Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 450 (SB 450) on June 15, launching a capital improvements budget worth about $3.7 billion covering fiscal years 2027 and 2028.
The two-year plan directs money toward state and local construction, renovation, land acquisition and equipment, with funding reaching all 88 counties in the state. Because the measure also carries an emergency clause, it takes effect immediately, allowing agencies and local recipients to move ahead without the typical 90-day delay.
Of the $3.696 billion total, about $3.43 billion is backed by General Revenue Fund-supported bonds while about $263 million comes from other sources, including federal funds.
The single largest line item in the budget is $600 million for school building assistance through the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC), which also funds a new aging-school accelerator pilot program. The OFCC’s full appropriation reaches about $753 million including community-project earmarks.
Higher education also receives a large share of the funds with more than $500 million in total. That includes $104 million to the Department of Higher Education and about $400 million to various campuses for capital improvements. Funds going to the department include line items such as $10 million for the Ohio Supercomputer Center expansion, $15.2 million to the Ohio Library and Information Network and $49.5 million for small campus targeted assistance.
The Ohio State University receives the largest single campus allotment at about $76.6 million, while Central State University, one of the state’s two historically black universities, receives $29.2 million for renovations.
The Ohio Public Works Commission, which oversees local infrastructure, also receives a large share. The category is set to receive about $720 million, which includes a State Capital Improvement Program (SCIP) component coming in at about $510 million.
The Department of Behavioral Health also receives about $400 million, the bulk of that being $346.5 million in renovations and construction. Administration officials have said that a new behavioral health hospital in the Miami Valley, costing $275 million, will be built from that appropriation.
The Department of Developmental Disabilities receives about $237 million, which includes $150 million to replace the Columbus Developmental Center. A separate $35 million funds a youth psychiatric care facility that the administration says Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital will operate jointly. A related area, the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, receives about $247 million for correctional facility upgrades as well.
The Department of Natural Resources draws the largest share among the remaining agencies at about $369 million, covering state park improvements, dam work and conservation projects. The Department of Administrative Services receives about $122.6 million for statewide facility upgrades, while the Adjutant General’s Department receives about $52.8 million for largely federally supported National Guard projects.
The Department of Commerce receives about $37.1 million, drawn entirely from the State Fire Marshal Fund rather than General Revenue Fund bonds. This includes about $26.8 million for a new Ohio Fire Academy fire-training structure and $2.9 million for training apparatus.
The budget also sets aside about $208 million for community projects spread across all 88 counties, ranging from historic schoolhouse renovations to local cultural and recreation sites.
Most projects are bond-financed and delivered through state agencies, with the OFCC managing the bulk of state capital construction and the SCIP funding drawing on bonds approved by voters in May 2025.
The clearest near-term construction opportunities are the Miami Valley behavioral health hospital, the Columbus Developmental Center, the youth psychiatric facility and the Fire Academy training structure.
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