Exhibit 31.1
                     Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification

I, Jeffrey E. Smith, certify that:

         1. I have reviewed this Annual Report on Form 10-K of Ohio Valley Banc
Corp.;

         2. Based  on  my  knowledge,  this  annual  report does not contain any
untrue  statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact  necessary
to make the  statements  made,  in light of the  circumstances  under which such
statements  were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this
report;

         3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the
financial  condition,  results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as
of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

         4. The registrant's  other certifying officer and I are responsible for
establishing and maintaining  disclosure  controls and procedures (as defined in
Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the registrant and have:

                  a)       designed such disclosure controls  and procedures, or
                           caused such disclosure  controls and procedures to be
                           designed  under  our  supervision,   to  ensure  that
                           material  information  relating  to  the  registrant,
                           including  its  consolidated  subsidiaries,  is  made
                           known  to  us  by  others   within  those   entities,
                           particularly  during the period in which this  report
                           is being prepared;

                  b)       evaluated  the  effectiveness  of   the  registrant's
                           disclosure  controls and  procedures and presented in
                           this report our conclusions  about the  effectiveness
                           of the disclosure controls and procedures,  as of the
                           end of the period  covered by this report  based upon
                           such evaluation; and

                  c)       disclosed   in   this   report   any  change  in  the
                           registrant's    internal   control   over   financial
                           reporting  that  occurred  during  the   registrant's
                           fourth fiscal quarter that has  materially  affected,
                           or is  reasonably  likely to materially  affect,  the
                           registrant's    internal   control   over   financial
                           reporting; and

         5. The  registrant's  other  certifying  officer  and I have disclosed,
based  on  our  most  recent  evaluation  of  internal  control  over  financial
reporting,  to   the  registrant's  auditors  and  the  audit  committee  of the
registrant's board of directors:

                  a)       all  significant deficiencies and material weaknesses
                           in the design or operation  of internal  control over
                           financial  reporting  which are reasonably  likely to
                           adversely affect the registrant's  ability to record,
                           process,  summarize and report financial information;
                           and

                  b)       any  fraud,  whether  or  not material, that involves
                           management or other  employees who have a significant
                           role  in  the  registrant's   internal  control  over
                           financial reporting.


Date: March    15   , 2004                By /s/ Jeffrey E. Smith
            --------                         -----------------------------------
                                             Jeffrey E. Smith, President and CEO