(a) No person, whose driver's or commercial driver's license or temporary instruction permit or nonresident's operating privilege has been suspended or canceled pursuant to Ohio R.C. Chapter 4509, shall operate any motor vehicle within this Municipality, or knowingly permit any motor vehicle owned by the person to be operated by another person in the Municipality, during the period of the suspension or cancellation, except as specifically authorized by Ohio R.C. Chapter 4509. No person shall operate a motor vehicle within this Municipality, or knowingly permit any motor vehicle owned by the person to be operated by another person in the Municipality, during the period in which the person is required by Ohio R.C. 4509.45 to file and maintain proof of financial responsibility for a violation of Ohio R.C. 4509.101, unless proof of financial responsibility is maintained with respect to that vehicle.
(b) No person shall operate any motor vehicle upon a highway or any public or private property used by the public for purposes of vehicular travel or parking in this municipality if the person’s driver’s or commercial driver’s license or temporary instruction permit or nonresident operating privilege has been suspended pursuant to R.C. § 4509.37 or 4509.40 for nonpayment of a judgment.
(c) Upon the request or motion of the prosecuting authority, a noncertified copy of the law enforcement automated data system report or a noncertified copy of a record of the registrar of motor vehicles that shows the name, date of birth, and social security number of a person charged with a violation of division (a) or (b) of this section may be admitted into evidence as prima facie evidence that the license of the person was under either a financial responsibility law suspension at the time of the alleged violation of division (a) of this section or a nonpayment of judgment suspension at the time of the alleged violation of division (b) of this section. The person charged with a violation of division (a) or (b) of this section may offer evidence to rebut this prima facie evidence.
(d) Whoever violates division (a) of this section is guilty of driving under financial responsibility law suspension or cancellation and shall be punished as provided in this division (d). Whoever violates division (b) of this section is guilty of driving under a nonpayment of judgment suspension and shall be punished as provided in this division (d).
(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (d)(2) of this section, the offense is an unclassified misdemeanor. When the offense is an unclassified misdemeanor, the offender shall be sentenced pursuant to § 597.02, § 597.03 or R.C. §§ 2929.21 to 2929.28, 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 § 597.02(d) or R.C. § 2929.26; notwithstanding § 597.02(f)(1)B.1. and R.C. § 2929.28(A)(2)(a), the offender may be fined up to $1,000; and, notwithstanding § 597.02(e)(1)C. and R.C. § 2929.27(A)(3), the offender may be ordered pursuant to § 597.02(e)(3) or R.C. § 2929.27(C) 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 under R.C. § 2705.02(A) that may be filed in the underlying case.
(2) If, within three years of the offense, the offender previously was convicted of or pleaded guilty to two or more violations of this section, or any combination of two violations of this section, R.C. § 4510.11, 4510.111 or 4510.16, or a substantially equivalent municipal ordinance, the offense is a misdemeanor of the first degree.
(3) The offender shall provide the court with proof of financial responsibility as defined in Ohio R.C. 4509.01. If the offender fails to provide that proof of financial responsibility, then in addition to any other penalties provided by law, the court may order restitution pursuant to Ohio R.C. 2929.28 in an amount not exceeding $5,000 for any economic loss arising from an accident or collision that was the direct and proximate result of the offender’s operation of the vehicle before, during, or after committing the offense for which the offender is sentenced under this section.
(ORC 4510.16)
(e) (1) It is an affirmative defense to any prosecution brought under this section that the alleged offender drove under suspension, without a valid permit or driver's or commercial driver's license, or in violation of a restriction because of a substantial emergency, and because no other person was reasonably available to drive in response to the emergency.
(2) It is an affirmative defense to any prosecution brought under this section that the order of suspension resulted from the failure of the alleged offender to respond to a financial responsibility random verification request under Ohio R.C. 4509.101(A)(3)(c) and that, at the time of the initial financial responsibility random verification request, the alleged offender was in compliance with Ohio R.C. 4509.101(A)(1) as shown by proof of financial responsibility that was in effect at the time of that request.
(ORC 4510.04)
Statutory reference:
Immobilization of vehicle; impoundment of license plates; criminal forfeiture of vehicle, see Ohio R.C. 4510.161