Driving On A Suspended License in Ohio
If you have been convicted of driving in Ohio with a suspended license, you could face potentially harsh penalties that may include jail time, fines and/or permanent license revocation.
Your first Driving While License is Suspended (DWLS) charge may only be an unclassified misdemeanor. However, if you have been charged with one or more DWLS offenses in Ohio, it is imperative to hire an experienced traffic defense attorney near you who can help you find possible defenses or mitigating factors to your offense.
Your DWLS offense may have resulted from an underlying offense that caused your license to be suspended you were unaware of. An experienced traffic defense attorney can help you resolve the underlying charge and reinstate your license.
Suspended License Defense Attorney in Columbus, OH
If you have lost your driving privileges in Ohio and have been charged with Driving with a Suspended License in Columbus, Ohio, contact an experienced criminal defense attorney at the Joslyn Law Firm today. Brian Joslyn of the Joslyn Law Firm can assist you in finding possible defenses or mitigating factors to your charges.
Contact the Joslyn Law Firm at (614) 444-1900 for a free consultation today about your driver’s license offense or DWLS in Franklin County and surrounding counties of Ohio.
Information on Driving with a Suspended or Revoked License in Ohio
- Driving with a Suspended License under Ohio Law
- Reasons for Driver’s License Suspensions
- Penalties for Driving with a Suspended or Revoked License
- How to Reinstate a Driver’s License in Ohio
Ohio’s Laws for Driving While License is Suspended
Driving Under Suspension or in Violation of License Restriction is defined in § 4510.11 of the Ohio Revised Code. This offense involves an individual operating a motor vehicle on the public roads or highways or private property used for public travel while their license is suspended unless they have been granted limited driving privileges.
Reasons a License May Be Suspended
Ohio law provides for several different reasons why person’s driver’s license may be suspended and they would lose their Ohio driving privileges. A few common reasons for license suspension in Ohio can include, but are not limited to:
- Failure to appear
- Failure to pay fines such as speeding tickets
- Certain medical conditions or disabilities
- A conviction for aggravated vehicular homicide
- A conviction for vehicular homicide
- A conviction for vehicular manslaughter
- A conviction for soliciting
- A conviction for any OVI offense
- A court order or judgment revoking or suspending a license
- Failure of a driving test
- Incurring too many driving points
- Failure to comply with civil penalties
One of the most common questions we are asked related to suspended licenses is ‘how many speeding tickets before suspension in Ohio?’ The answer is not how many speeding tickets, it’s how many points have you incurred. If any driver receives 12 or more points in a two-year period on their Ohio driver’s license, the registrar of the BMV will send written notice to the person that their driver license is suspended under a class D suspension. The suspension is effective 20 days after the date of the notice. The driver is permitted to file a petition appealing the suspension in the 20 days before the suspension becomes effective. Each speeding ticket has a number of points associated with it, ranging from 2–6 points depending on the severity of the infraction. This means that you could get your license suspended with as little at 2 speeding tickets or as many as 6 speeding tickets if the correct conditions were met.
Penalties for Driving While License Suspended in Columbus
This offense is punishable as a misdemeanor of the first degree, which can result in a jail sentence up to 180 days and/or fines of not more than $1,000. Additionally, a person who is convicted of this offense will face a class seven suspension of their driver’s license. This can result in a suspension of driving privileges for up to one year.
If a person’s license has been suspended for failure to appear or pay a fine, they can be convicted of an unclassified misdemeanor. This means the alleged offender will be required to pay a fine up to $1,000 and/or serve up to five hundred hours of community service. However, they will not be punished by a jail sentence or other community residential sanctions.
If an individual has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to two or more violations of driving with a suspended license within the preceding three years, they can be convicted of a misdemeanor of the first degree.
For a first misdemeanor in the first-degree DWLS offense, an alleged offender can also be ordered to have the vehicle involved in the incident immobilized for 30 days, in addition to impoundment of that vehicle’s license plates for 30 days. A subsequent offense will result in vehicle immobilization for 60 days and vehicle license plate impoundment for 60 days. A third offense will result in criminal forfeiture of the vehicle involved in the offense.
Other Types of Driver’s License Offenses in Ohio
In Ohio, the law provides for several different ways that a crime related to a driver’s license violation can be prosecuted including:
- Failure to reinstate license in violation of R.C. 4510.21
- Operating or permitting operation of a motor vehicle while under financial responsibility suspension or cancellation in violation of R.C. 4510.16
- Operating a motorcycle without a valid motorcycle license or endorsement in violation of R.C. 4510.12(A)(2)
- Operating a motor vehicle without a valid license (expired license)
- Operating a motor vehicle without a valid license (no license ever issued) in violation of R.C. 4510.12(A)(1)
- Operating a motor vehicle in violation of license restriction in violation of R.C. 4510.11(B)
- Operating a motor vehicle under a suspended license in violation of R.C. 4510.11(A)
How to Reinstate a Driver’s License in Ohio
If you are looking to get your Ohio driver’s license reinstated after a suspension, you have a few options at your disposal, depending on the circumstances of the suspension and infraction that led to the loss of your driving privileges. The process to reinstate your driver’s license in Ohio will vary from one driver to the next. But there are 4 ways that you can get your license reinstated in Ohio:
- Wait out the suspension period.
- Pay all fees or fines for any outstanding citations that led to the suspension at a local BMV office.
- Complete driver or alcohol training if it applies to your suspension.
- Hire an experienced traffic infraction attorney near you to argue the dismissal of your case and reinstatement of your license.
The amount you will be expected to pay for a driver’s license reinstatement fee will be dependent on the type of OH driver’s license suspension incurred. You can see a list of reinstatement fees on the BMV’s Driver’s License Suspension and Reinstatement page.
If you are unable to pay your driver’s license reinstatement fee, the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles does allow drivers to sign up for a Driver License Reinstatement Fee Installment Plan if they have met all other reinstatement requirements.
Finding an Attorney for Driving With License Revoked Crimes in Ohio
Contact the Joslyn Law Firm today for a free consultation if you have lost your Ohio driving privileges and have been charged with driving while license is suspended in Columbus, Ohio. Brian Joslyn of the Joslyn Law Firm is an aggressive and knowledgeable Columbus traffic defense attorney who will listen to the particular facts of your case and will make every effort to aggressively fight the charges against you and help you get your license reinstated.
Call the Joslyn Law Firm at (614) 444-1900 for a consultation about your license-related traffic offense in Franklin County and surrounding counties, including Pickaway County, Madison County, Delaware County, Licking County and Fairfield County in Ohio.
This article was last updated on Tuesday, March 14, 2017.
