State Route 89 travels from its southern terminus at a T-intersection with State Route 95 approximately 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Hayesville to its northern terminus at a Y-intersection with State Route 58 nearly 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Polk.

All of State Route 89 is located within the eastern half of Ashland County.

No segment of this highway is included within the National Highway System, a network of routes deemed most important for the economy, mobility and defense of the country.

[4] At the 1923 Ohio state highway renumbering, the State Route 89 designation was applied to the roadway between Aurora and Canton.

[6][7] In 1939, State Route 95 was extended northeasterly from its prior eastern terminus in Butler to the Wooster vicinity.