Ohio to eliminate most debt-related drivers license suspensions
On April 10, 2025, House Bill 29 is set to take effect in ohio, paving the way for anyone with a debt-related driver’s license suspension to get their licesnse back–no strings attached!
What is a debt-related suspension?
A debt-related suspension is when your driving privileges are suspended due to failure to pay a fine or fee. The new law will help over 60% of suspended drivers get their license back, as many of them had their suspension for not meeting certain financial obligations.
The State’s goal is to ensure that a person’s financial situation doesn’t stop them from legally driving, as long as they have the minimum insurance coverage required by law.
Who does this law apply to?
House Bill 29 is for people whose suspensions are solely related to failure to pay certain financial obligations. If you’ve failed to pay fines but also have a DUI conviction, this law won’t help you get your license back. In this case, fines are only part of the issue. You’ll still have a conviction for a serious traffic offense, meaning you’ll need to serve out your suspension.
FULL DETAILS OF HOUSE BILL 29
The following provisions were included in House Bill 29:
- Removes driver’s license suspensions for failure to pay a court fine or fee.
- Your suspended license will be automatically reinstated if the law applies to you, retroactively, with no fee required.
- Eliminates a driver’s license suspension for a drug abuse offense (excluding OVI) unless the offense leads to others using, manufacturing, or trafficking drugs, and you used a vehicle to commit the offense.
- Modifies the lookback period for driving without insurance from five years to one year.
- School truancy can no longer result in a license denial or suspension
- Authorizes a person whose driver’s license is suspended for failure to pay child support to file a motion with a court for limited driving privileges in all circumstances, not just when the motion is made during contempt proceedings as under current law.
For more information, please consider this article from the ACLU
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