Ohio Code 4510.54 – Motion for modification or termination of suspension
(A) Except as provided in division (F) of this section, a person whose driver’s or commercial driver’s license has been suspended for life under a class one suspension or as otherwise provided by law or has been suspended for a period in excess of fifteen years under a class two suspension may file a motion with the sentencing court for modification or termination of the suspension. The person filing the motion shall demonstrate all of the following:
Terms Used In Ohio Code 4510.54
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- Moving violation: means any violation of any statute or ordinance that regulates the operation of vehicles, streetcars, or trackless trolleys on the highways or streets. See Ohio Code 4510.01
- Person: includes an individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, and association. See Ohio Code 1.59
- state: means the state of Ohio. See Ohio Code 1.59
- suspension: means the permanent or temporary withdrawal, by action of a court or the bureau of motor vehicles, of a driver's license, commercial driver's license, temporary instruction permit, probationary license, or nonresident operating privilege for the period of the suspension or the permanent or temporary withdrawal of the privilege to obtain a license, permit, or privilege of that type for the period of the suspension. See Ohio Code 4510.01
(1)(a) If the person’s license was suspended as a result of the person pleading guilty to or being convicted of a felony, at least fifteen years have elapsed since the suspension began or, if the person’s license was suspended under division (B)(2)(d) of section 2903.06 of the Revised Code, at least fifteen years have elapsed since the person was released from prison, and, for the past fifteen years, the person has not been found guilty of any of the following:
(i) A felony;
(ii) An offense involving a moving violation under federal law, the law of this state, or the law of any of its political subdivisions;
(iii) A violation of a suspension under this chapter or a substantially equivalent municipal ordinance.
(b) If the person’s license was suspended as a result of the person pleading guilty to or being convicted of a misdemeanor, at least five years have elapsed since the suspension began, and, for the past five years, the person has not been found guilty of any of the following:
(i) An offense involving a moving violation under the law of this state, the law of any of its political subdivisions, or federal law;
(ii) A violation of section 2903.06 or 2903.08 of the Revised Code;
(iii) A violation of a suspension under this chapter or a substantially equivalent municipal ordinance.
(2) The person has proof of financial responsibility, a policy of liability insurance in effect that meets the minimum standard set forth in section 4509.51 of the Revised Code, or proof, to the satisfaction of the registrar of motor vehicles, that the person is able to respond in damages in an amount at least equal to the minimum amounts specified in that section.
(3) If the suspension was imposed because the person was under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse, or combination of them at the time of the offense or because at the time of the offense the person’s whole blood, blood serum or plasma, breath, or urine contained at least the concentration of alcohol specified in division (A)(1)(b), (c), (d), or (e) of section 4511.19 of the Revised Code or at least the concentration of a listed controlled substance or a listed metabolite of a controlled substance specified in division (A)(1)(j) of section 4511.19 of the Revised Code, all of the following apply to the person:
(a) The person successfully completed an alcohol, drug, or alcohol and drug treatment program.
(b) The person has not abused alcohol or other drugs for a period satisfactory to the court.
(c) For the past fifteen years, the person has not been found guilty of any alcohol-related or drug-related offense.
(B) Upon receipt of a motion for modification or termination of the suspension under this section, the court may schedule a hearing on the motion. The court may deny the motion without a hearing but shall not grant the motion without a hearing. If the court denies a motion without a hearing, the court may consider a subsequent motion filed under this section by that person. If a court denies the motion after a hearing, the court shall not consider a subsequent motion for that person. The court shall hear only one motion filed by a person under this section. If scheduled, the hearing shall be conducted in open court within ninety days after the date on which the motion is filed.
(C) The court shall notify the person whose license was suspended and the prosecuting attorney of the date, time, and location of the hearing. Upon receipt of the notice from the court, the prosecuting attorney shall notify the victim or the victim’s representative of the date, time, and location of the hearing.
(D) At any hearing under this section, the person who seeks modification or termination of the suspension has the burden to demonstrate, under oath, that the person meets the requirements of division (A) of this section. At the hearing, the court shall afford the offender or the offender’s counsel an opportunity to present oral or written information relevant to the motion. The court shall afford a similar opportunity to provide relevant information to the prosecuting attorney and the victim or victim’s representative.
Before ruling on the motion, the court shall take into account the person’s driving record, the nature of the offense that led to the suspension, and the impact of the offense on any victim. In addition, if the offender is eligible for modification or termination of the suspension under division (A)(1)(a) of this section, the court shall consider whether the person committed any other offense while under suspension and determine whether the offense is relevant to a determination under this section. The court may modify or terminate the suspension subject to any considerations it considers proper if it finds that allowing the person to drive is not likely to present a danger to the public. After the court makes a ruling on a motion filed under this section, the prosecuting attorney shall notify the victim or the victim’s representative of the court’s ruling.
(E) If a court modifies a person’s license suspension under this section and the person subsequently is found guilty of any moving violation or of any substantially equivalent municipal ordinance that carries as a possible penalty the suspension of a person’s driver’s or commercial driver’s license, the court may reimpose the class one or other lifetime suspension, or the class two suspension, whichever is applicable.
(F) This section does not apply to any person whose driver’s or commercial driver’s license or permit or nonresident operating privilege has been suspended for life under a class one suspension imposed under division (B)(3) of section 2903.06 or section 2903.08 of the Revised Code or a class two suspension imposed under division (C) of section 2903.06 or section 2903.11, 2923.02, or 2929.02 of the Revised Code.
(G) As used in this section, “released from prison” means a person’s physical release from a jail or prison as defined in section 2929.01 of the Revised Code.