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(a) Requirements.
(1) No person shall operate, on any highway or other public or private property open to the public for vehicular travel or parking, lease, or rent any motor vehicle that is required to be registered in this State with any sunscreening material, or other product or material which has the effect of making the windshield or windows nontransparent or would alter the windows’ color, increase its reflectivity, or reduce its light transmittance, unless the product or material satisfies one of the following exceptions:
A. Any manufacturer’s tinting or glazing of motor vehicle windows or windshields that is otherwise in compliance with or permitted by “Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number 205" (FMVSS 205) in effect at the time of the manufacture of the motor vehicle until such standard is subsequently repealed or reduced. In “Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number 205" (FMVSS 205) “manufacturer” means any person engaged in the manufacturing or assembling of motor vehicles or motor vehicle equipment, including any person importing motor vehicles or motor vehicle equipment for resale. “Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number 205" (FMVSS), Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49, Part 571, can be obtained online at web site http://www.gpo.gov.
B. Any sunscreening material or other product or material applied to the windshield when used in conjunction with the safety glazing materials of such window, has a light transmittance of not less than seventy per cent plus or minus three per cent and is not red or yellow in color.
C. Any sunscreening material or other product or material applied to the side windows to the immediate right or left the driver, so long as such material, when used in conjunction with the safety glazing materials of such windows, has a light transmittance of not less than fifty per cent plus or minus three per cent and is not red or yellow in color.
D. Any sunscreening material or other product or material applied to a window not otherwise listed in subsections (a)(1)A. to C. or E. of this section, except that outside left and right rear view mirrors are required if the sunscreening material is applied to the rear window and the sunscreening material, when used in conjunction with the safety glazing material of such window, has a light tranmsmittance of less than fifty per cent plus or minus three per cent.
E. Any sunscreening material or other product or material applied along the top of the windshield and that does not extend downward beyond the AS-1 line or five inches from the top of the windshield, whichever is closer to the top, is not regulated by this section.
(2) No person shall install in any motor vehicle any glass or other material that fails to conform to the specifications of this section.
(3) No used motor vehicle dealer or new motor vehicle dealer, as defined in Ohio R.C. 4517.01, shall sell any motor vehicle that fails to conform to the specifications of this section.
(4) No reflectorized materials shall be permitted upon or in any front windshield, side windows, sidewings or rear window.
(5) No person shall operate on any highway or other public or private property open to the public for vehicular travel or parking, lease, or rent any motor vehicle that is required to be registered in this State that is equipped with privacy drapes, louvers, curtains or blinds unless the drapes, louvers, curtains or blinds are open and secure during vehicle operation.
(6) All motor vehicles, beginning with the 1990 model year, must be equipped with labels identifying sunscreening material. All sunscreening material must indicate the manufacturer’s name and the percentage level of light transmission of the material permanently installed between the material and the surface to which the material is applied or affixed. Such label must be legible and must be placed in the lower left-hand corner of the vehicle window when viewed from the outside. (OAC 4501-41-03)
(b) Exemptions. The provisions of this section do not apply to:
(1) A motor vehicle registered in this State in the name of a person, or the person's parent, legal guardian or spouse who has an affidavit signed by a physician licensed to practice in this State under Ohio R.C. Chapter 4731 or an affidavit signed by an optometrist licensed to practice in this State under Ohio R.C. Chapter 4725 that states that the person has a physical condition that makes it necessary to equip such motor vehicle with sunscreening material which would be of a light transmittance and/or luminous reflectance in violation of this section. Such affidavit shall be in the possession of the person so afflicted or the driver at all times while in the motor vehicle;
(2) The windows to the rear of the driver in chauffeured limousines as defined herein;
(3) The windows to the rear of the driver in those vehicles designed and used to transport corpses which include hearses and other vehicles adapted for such use; and
(4) The manufacturer's tinting or glazing of motor vehicle windows or windshields that is otherwise in compliance with or permitted by "Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number 205" (FMVSS 205) in effect at the time of the manufacture of the motor vehicle as provided in subsection (a) hereof. “Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number 205" (FMVSS 205), Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49, Part 571, can be obtained online at web site http://www.gpo.gov. (OAC 4501-41-05)
(c) Definitions. As used in this section, certain terms are defined as follows:
(2) "Sunscreening material" means products or materials, including film, glazing and perforated sunscreening, which, when applied to the windshield or windows of a motor vehicle, reduce the effects of the sun with respect to light reflectance or transmittance.
(3) "Transmittance" means the ratio of the amount of total light, expressed in percentages, which is allowed to pass through the product or material, including glazing, to the amount of total light falling on the product or material and the glazing.
(4) "Windshield" means the front exterior viewing device of a motor vehicle.
(5) "Window" means any device designed for exterior viewing from a motor vehicle, except the windshield or any roof-mounted viewing device.
(6) "Manufacturer" unless otherwise specified in this section, means any person who engages in the manufacturing or assembling of sunscreening products or materials or any person who fabricates, laminates or tempers a safety glazing material, incorporating, during the manufacturing process, the capacity to reflect or reduce the transmission of light.
(7) “Chauffeured limousine” means a motor vehicle that is designed to carry nine or fewer passengers and is operated for hire on an hourly basis pursuant to a prearranged contract for the transportation of passengers on public roads and highways along a route under the control of the person hiring the vehicle and not over a defined and regular route. “Prearranged contract” means an arrangement, made in advance of boarding, to provide transportation from a specific location in a chauffeured limousine at a fixed rate per hour or trip. “Chauffeured limousine” does not include any vehicle that is used exclusively in the business of funeral directing.
(OAC 4501-41-02)
(d) Penalty. Whoever violates this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor.
(ORC 4513.241)
(a) Definitions.
(1) "Passenger car" means any motor vehicle with motive power, designed for carrying ten persons or less, except a multipurpose passenger vehicle or motorcycle.
(2) "Multipurpose passenger vehicle" means a motor vehicle with motive power, except a motorcycle, designed to carry ten persons or less, that is constructed either on a truck chassis or with special features for occasional off-road operation.
(3) "Truck" means every motor vehicle, except trailers and semitrailers, designed and used to carry property and having a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less.
(4) "Manufacturer" has the same meaning as in Ohio R.C. 4501.01.
(5) "Gross vehicle weight rating" means the manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating established for the vehicle.
(6) "Body floor height" means the vertical distance between top of the frame rail and the bottom of the passenger compartment (cab) floor. In the event that the vehicle is a truck body, floor height will be measured by the vertical distance between the passenger compartment (cab) floor and the floor of the truck bed.
(7) "Bumper height" means the vertical distance between the ground and the highest point of the bottom of the bumper, measured when the vehicle is laden on a level surface with the vehicle tires inflated to the manufacturer's recommended pressure.
(8) "Frame" means the main longitudinal structural members of the chassis of the vehicle or, for vehicles with unitized body construction, the lowest main longitudinal structural members of the body of the vehicle.
(9) “Wheel track distance” means the distance on the ground between the center of the tire tread on one side of the vehicle, and the center of the tire tread on the opposite side. (OAC 4501-43-02)
(b) Prohibitions; Application.
(1) No person shall operate upon a street or highway any passenger car, multipurpose passenger vehicle, or truck registered in this State that does not conform to the requirements of this section.
(2) No person shall modify any motor vehicle registered in this State in such a manner as to cause the vehicle body or chassis to come in contact with the ground, expose the fuel tank to damage from collision, or cause the wheels to come in contact with the body under normal operation, and no person shall disconnect any part of the original suspension system of the vehicle to defeat the safe operation of that system including the installation of inverted, altered or modified suspension system component parts which results in elevation of the height of the vehicle bumper or frame unit which is not in compliance with this section.
(3) No person shall operate upon a street or highway any passenger car, multipurpose passenger vehicle or truck registered in this State without a bumper on the front and rear of the vehicle if such vehicle was equipped with bumpers as standard equipment by the manufacturer.
(4) No person shall operate upon a street or highway any passenger car, multipurpose passenger vehicle or truck registered in this State if the difference in height between the body floor and the top of the frame exceeds four inches.
(5) Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to prohibit either of the following:
A. The installation upon a passenger car, multipurpose passenger vehicle or truck registered in this State of heavy duty equipment, including shock absorbers and overload springs as long as such equipment does not cause the vehicle to be in violation of this section;
B. The operation on a street or highway of a passenger car, multipurpose passenger vehicle or truck registered in this State with normal wear to the suspension system if the normal wear does not adversely affect the control of the vehicle.
(6) This section does not apply to any specially designed or modified passenger car, multipurpose passenger vehicle or truck when operated off a street or highway in races and similar events.
(7) A specially designed or modified passenger car, multipurpose passenger vehicle or truck which does not conform to this section shall not be operated on a street or highway.
(OAC 4501-43-03)
(c) Specifications.
(1) The horizontal bumper shall be at least 4.5 inches in vertical height, centered on the vehicle's centerline, and extend no less than the width of the respective wheel track distances. Bumpers shall be horizontal load bearing bumpers and attached to the vehicle frame to effectively transfer impact when engaged.
(2) Maximum bumper heights shall be determined by the type of vehicle at time of manufacture. If other than a passenger vehicle, the maximum bumper height shall be determined by the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) at the time of manufacture. The height shall be measured in terms of the vertical distance between the ground and the bottom of the bumper. Maximum bumper heights are as follows:
Front (inches) | Rear (inches) | |
Passenger Vehicles | 22 | 22 |
All Other Vehicles: | ||
4,500 lbs. and under GVWR | 24 | 26 |
4,501 lbs. to 7,500 lbs. GVWR | 27 | 29 |
7,501 lbs. to 10,000 lbs. GVWR | 28 | 31 |
(3) If the body and/or truck bed height is altered the difference in height between the body floor and/or the truck bed floor to the top of the frame rail shall not exceed four inches.
(4) For any vehicle with bumpers or attaching components which have been modified or altered from the original manufacturer's design in order to conform with the maximum bumper requirements of this section, the bumper height shall be measured from a level surface to the bottom of the vehicle frame rail at the most forward and rearward points of the frame rail. Frame rail height if bumper modified or altered:
Front (inches) | Rear (inches) | |
Passenger Vehicles | 22 | 22 |
All Other Vehicles: | ||
4,500 lbs. and under GVWR | 24 | 26 |
4,501 lbs. to 7,500 lbs. GVWR | 27 | 29 |
7,501 lbs. to 10,000 lbs. GVWR | 28 | 31 |
(5) The height restriction in this subsection (c) applies to the distance from the ground to the bottom of the frame rail under any one or more of the following conditions:
A. A motor vehicle is not equipped with a front and rear bumper.
B. The bumper height relative to the frame rails has been altered.
C. A supplemental bumper has been installed or an addition to the original or replacement has been made.
(OAC 4501-43-04)
(d) Whoever violates this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor.
(ORC 4513.99)
(a) (1) No person shall operate any motor vehicle manufactured or assembled on or after January 1, 1954, unless the vehicle is equipped with electrical or mechanical directional signals.
(2) No person shall operate any motorcycle or motor-driven cycle manufactured or assembled on or after January 1, 1968, unless the vehicle is equipped with electrical or mechanical directional signals.
(b) “Directional signals” means an electrical or mechanical signal device capable of clearly indicating an intention to turn either to the right or to the left and which shall be visible from both the front and rear.
(c) All mechanical signal devices shall be self-illuminating devices when in use at the times mentioned in Section 337.02.
(d) Whoever violates this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor.
(ORC 4513.261)
(a) No person shall operate any motor vehicle owned, leased, or hired by a nursery school, kindergarten, or child care center, while transporting preschool children to or from such an institution unless the motor vehicle is equipped with and displaying two amber flashing lights mounted on a bar attached to the top of the vehicle, and a sign bearing the designation “caution – children”, which shall be attached to the bar carrying the amber flashing lights in such a manner as to be legible to persons both in front of and behind the vehicle. The lights and sign shall meet standards and specifications adopted by the Ohio Director of Public Safety.
(b) No person shall operate a motor vehicle displaying the lights and sign required by this section for any purpose other than the transportation of preschool children as provided in this section. (ORC 4513.182)
(c) Whoever violates this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor.
(ORC 4513.99)