Insurance driver’s license suspensions

Your driver’s license can be suspended for many different reasons, including car insurance. 

• Check your BMV record for suspensions. To find out if your license is suspended, review your driving record with the BMV.
• Clear each suspension. You will need to clear each suspension before you can get your license reinstated. Usually,  you  can’t drive legally while  a  suspension is  in place. You can use our driver’s license reinstatement action plan to figure out the steps you need to take to clear your suspensions.

Your driver’s license can be suspended for many different reasons, not just insurance. Find an overview of driver’s license suspensions in Ohio.

Types of insurance suspensions

Your driver’s license can be suspended for the following insurance suspensions:

• Non-compliance suspension. This happens when you fail to show proof of insurance at a traffic stop or at the time of an accident. This is a common type of suspension in Ohio.
• Judgment suspension. This happens when someone sues you after a car accident and gets a judgment against you. It can happen even if you weren’t the one driving the car. For example, someone else drove your car and got into accident that hurt someone, resulting in a lawsuit and judgment against you.
• Security suspension. This happens when you drive without car insurance and cause an accident with more than $400 in damage or a personal injury.

You can have multiple suspensions at the same time. Some suspensions stay in place for a specific time, and others only stay in place until you meet certain conditions.

You can use our driver’s license reinstatement action plan to understand what kind of suspensions you have and how to clear them.

How to remove a non-compliance suspension

You need proof of insurance, or “financial responsibility,” to drive a vehicle in Ohio.

To remove a non-compliance suspension, you must take specific steps:

• Serve your suspension time. If it’s your first suspension, you usually don’t need to wait a specific amount of time, but you do need to take the other steps. If it’s not your first suspension, you usually need to wait a certain amount of time before your license can be reinstated. Use our  driver’s license  reinstatement  action  plan to understand the waiting time for your suspensions.
• Provide proof of financial responsibility. Get and carry a certificate of insurance called an SR-22. How long you must do this depends on how many other suspensions you’ve had. You must carry the SR-22 filing with your car insurance until the end date on your BMV record.
• Pay a reinstatement fee to the BMV. You can pay reinstatement fees to the BMV by logging into the BMV’s website. You may be able to get help paying down the fees you owe. You may qualify for  the  BMV’s reinstatement fee debt reduction and amnesty program. If you’re eligible, you should get a notice in the mail.

Use our driver’s license reinstatement action plan to get step-by-step instructions on how to remove your non-compliance suspension.

Keep in mind that you can’t be randomly stopped for an insurance check anymore, but you can get a non-compliance suspension if you don’t have insurance or you don’t show proof of insurance at the time of a traffic stop or accident.

How do I get an SR-22?

An SR-22 is a certificate of financial responsibility showing that you have met the legal requirements for car insurance. An SR-22 is also called an “SR-22 bond.”

You will need both an SR-22 and car insurance from the insurance company you choose.

To get an SR-22:

• Contact an insurance company.
• Apply and pay for the insurance.
• Wait for the insurance company to file the SR-22 with the BMV. It can take up to 72 hours for the insurance company to file the SR-22 with the BMV.

Learn more about how to get an SR-22 in Ohio.

Can I apply for limited driving privileges? 

If you have no other suspensions and you haven’t forfeited your driver’s license, you may be eligible to apply for limited driving privileges while you serve your non-compliance suspension.

Many people are not eligible to apply for limited driving privileges. For example, they have other license suspensions.

To ask for limited privileges:

• Apply with the court. You need to file a motion or submit an application to the court that suspended your license.
• Show proof of car insurance and SR-22. You must show proof of car insurance and an SR-22 before a court will grant limited driving privileges. The court may need to wait a certain amount of time before it can grant you limited driving privileges.
• Follow the court’s instructions. Follow any rules of the court. If the court gives you limited driving privileges, make sure you follow the court orders. You can only drive when and where the court allows you to drive. 

How to remove a judgment suspension

You must address the judgment against you to remove a judgment suspension. 

A judgment suspension happens after someone sues you for a car accident and gets a judgment against you saying you owe money for damages or injuries. The BMV gets a copy of the judgment and suspends your license until you clear the judgment against you.

To remove a judgment suspension, you must take specific steps.

Address the judgment

There are different ways to address a judgment. The best option for you will depend on your situation.

Do one of the following to address the judgment:

• Settle with the other side. Settle the case with the other person or their insurance company by entering a payment agreement to pay the debt. File the settlement with the BMV.
• Get a release from the judgment. Get a release from the other driver, their lawyer or their car insurance company, and file it with the court. Then get an official document from the court showing that the case is settled or that you have entered into a payment agreement for the case. The court document may be called a “court order” or “journal entry.” File the court document with the BMV.
• File for bankruptcy and include the judgment. If you file for bankruptcy, it may clear the money you owe from the judgment, if and only if, the judgment is listed among your debts. File your bankruptcy petition or discharge with the BMV. Contact a lawyer if you are considering bankruptcy.
• Apply to release an old, dormant judgment. If your judgment is at least 15 years old, and the other side hasn’t tried to collect on it for at least 10 years, the judgment may be considered “dormant” under the law. You can file an Application to Terminate Judgment Suspension with the BMV. This does not apply if the other side has filed a lien, garnished your wages, attached your bank account or filed an execution of judgment within the last 10 years.

File a certificate of insurance (SR-22) 

Get a certificate of insurance called an SR-22. Carry the SR-22 filing with your car insurance until the end date on your BMV record.

If you have other suspensions, you will need to clear those too to get your license reinstated. Use our driver’s license reinstatement action plan to get step-by-step instructions for how to remove your suspensions.

How to remove a security suspension

You usually must wait a certain period of time and resolve claims from the car accident to clear a security suspension.

You can get a security suspension if you don’t have car insurance and you cause a crash with more than $400 in property damage or personal injury claim.

To remove a security suspension, you must take specific steps. 

Serve your driving suspension time 

You may need to wait up to 2 years per suspension. 

Do one of the following:

• Settle the case with the other person or their insurance company by entering a payment agreement to pay the debt. File proof of the settlement with the BMV.
• Get a release from the other driver or from their car insurance company or lawyer. File the release with the court. Get a court order showing that the case is settled or that you have entered into a payment agreement for the case. File the order with the BMV.
• Get a court to agree you weren’t liable. You have a short time, usually 15 days, to challenge or “appeal” the case against you. Request a hearing with the BMV or with the county court of common pleas in the county where you live. Your appeal must show that you either had insurance at the time of the accident, or prove that the accident was not your fault or the BMV made an administrative error. Get a decision from the court that you are not responsible for any claims from the accident. This is called getting a “final adjudication of non-liability." File the court decision with the BMV.
• Pay in full. Pay a security deposit to the BMV that is sufficient to pay the potential judgment for the car accident in full.
• No court case filed within 2 years. Once 2 years have passed from the date of the accident, and no court case has been filed against you, provide evidence to the BMV that there have been no cases against you for the accident. Ohio law states that evidence can be in the form of an affidavit. 

If you can’t pay 

Sometimes people file for bankruptcy if they can’t pay a judgment or enter into a payment agreement.

• Contact a lawyer if you are considering bankruptcy.
• Include the accident in any bankruptcy filing. When filing for bankruptcy, you will need to have the judgment or settlement amount listed among your debts in the bankruptcy.

Where to learn more 

You can use our driver’s license reinstatement action plan to understand your suspensions and how to clear them.

You can learn about insurance suspensions on the BMV’s website. You can also call the BMV with questions at (844) 644-6268, Monday  -  Friday, 8 a.m.  -  5  p.m.