Heliports and seaplane sites would count as airports under Ohio law

Ohio lawmakers are proposing a rewrite of the definitions that determine what falls under the state’s aviation laws. The proposal, known as the Airspace Protection Act, would amend several sections of the Ohio Revised Code and repeal another as part of a broader update to how state law describes aircraft, airports and related facilities.

Under the bill, an "aircraft" would mean any manned device used or intended for flight in the air. The definition specifically excludes ultralight vehicles. The proposal also defines an "airport" as a location on land or water used for aircraft takeoff and landing, explicitly including heliports and seaplane landing sites.

Because these terms sit at the foundation of aviation law, changing them can reshape which activities, operators and sites the rest of the legal framework applies to.

Where the legal boundaries are drawn

In regulatory law, definitions often decide the reach of later rules. The proposal defines "aviation" broadly to cover transportation by aircraft, the operation of aircraft, and the establishment, operation, maintenance, repair and improvement of airports, landing fields and other air‑navigation facilities.

At the same time, the bill sets clear limits. Its definition of an airport excludes a federal navigable waterway and any military airport owned by the United States government. Those carve‑outs signal that certain federally controlled spaces remain outside the state framework.

Together, the inclusions and exclusions establish the basic map of what Ohio considers part of its civilian aviation system.

Airports, landing fields and the infrastructure around them

The proposal also separates different kinds of aviation sites. While an airport can include developed locations such as heliports or seaplane landing areas, the bill describes a "landing field" as a simpler site suitable for safe takeoffs and landings but not equipped to shelter, supply or service aircraft.

Beyond the runways themselves, the measure defines an "air navigation facility" in broad terms. That category can include airports and landing fields as well as aircraft‑servicing facilities, traveler‑accommodation areas and navigational aids such as lights, beacons, markers and communication systems that guide pilots during flight operations.

Seen together, these definitions sketch a network that includes both the physical places aircraft use and the systems that help them navigate safely.

A vocabulary shift that shapes later rules