(a) Within thirty days of becoming a resident of this State, any person who owns a motor vehicle operated or driven upon the public roads or highways shall register the vehicle in this State. If such a person fails to register a vehicle owned by the person, the person shall not operate any motor vehicle in this Municipality under a license issued by another state.
(b) (1) Whoever violates subsection (a) of this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor.
(2) The offense established under subsection (b)(1) of this section is a strict liability offense and strict liability is a culpable mental state for purposes of Ohio R.C. 2901.20. The designation of this offense as a strict liability offense shall not be construed to imply that any other offense, for which there is no specified degree of culpability, is not a strict liability offense.
(c) For purposes of subsection (a) of this section, “resident” means any person to whom any of the following applies:
(1) The person maintains their principal residence in this State and does not reside in this State as a result of the person’s active service in the United States Armed Forces.
(2) The person is determined by the Registrar of Motor Vehicles to be a resident in accordance with standards adopted by the Registrar under Ohio R.C. 4507.01.
(ORC 4503.111)