Topic
Local Life
Local government, public services, and practical Columbus information.
Guides
2Columbus fall events: September 27 and Italian Fest 2026
Apple Fest, Oyster Fest, neighborhood markets, the Crew and lanterns on September 27, plus October 9–11 Italian Festival hours and admission.
What to do in Columbus: Sunday, September 27
Start with Apple Fest, wander Worthington or grab oysters downtown, then choose dinner or a night under the lanterns. Your September 27, 2026 day plan.
Services
17City parks, trails, and recreation facilities
Columbus Recreation and Parks maintains city parks, greenways, recreation centers, pools, reservoirs, and rental facilities.
Nine councilmembers pass city laws, approve budgets and contracts, and decide land-use policy. Christopher L. Wyche, Nancy Day-Achauer, Rob Dorans, Emmanuel V. Remy, Nicholas J. Bankston, Melissa Green, Tiara N. Ross, Lourdes Barroso de Padilla, Shannon G. Hardin
Driver licenses and vehicle registration
Ohio BMV online services cover driver-license and ID renewal, vehicle registration, driving records, tests, and branch queues.
Columbus uses nine residential districts, but every city voter elects every council seat.
Find your Ohio state legislators
Your Ohio House and Senate districts depend on your address. The Ohio Legislature site identifies both lawmakers for an entered address.
Food, medical, and cash assistance
Ohio Benefits screens and accepts applications for programs including food, medical, and cash assistance.
The three-member board governs county programs, approves the county budget, and oversees county administration. Kevin L. Boyce, John O'Grady, Erica C. Crawley
Governor and lieutenant governor
The governor heads Ohio’s executive branch; the lieutenant governor serves in the administration and succeeds the governor when required. Mike DeWine, Jim Tressel
The mayor leads the executive branch and appoints the directors who run city departments. Andrew J. Ginther
Ohio statewide elected offices
Four independently elected offices handle legal enforcement, public-account audits, elections and business filings, and state treasury programs. Andy Wilson, Keith Faber, Frank LaRose, Robert Sprague
Property records and parcel search
The County Auditor search shows parcel boundaries, ownership, valuation, tax district, building details, and sales history. Michael Stinziano
Property-tax bill and payment status
The County Treasurer search shows tax bills, balances, payments, and parcel-level tax information. Cheryl Brooks Sullivan
Request a city service through 311
Columbus 311 routes non-emergency requests such as potholes, missed collection, code concerns, streetlights, and damaged city property.
Collection days, set-out times, holiday delays, yard waste, and bulk pickup, with suburban haulers.
Trash, recycling, and yard-waste schedule
The city lookup returns collection days for a specific address and publishes the rotating holiday and yard-waste calendars.
Beggars' Night dates and hours for Columbus and its suburbs, each from the city's own page.
Voter record, polling place, and sample ballot
The Board of Elections provides separate official lookups for registration records, polling locations, and sample ballots.