COLUMBUS CABLE: LABELS, TESTS & OWNERSHIP
A surplus reel from a Columbus contractor is not the same as material still controlled by a municipal project. Circuit identity, continuous length, test history and ownership can each affect whether a buyer can evaluate it. The older City lighting specifications below are examples of project record requirements, not a claim that every Columbus reel must satisfy them today.
SEND LOT DETAILSDOCUMENT THE LOT BEFORE OFFERING IT
These sources apply to the specific projects or property described—not every cable reel in Columbus. Keep an accurate record of what you actually own.
Can the reel's circuit and continuous length be traced?
Columbus's archived Item 1002 Highway Lighting specification calls for wires and cables, other than bare ground bonding cable, to be identified by circuit and function at several installation points. It also describes cable without in-line splices between terminations unless plans or the Engineer allow otherwise. This is an archived project specification from 2012—not a current universal resale or installation standard.
For a seller: If the lot came from lighting work, preserve the original tags and record the circuit/function, copper or aluminum content, gauge, conductor count and jacket identification. Measure or estimate actual continuous footage and explicitly flag splices, cut ends and uncertain footage. Do not market an unverified partial reel as a new, full-length run.
Source: City of Columbus, archived Item 1002 Highway Lighting specification (2012)
Are the test results tied to this material?
The same archived City specification calls for current instrument-calibration documentation and discusses megohmmeter insulation-resistance testing where conductor material combines new and previously installed cable. A separate archived street-lighting item also describes continuity and insulation-resistance testing. Those thresholds apply within those contracts; they do not certify any particular resale reel or supersede current project instructions.
For a seller: Ask the owner for the latest continuity or insulation report, the test date and instrument identification. Establish whether the recorded sample was the exact remaining length, an installed run, or a different reel. If records do not exist, say so; a potential buyer can decide whether additional testing is needed before reuse.
Source: City of Columbus, archived Item 1001 Street Lighting specification (2012)
Who has authority to sell municipal property?
Ohio Revised Code 721.15 provides specific procedures for a municipality to dispose of personal property no longer needed for public use, including different provisions based on estimated value and an internet-auction process with published terms. A contractor's own private excess inventory is not automatically municipal property. An installation on a public project also does not prove the contractor owns every leftover reel.
For a seller: If City-owned or other municipal inventory is involved, obtain the owner's declaration that the material is surplus and the relevant sale authorization, auction record, contract or bill of sale. For private contractor stock, document the purchase order and project release instead. Have the owner clarify any applicable approval requirements rather than assuming possession transfers title.
COLUMBUS LOT CHECKLIST
- Photograph the original reel tag, jacket marking and any circuit/function identifiers without disclosing sensitive site details.
- Record full versus partial reel length, cut ends, splices and whether the cable was ever installed or energized.
- Match a test report to the exact inventory offered; describe missing results honestly.
- Confirm ownership and written release, especially when a City or other public owner paid for the material.
We do not claim a local office, a relationship with the cited agencies, a purchase commitment or guaranteed pickup. Buying and freight terms require a review of the actual lot. Public project documents do not prove that a specific reel is compliant or available for sale.
Related technical reference: read the cable specification guide .