call.”

Who does the ordinance not apply to It does not apply to any person who represents a tax-exempt entity, such as Girl Scouts selling cookies or someone who is only seeking donations and not selling or soliciting orders for goods. It also does not apply when someone has been invited by the owner or tenant to sell or solicit orders for goods, when a person is collecting money for goods or services previously ordered or sold, or to persons circulating petitions or campaigning for public office.

Do solicitors need to register?

Individuals, businesses, and employees of businesses wishing to solicit in the city are required to register with the police department. Further, all solicitors are required to carry identification that includes the registration number issued by the police department. Employees must also carry verification that they are employed by the business that registered.

When and how can solicitors conduct business?

Registered solicitors must conduct their solicitation in a manner that is not contrary to the public interest. They cannot be coercive, abusive, misleading or fraudulent. Hours of soliciting in the city are limited to 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. from April through October and 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. from November through March.

Can a solicitor’s license be taken away?

The registration may be revoked for various reasons, including but not limited to fraud, misrepresentation, false statements, any violation of the soliciting ordinance, and conducting business in such a manner as to constitute a menace to the health, safety, or general welfare of the public.

How should I deal with solicitors?

If a solicitor comes to your door, you may ask to see identification showing their police department-issued registration number. You may wish to deal only with registered persons. If you would like to confirm whether a solicitor is registered or report someone who could not produce confirmation, please call the Mason Police Department administrative offices at 513.229.8560 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. After hours and on weekends, call the Warren County Communications Center’s non-emergency number at 513.925.2525.

Can I keep solicitors from coming to my door?

If you do not wish to be contacted by a solicitor at your residence, post a sign stating “NO SOLICITORS” at the main entry point or points to your property.

What should I do if a solicitor comes to my door anyway?

If you have posted a “NO SOLICITORS” sign and a solicitor either has not seen the sign or disregards the warning, ask the solicitor to leave or the police will be called. Call the police if the solicitor refuses to leave or becomes abusive or coercive. Try to gather as much information as possible through observation only, such as a description of the person, license numbers, and if offered, information from the permit such as permit number, name, etc.

What happens to violators?

Persons found to be in violation of any part of this ordinance are guilty of a minor misdemeanor. If they have been convicted of or found guilty of violating the ordinance in the past year, they are guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.

If you have questions, or would like additional information on soliciting in the city, please contact the police department at 513.229.8560.

Hours of Solicitation

Door to door solicitation shall be made only between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., November through April, and between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., May through October.

Proof of Compliance

Each transient vendor shall carry on his or her person a copy of the registration issued by the City at all times while selling or traveling about the City for the purposes of selling or soliciting orders. Individuals may not solicit as a team using another person’s registration.

City Transient Ordinance

curfew

No minor shall remain in or upon any public place or any establishment between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. of the following day, except that on Fridays and Saturdays, the hours shall be from 12:00 midnight to 6:00 a.m.

No minor shall drive or ride aimlessly in an automobile, a truck or a motorcycle between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. of the following day, except that on Fridays and Saturdays the hours shall be from 12:00 midnight to 6:00 a.m.

This section does not apply to a minor who is:

  • Accompanied by a parent, guardian, or custodian;
  • Accompanied by an adult specified by a parent, guardian, or custodian;
  • Carrying out an errand or other lawful activity as directed by a parent, guardian, or custodian;
  • Occupying the sidewalk of the place where the minor resides, or the sidewalk of a place where the minor has permission from his or her parent or guardian to be, or the sidewalk of a next-door neighbor not communicating an objection to a police officer; or
  • Participating in, going to, or returning from:
    • Lawful employment;
    • A lawful athletic, educational, entertainment, religious, or social event; or
    • Interstate travel.

City Curfew Ordinance

junk vehicles

ABANDONED MOTOR VEHICLE. Any motor vehicle left without the permission of the property owner on private property for any amount of time, or on property open to the public for the purpose of vehicular travel or parking for more than 72 hours. The fact that a motor vehicle has been left without permission is prima facie evidence of abandonment.

JUNK MOTOR VEHICLE. Any motor vehicle meeting any two of the following requirements:

  • Is three years old or older;
  • Is extensively damaged, the damage including, but not limited to, any of the following: missing wheels, tires, engine or transmission; and/or
  • Is not operable (“operable” means able to be started and moved under its own power for a minimum of 100 feet).

City Junk Vehicle Ordinance

bb and air soft guns

No person shall recklessly throw or shoot from a slingshot, B.B. gun, air gun, bow or other device a pellet, stone, arrow, missile or other similar substance at or toward a person, house, building, vehicle or other property which might be injured or damaged thereby, or to strike or wound a person or to strike property causing injury or damage to any such person or property by the act.

City BB and Air Soft Guns Ordinance