Ohio Code 5743.99 – Penalty
(A)(1) Except as provided in division (A)(2) of this section, whoever violates section 5743.10, 5743.11, or 5743.12 or division (C) of section 5743.54 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree. If the offender has been previously convicted of an offense under this division, violation is a felony of the fourth degree.
Attorney's Note
Under the Ohio Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Felony of the second degree | 2 years or more | up to $15,000 |
| Felony of the fourth degree | 6 to 18 months | up to $5,000 |
| Felony of the fifth degree | 6 to 12 months | up to $2,500 |
| Misdemeanor of the first degree | up to 180 days | up to $1,000 |
| Misdemeanor of the third degree | up to 60 days | up to $500 |
| Misdemeanor of the fourth degree | up to 30 days | up to $250 |
| Minor misdemeanor | up to $150 |
Terms Used In Ohio Code 5743.99
- Cigarettes: includes any roll for smoking made wholly or in part of tobacco, irrespective of size or shape, and whether or not such tobacco is flavored, adulterated, or mixed with any other ingredient, the wrapper or cover of which is made of paper, reconstituted cigarette tobacco, homogenized cigarette tobacco, cigarette tobacco sheet, or any similar materials other than cigar tobacco. See Ohio Code 5743.01
- Person: includes individuals, firms, partnerships, associations, joint-stock companies, corporations, combinations of individuals of any form, and the state and any of its political subdivisions. See Ohio Code 5743.01
- Rule: includes regulation. See Ohio Code 1.59
- Whoever: includes all persons, natural and artificial; partners; principals, agents, and employees; and all officials, public or private. See Ohio Code 1.02
(2) Unless the total number of cigarettes exceeds one thousand two hundred, an individual who violates section 5743.10 of the Revised Code is guilty of a minor misdemeanor. If the offender has been previously convicted of an offense under this division, violation is a misdemeanor of the first degree.
(B) Whoever violates section 5743.111, 5743.112, 5743.13, 5743.14, 5743.59, or 5743.60 of the Revised Code is guilty of a felony of the fourth degree. If the offender has been previously convicted of an offense under this division, violation is a felony of the second degree.
(C) Whoever violates section 5743.41 or 5743.42 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. If the offender has been previously convicted of an offense under this division, violation is a misdemeanor of the third degree.
(D) Whoever violates section 5743.21 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree. If the offender has been previously convicted of an offense under this division, violation is a felony of the fifth degree.
(E) Whoever violates division (F) of section 5743.03 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.
(F) Whoever violates any provision of this chapter, or any rule promulgated by the tax commissioner under authority of this chapter, for the violation of which no penalty is provided elsewhere, is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.
(G) In addition to any other penalty imposed upon a person convicted of a violation of section 5743.112 or 5743.60 of the Revised Code who was the operator of a motor vehicle used in the violation, the court may suspend for not less than thirty days or more than three years the offender’s driver’s license, commercial driver’s license, temporary instruction permit, probationary license, or nonresident operating privilege. If the court imposes such a suspension, the court shall send a copy of its suspension order and determination to the registrar of motor vehicles, and the registrar, pursuant to the order and determination, shall impose a suspension of the same duration. No judge shall suspend the first thirty days of suspension of an offender’s license, permit, or privilege required by this division. The court, in lieu of suspending the offender’s driver’s or commercial driver’s license or permit or nonresident operating privilege, instead may require the offender to perform community service for a number of hours determined by the court.