Can you tap maple trees on public land in Ohio?

We found no ODNR Division of Forestry rule, permit or program that mentions maple sap or tapping. Two things do apply: Ohio's general statute says no one "without privilege to do so" may recklessly "girdle, or otherwise injure" a tree "standing or growing on the land of another or upon public land," with treble damages (ORC § 901.51); and the state forest rules say no person may carry on "any other commercial activity on state forest property" without a special use permit from the Division chief (OAC 1501:3-5-01(B)). We read the definitions, vehicle, camping, concession and shooting-range chapters of the state forest rules and found no plant-protection rule; chapters 1501:3-2, 3-8 and 3-9 were not opened (not confirmed). Ask the state forest manager — the Division of Forestry's regional offices — before tapping.

ODNR Division of Parks rules could not be opened in this session (the codes.ohio.gov pages for OAC Chapter 1501:41 returned no text), so the park-specific rule is not confirmed. ORC § 901.51 still applies: injuring a tree on public land without privilege carries treble damages, so don't tap in a state park or wildlife area without written permission.

The Wayne National Forest's permits page (updated March 2026) sells $20 plant-collecting and ginseng permits and says no permit is needed for small amounts of fruits, pinecones, mushrooms or rose hips for personal use; it says nothing about maple sap or tapping. The default federal rule prohibits damaging or removing any tree or forest product without authorization (36 CFR 261.6), so ask a Wayne district office whether it will issue a forest-products or special-use permit (not confirmed).

Forests in Ohio: Wayne National Forest

Town, county and roadside trees

County and metro parks, township and city land and street trees need permission from the body that owns them; ORC § 901.51's "upon public land" clause covers them too. No statewide program for tapping local public land was found (local programs were not surveyed).

Private land you don't own

Get the owner's permission. Ohio's statute comes close to naming tapping: no person without privilege may recklessly "cut down, destroy, girdle, or otherwise injure a vine, bush, shrub, sapling, tree, or crop" on another's land, and a violator "is liable in treble damages for the injury caused" (ORC § 901.51). Put a lease in writing; UVM Extension's annotated sugarbush lease is a workable template.

Lease rates seen in the sources: No Ohio-specific survey was opened. UVM Extension's 2019 survey of 312 northeastern producers found the most common rent was $1.00–$1.24 per tap per year, then $0.50–$0.99 ("Maple Rental Rates," January 2020).