Franklin County, Ohio Sales Tax Rate
Buying in Columbus or anywhere in Franklin County? The combined sales tax rate is 8.00%. Below is the full breakdown and a calculator already set to Franklin County.
Franklin County Rate Breakdown
Bordering County Savings Radar
How Franklin's 8.00% rate compares on a $100.00 purchase across county lines
Retail Purchases
Under R.C. 5739.033(B)(1), sales made by Ohio vendors are origin-sourced to where the order is received. Out-of-state remote sellers shipping to Franklin County charge this 8.00% destination rate.
Vehicle Titling
Under R.C. 4505.06, motor vehicles are taxed strictly by your county of residence at titling. On a $30,000 vehicle, Franklin County residents owe $2,400.00.
Groceries & Medicine
Unprepared food for human consumption and prescription drugs are 100% exempt ($0 tax) statewide in Franklin County under the Ohio Constitution (Art. XII, § 13), R.C. 5739.02(B)(2) (food), and R.C. 5739.02(B)(18) (prescription drugs).
Franklin County's 8.00% rate sits above the statewide average of 7.14%. Across Ohio, combined rates run from 6.50% to 8.00%. Compare all 88 Ohio county rates side by side.
Whether you're shopping in Columbus or anywhere else in Franklin County, a taxable purchase adds 2.25% in county and transit tax on top of Ohio's 5.75% state base — the 8.00% combined rate shown above. 1 of Ohio's 88 counties charge this exact rate, and none are higher — it's tied for the steepest in the state. Cars, general merchandise, and prepared restaurant food are all taxed at 8.00%, while unprepared groceries and prescription drugs stay exempt statewide.
Ranked against the rest of the state, Franklin County is the 1st-highest of Ohio's 88 counties, tied with 1 other county on 8.00%. In hard numbers that matters most on big-ticket buys: a $30,000.00 car costs $2,400.00 in sales tax here. Registering the same car in Butler County (6.50%, Ohio's lowest) would cost $1,950.00 — a $450.00 difference. No Ohio county charges more. Ohio taxes a vehicle at the rate of the buyer's county of residence, not the dealer's, so the county on your registration is the one that sets the bill.
Franklin County is seated at Columbus, covers 540 square miles and is home to 1,321,635 people — the 1st-most-populous of Ohio's 88 counties, at about 2,448 people per square mile. 63 ZIP codes fall inside it, running from 43002 to 43291, and every one of them pays the same 8.00% — Ohio municipalities cannot levy a sales tax of their own, so there is no city surcharge anywhere in the county.
Population: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimate (2023).
Calculate tax in Franklin County
Calculate Ohio Sales Tax
Ohio · 2026 tax year · all 88 countiesCalculate total cost and exact Ohio state + county tax on your pre-tax purchase.
An official 2026 estimate based on Ohio Department of Taxation rate schedules (R.C. 5739.02). Actual checkout receipts round intermediate fractions per R.C. 5739.025.
Franklin County sales tax by purchase amount
| Purchase | Sales Tax (8.00%) | Total |
|---|---|---|
| $1.00 | $0.08 | $1.08 |
| $5.00 | $0.40 | $5.40 |
| $10.00 | $0.80 | $10.80 |
| $25.00 | $2.00 | $27.00 |
| $50.00 | $4.00 | $54.00 |
| $100.00 | $8.00 | $108.00 |
| $500.00 | $40.00 | $540.00 |
| $1,000.00 | $80.00 | $1,080.00 |
Groceries and prescription drugs are exempt statewide, so they carry $0 tax in Franklin County. Prepared food and general merchandise are taxed at 8.00%.
Franklin County sales tax FAQ
Statutory guidance reconciled against official Ohio Department of Taxation regulations, county permissive levies, and R.C. 5739 sourcing rules.
The combined sales tax rate in Franklin County is 8.00% in 2026. That is Ohio's 5.75% state base plus a 2.25% county and transit portion.
At 8.00%, sales tax on a $100 taxable purchase in Franklin County is $8.00, for a total of $108.00.
No. Unprepared groceries and prescription drugs are exempt from Ohio sales tax statewide, so they are not taxed in Franklin County. Prepared food is taxable at 8.00%.
63 Ohio ZIP codes have Franklin County as their primary county, including 43002, 43004, 43016, 43017, 43026. All of them use the 8.00% combined rate. Because ZIP boundaries can cross county lines, a delivery address near the county line should be checked against Ohio's rate-by-address lookup.
Franklin County borders Fairfield (6.75%), Delaware (7.00%), Madison (7.00%), Union (7.00%), Licking (7.25%), Pickaway (7.25%). Fairfield County is the cheapest at 6.75%, 1.25% below Franklin's 8.00%.
At 8.00%, Franklin County has the 1st-highest combined sales tax rate of Ohio's 88 counties, tied with 1 other county. Statewide, combined rates run from 6.50% to 8.00%.
Counties bordering Franklin County
Franklin County shares a line with 6 other Ohio counties. Crossing one of these lines genuinely changes the bill — though which side counts depends on who is selling: an Ohio seller charges its own county's rate on an intrastate sale, while an out-of-state or marketplace seller charges yours.
| County | Combined rate | vs Franklin | Tax on $30,000.00 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield County | 6.75% | −1.25% | $2,025.00 |
| Delaware County | 7.00% | −1.00% | $2,100.00 |
| Madison County | 7.00% | −1.00% | $2,100.00 |
| Union County | 7.00% | −1.00% | $2,100.00 |
| Licking County | 7.25% | −0.75% | $2,175.00 |
| Pickaway County | 7.25% | −0.75% | $2,175.00 |
Fairfield County is the cheapest county touching Franklin at 6.75% — $375.00 less tax on a $30,000.00 vehicle. That only helps you if you actually live there: Ohio charges vehicle sales tax at the rate of the buyer's county of residence, not the seller's.
ZIP codes in Franklin County (8.00% sales tax)
63 Ohio ZIP codes have Franklin County as its primary county. Every address in them pays the same 8.00% combined rate — 5.75% state plus 2.25% county and transit.
- 43002
- 43004
- 43016
- 43017
- 43026
- 43054
- 43068
- 43069
- 43081
- 43085
- 43086
- 43109
- 43119
- 43123
- 43125
- 43126
- 43194
- 43195
- 43199
- 43201
- 43202
- 43203
- 43204
- 43205
- 43206
- 43207
- 43209
- 43210
- 43211
- 43212
- 43213
- 43214
- 43215
- 43216
- 43217
- 43218
- 43219
- 43220
- 43221
- 43222
- 43223
- 43224
- 43226
- 43227
- 43228
- 43229
- 43230
- 43231
- 43232
- 43234
- 43235
- 43236
- 43240
- 43251
- 43260
- 43266
- 43268
- 43270
- 43271
- 43272
- 43279
- 43287
- 43291
ZIP codes are a USPS delivery construct and a few straddle county lines, so a border address can fall in a different taxing county than its ZIP suggests. Check any borderline address with the ZIP code sales tax lookup or Ohio's official rate-by-address finder before you file.
Cities in Franklin County
Compare Franklin County rates
- Butler — 6.50%
- Cuyahoga — 8.00%
- Hamilton — 7.80%
- Lucas — 7.75%
- Montgomery — 7.50%
- Stark — 6.50%
- Summit — 6.75%
- See all 88 counties →
- Browse Ohio rates by city →
Major city rate: Looking for municipal shopping and business rules? Consult our dedicated Columbus sales tax guide.
Bordering counties: Compare Franklin County (8.00%) with neighboring Fairfield County (6.75%), Delaware County (7.00%), and Madison County (7.00%).
Commercial sellers: Review our guide on Franklin County vendor license requirements, fees, and filing to stay fully aligned with state tax regulations.
Compare statewide: See where Franklin County ranks across the full Ohio sales tax rates by county table.
Address verification: Some postal ZIP codes in Franklin County touch adjacent counties. To look up a precise street address, use our Ohio sales tax rate by address tool.
Ohio Sales Tax Core Reference Guides:
Rate source: the 8.00% combined rate for Franklin County was verified against the Ohio Department of Taxation's County Rate Table by ZIP Code on . Ohio county rates change on quarterly boundaries; for a legally definitive rate at a specific street address, use the Department's The Finder lookup — our guide to using The Finder walks through it.