Guide

Ohio's Spotted Lanternfly Quarantine: What It Means for Your Firewood

The quarantine now covers all 88 counties, and Hocking County is also inside a spongy moth regulated area. Here is what that means for the wood you burn at the cabin.

October 30, 2026 · 9 min read · Last checked: October 30, 2026

What changed in 2026

On February 17, 2026, ODA announced a statewide quarantine for spotted lanternfly. The insect had been regulated county by county since 2021, and by mid-2025 the list had grown to 18 counties.

Hocking County was not on that 18-county list, according to Ohio State University Extension's May 2025 update. Under the statewide order, it no longer matters. Every Ohio county is now inside the quarantine.

ODA paired the change with a shift in tone. Coverage of the announcement reported that the agency is no longer asking residents to report every sighting. Instead, it points property owners to its management guide for treatment options.

That does not mean the rules relaxed. It means the pest is established widely enough that the state is managing it everywhere, rather than trying to wall it off in a few counties.

What spotted lanternfly is, and why firewood matters

Spotted lanternfly is a planthopper native to Asia. USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) says it was first detected in Pennsylvania in 2014. APHIS reports that 19 states and the District of Columbia now have some level of infestation.

It feeds on grapevines, hops, stone fruit and hardwood trees. Its preferred host is tree-of-heaven, a common invasive tree along roadsides and field edges. Feeding leaves a sugary residue that grows sooty mold.

The bug itself is not a wood borer. The firewood problem is its eggs. APHIS calls it a "hitchhiking pest" because females lay egg masses on almost any outdoor surface.

What egg masses look like

APHIS describes fresh egg masses as looking like wet, gray putty that later dries dull and brown. ODNR describes them as light gray with a mud-like coating. Each mass holds roughly 30 to 50 eggs.

They show up on tree bark, stones, fences, grills, trailers, vehicles, outdoor furniture and firewood. APHIS notes they are visible in fall, winter and spring. That overlaps exactly with cabin fire season in the Hocking Hills.

A stack of split wood sitting outside a house in an infested area all summer is a fine place for an egg mass. Load it in the trunk in November and you can move next spring's hatch a hundred miles.

What the quarantine regulates

Ohio's spotted lanternfly rules live in Ohio Administrative Code Chapter 901:5-56. Rule 901:5-56-03 sets out the regulated articles. It covers three groups.

How movement is controlled

ODA's quarantine page says regulated items generally cannot leave Ohio without a compliance agreement, a permit or an inspection certificate. It describes four documents, from a single-shipment inspection certificate to a federal phytosanitary certificate for exports.

Those documents are aimed at businesses that ship regulated goods, such as nurseries and wood products companies. The February announcement focused on trees and nursery stock headed out of state.

For travelers, ODA's guidance is practical rather than paperwork-heavy. Check vehicles, outdoor equipment and firewood when entering or leaving a quarantined area. Inspect outdoor furniture and garden equipment before moving it.

Hocking County's other firewood quarantine: spongy moth

Spotted lanternfly gets the headlines, but it is not the only quarantine touching cabin country. Spongy moth, formerly called gypsy moth, is regulated across a large part of Ohio.

ODA says 51 Ohio counties are regulated under its spongy moth quarantine, OAC Chapter 901:5-52. The USDA regulated-area list, last updated April 15, 2026, names "the entire county of Hocking." Fairfield, Athens, Vinton and Perry are on it too.

Firewood is a regulated article under rule 901:5-52-03. Rule 901:5-52-05 requires a certificate to move regulated articles from a regulated area into, or through, a non-regulated part of Ohio.

The same rule says there are no restrictions on movement within regulated areas, as long as the load does not pass through a non-regulated area. In plain terms: the rule targets wood leaving the moth zone, not wood moving around inside it.

Other pests named on Ohio's firewood guidance

The national Don't Move Firewood campaign's Ohio page also lists Asian longhorned beetle restrictions in parts of Clermont County. That is in southwest Ohio, far from the Hocking Hills, but it shows how many separate rules can apply to one load of wood.

State parks and national forest rules

Many Hocking Hills visitors split time between a rental cabin and public land. Each has its own firewood rule.

ODNR's state park rules explain the reason directly. ODNR and ODA are trying to slow invasive species, and they "would prefer you get your firewood locally."

Hocking Hills State Park sits in the middle of cabin country. If your plans include a campsite there, the no-outside-wood rule applies even if you are staying in a cabin the rest of the weekend. Our guide to why not to bring firewood to the Hocking Hills covers the park side in more detail.

What this means for your cabin weekend

For most guests, the quarantine changes very little about the fire itself. It changes where the wood comes from. Here is a simple routine that lines up with ODA, ODNR, APHIS and Forest Service guidance.

1. Leave home firewood at home. ODA's own consumer tip is to "buy local and burn local." That avoids every certificate question at once.
2. Check your car and gear before you leave. Look over grills, camp chairs, coolers and bikes for gray, putty-like patches. APHIS lists all of these as egg-laying surfaces.
3. Scrape and destroy any egg masses. APHIS recommends smashing them and scraping them into a sealed bag with hand sanitizer or rubbing alcohol, then throwing the bag away.
4. Keep windows up when parked near trees. APHIS suggests parking about 15 feet from trees in quarantine zones when you can, because adults and nymphs ride inside vehicles.
5. Arrange local wood before arrival. Ask your host what is supplied, then order the rest from a local seller so you are not tempted to haul a trunkload.
6. Burn what you buy. Leftover local wood is best left with the cabin rather than carried home to another county or state.

For a wider look at Ohio's rules on selling and moving firewood, see our earlier piece on Ohio firewood regulations and pests.

Notes for cabin hosts

Hosts are in a good spot to stop the problem at the door. Guests often bring wood because nobody told them not to.

• Say it in the booking confirmation. A one-line note that outside firewood is not needed, and why, heads off most trunk loads.
• Check your own woodpile. Egg masses on a woodshed wall or a stacked rick are as easy to spot in winter as on a car. ODA notes it does not remove spotted lanternfly or tree-of-heaven from private property, so control is on the owner.
• Look at tree-of-heaven on the property. ODA lists removing host plants such as tree-of-heaven and wild grapevine as a control step. For heavy infestations, ODA suggests a licensed pest control business.
• Keep reporting channels handy. ODA's quarantine page still lists the Ohio Plant Pest Reporter and its Plant Pest Control Section at 614-728-6400 for questions.

Frequently asked questions