(a) (1) A. No person shall permit the operation of a motor vehicle upon any public or private property used by the public for purposes of vehicular travel or parking knowing the operator does not have a valid driver’s license issued to the operator by the registrar of motor vehicles under this chapter or a valid commercial driver’s license issued under R.C. Chapter 4506. Except as otherwise provided in this division, whoever violates this division is guilty of an unclassified misdemeanor. When the offense is an unclassified misdemeanor, the offender shall be sentenced pursuant to § 303.99 of the municipal code, except that the offender shall not be sentenced to a jail term; the offender shall not be sentenced to a community residential sanction pursuant to § 303.99 of the municipal code; notwithstanding R.C. § 2929.28(A)(2)(a), the offender may be fined up to $1,000; and, notwithstanding R.C. § 2929.27(A)(3), the offender may be ordered pursuant to division (C) of that section to serve a term of community service of up to 500 hours. The failure of an offender to complete a term of community service imposed by the court may be punished as indirect criminal contempt.
B. If, within three years of the offense, the offender previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to two or more violations of this section or a substantially equivalent municipal ordinance, the offense is a misdemeanor of the first degree.
(2) No person shall receive a driver’s license, or a motorcycle operator’s endorsement of a driver’s or commercial driver’s license, unless and until the person surrenders to the registrar all valid licenses issued to the person by another jurisdiction recognized by this state. The registrar shall report the surrender of a license to the issuing authority, together with information that a license is now issued in this state. The registrar shall destroy any such license that is not returned to the issuing authority. No person shall be permitted to have more than one valid license at any time.
(b) (1) A. If a person is convicted of a violation of §§ 335.07, 335.071, 335.072 when division (g)(2) and (g)(3) of that section applies, or § 335.073 of the municipal code or if R.C. § 4507.164(F) applies, the trial judge of any court, in addition to or independent of any other penalties provided by law or ordinance, may impound the identification license plates of any motor vehicle registered in the name of the person. If a person is convicted of a violation of R.C. § 4510.16, and division (G)(1) of that section applies, the trial judge of any court, in addition to or independent of any other penalties provided by law or ordinance, may impound the identification license plates of any motor vehicle registered in the name of the person. The court shall send the impounded license plates to the registrar, who may retain the license plates until the driver’s or commercial driver’s license of the owner has been reinstated or destroy them pursuant to R.C. § 4503.232.
B. If the license plates of a person convicted of a violation of any provision of those sections have been impounded in accordance with the provisions of this division, the court shall notify the registrar of that action. The notice shall contain the name and address of the driver, the serial number of the driver’s or commercial driver’s license, the serial numbers of the license plates of the motor vehicle, and the length of time for which the license plates have been impounded. The registrar shall record the data in the notice as part of the driver’s permanent record.
(2) Any motor vehicle owner who has had the license plates of a motor vehicle impounded pursuant to division (B)(1) above may apply to the registrar, or to a deputy registrar, for restricted license plates that shall conform to the requirements of R.C. § 4503.231. The registrar or deputy registrar forthwith shall notify the court of the application and, upon approval of the court, shall issue restricted license plates to the applicant. Until the driver’s or commercial driver’s license of the owner is reinstated, any new license plates issued to the owner also shall conform to the requirements of R.C. § 4503.231.
(Ord. 09-12, passed 4-12-2012) Penalty, see § 335.99