Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 707.04
Prior to fixing the time and place of the public hearing pursuant to section 707.05 of the Revised Code, the board of county commissioners shall determine whether any of the area proposed to be incorporated includes territory within three miles of any portion of the boundary of an existing municipal corporation. If the board so finds, it shall make an order in its journal of such finding and forward a copy of such entry to the clerk of the legislative authority of such municipal corporation. The board shall thereafter take no action on the incorporation petition so long as any of the area proposed to be incorporated includes territory within three miles of the boundary limits of any existing municipal corporation. However, the board may proceed with the incorporation petition even though some or all of the territory proposed to be incorporated would be within the three-mile area if either of the following applies: