Driver’s license suspensions in Ohio

Your driver’s license can be suspended for many different reasons, such as: 

• Not showing up to court
• Driving without car insurance
• Getting 12 points on your driving record
• Getting an OVI
• Not paying child support 

If your license is suspended, you will need to clear each suspension before you can get your license reinstated. Use our driver’s license reinstatement action plan to understand how to clear your suspensions.

If you need an ID while your license is suspended, you may be able to get a temporary ID card. Learn more on the BMV’s website. 

How to check if your license is suspended

If you’re not sure whether your license is suspended:

• Review your driving record with the BMV. You can pull up your driving record on the BMV’s website. You will need to enter your date of birth, last 4 digits of your Social Security number and your name or driver’s license number.
• Find the status. “Valid” means your license is current, and you have no suspensions. “Failure to reinstate” means your license was suspended and the suspension time has ended, but you need to do more to get your license back. “Suspended” means your license is withdrawn or not valid, and you have suspensions you need to clear.
• Look for suspensions. By checking your records on the BMV’s website, you should be able to find the type of suspensions you have, the dates of the suspensions, how to clear the suspensions, and how much you need to pay in reinstatement fees. You may owe additional fees and fines to the court, depending on your suspensions.

You may get a notice in the mail from the BMV about the type of suspension you have and how long it lasts. If you don’t get a notice in the mail, you can contact the BMV to ask them to resend the notice. Make sure the BMV has your correct address.

You will need to clear each suspension before you can get your license back.

Use our action plan tool to understand your suspensions and how to clear them.

Why your license can be suspended

There are many reasons why your driver’s license can be suspended.

For example, your license can be suspended due to:

• Not going to court. Your license can be suspended if you have charges against you and you fail to appear in court. For example, you’re charged with a traffic-related violation, fail to appear in court, and get a license suspension/forfeiture. You also can have a warrant for your arrest issued if you fail to appear. This is called a warrant block. A warrant block doesn't suspend a valid license, but it can block you from renewing your license or registration. Learn more about license forfeiture suspensions and warrant blocks, and how to clear them.
• Not having insurance. Your license can be suspended if you don’t show proof of insurance at a traffic stop or at the time of an accident. This is called a non-compliance suspension. You can also get a judgment suspension or a security suspension following a car accident. Learn about non-compliance, judgment and security suspensions.
• 12 points. Your license can be suspended if you get 12 points on your driving record in 2 years. A 12-point suspension is a common type of suspension, but it’s not the only one. Your license can be suspended even if you have no points, but you have a different kind of suspension.
• Alcohol/drugs. Your license can be suspended for operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs. For example, you can get an OVI suspension. You can also get a suspension for failing or refusing a sobriety test.
• Not paying child support. Your license can be suspended if you were ordered to pay child support but didn’t pay it. For example, you haven’t paid child support in over 3 months, and the child support enforcement agency tells the BMV to suspend your license. Learn about child support suspensions.

There are other reasons why your license can be suspended. You can use our driver’s license reinstatement action plan to understand what kind of suspensions you have and what to do about them.

Some suspensions are in place  for a specific time, and some are in place  until you  take action to correct the problem.

How to get your license reinstated  

Most of the time, if you have one or more suspensions,  you  aren’t  allowed to drive legally while the suspensions are in place.

To get your license reinstated:

• Use our tool to get a plan. For  help  understanding  your  suspensions and how to get  your license  back, use Ohio Legal Help’s  driver’s license  reinstatement  action  plan. Sometimes you can ask the court to give you limited driving privileges, like to go to work or school, while your license is suspended.
• Take steps to clear each suspension. You will need to clear each suspension to get your license reinstated. It’s important to get your license reinstated because if you drive without it, you could be charged with driving under suspension.
• Pay fees and fines you owe. It’s common to owe fees to both the BMV and the court. You may qualify for help paying down the BMV fees you owe. For court fees and fines, if you can’t afford to pay, you could ask the court about a payment plan or doing community service instead.

The specific steps you will need to take depend on why your license was suspended.

Common steps to reinstate your driver’s license include:

• Show proof that you have car insurance / financial responsibility
• Get a release from the court to remove a warrant block or license forfeiture suspension
• Pay the BMV a reinstatement fee

Depending on your situation, you also may need to:

• Complete a driving course
• Pass a driver’s license exam
• Pay overdue child support
• Pay car accident costs not covered by insurance

You can use our action plan to find out what you need to do based on your suspensions.

How to ask for limited driving privileges 

While your license is suspended, you  may be able to ask the court for permission  to  drive for limited reasons,  such as for:

• Work
• School
• Medical  care  for you or your family
• Court-ordered treatment

You must get approval from the court to get driving privileges.

Many people can’t get limited driving privileges. Some suspensions won’t allow you to get driving privileges. Usually, limited driving privileges are only available for court-ordered, child support and first-time OVI suspensions.

To request limited driving privileges, you generally need to:

• Fill out a form. The court that issued your suspension may have its own application for limited driving privileges. The form may be called a motion, petition or application.
• Provide proof of insurance. You will need to show the court that you have current auto insurance or financial responsibility coverage.
• Complete a detailed affidavit. You will need to give the court a detailed sworn statement called an “affidavit” about why you need to drive, like to go to work or to medical appointments. The affidavit must include the usual days and times you will go to work, school or medical appointments. If you’re driving a child, dependent or other family member, include the specific days and times of their appointments, activities or school days. Some courts may even want physical addresses of the different places you will be going. The court could contact your work, school or doctor to verify your request.
• File your forms. Go to the clerk of courts of the court where you’re asking for limited driving privileges to file your forms. Usually, it’s the court that issued your suspension. If it’s a child support suspension, it’s the court that has authority over your child support case, which could be a juvenile or domestic relations court.
• Pay the fee. There will be a fee to file your forms. If you can’t afford the fee, you can fill out a poverty affidavit or fee waiver to ask that you be able to file your request without paying the fee up front. The form may be called an “indigency” fee waiver or affidavit. You may be required to pay the fee when you get driving privileges or at a later date.

Also keep in mind:

• Your license must be unexpired. If your license has passed its expiration date, you can’t ask for limited driving privileges. You must ask the court for permission to renew your license before granting you limited privileges.
• You must follow the court’s requirements. Your court may have other requirements for requesting limited driving privileges. There may be a waiting period before the court can give you limited driving privileges, especially if your suspension is for an OVI.
• You will need to keep the court order with you. If you get limited driving privileges, make sure to carry the court order with you whenever you’re driving.

You can lose your limited driving privileges. For example, you can lose your privileges if you get a speeding ticket, your car insurance is canceled, you get another suspension or you drive under influence of drugs or alcohol.

How to get help with  fees, if  you qualify

If your license is suspended, you  may owe fees to the BMV and other costs to the court.

For BMV reinstatement fees:

• Look into the BMV’s amnesty program. You may qualify to get help from  the  BMV’s  reinstatement fee debt reduction and amnesty program. If you’re eligible, you should get a notice in the mail.

For court fees and fines:

• Ask the court for a payment plan. The court  may let you  get on  a payment plan to pay what you owe in smaller amounts over time.
• Ask if you can do community service. If the court has a community service program, the court may let you  do community service instead of paying fines and court costs.

Where to learn more

If you have more questions about  driver’s license  suspensions, please review the  information 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.