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As Passed by the House
136th
General Assembly
Regular
Session
Sub. H. B. No. 258
2025-2026
Representatives Mathews, A., Deeter
Cosponsors: Representatives Willis,
Daniels, Newman, Robb Blasdel, Brennan, Click, Dovilla, Glassburn,
Hall, D., Hiner, John, King, Klopfenstein, Miller, M., Peterson,
Plummer, Schmidt, Somani, Thomas, C., Williams
To
amend
sections
4503.10 and
4507.09
of the Revised Code
to
modify the law governing motor vehicle driver's license expiration
notifications.
BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
Section
1.
That
sections
4503.10 and
4507.09
of the Revised Code be amended to read as follows:
Sec.
4503.10.
(A)
The owner of every snowmobile, off-highway motorcycle, and
all-purpose vehicle required to be registered under section 4519.02
of the Revised Code shall file an application for registration under
section 4519.03 of the Revised Code. The owner of a motor vehicle,
other than a snowmobile, off-highway motorcycle, or all-purpose
vehicle, that is not designed and constructed by the manufacturer for
operation on a street or highway may not register it under this
chapter except upon certification of inspection pursuant to section
4513.02 of the Revised Code by the sheriff, or the chief of police of
the municipal corporation or township, with jurisdiction over the
political subdivision in which the owner of the motor vehicle
resides. Except as provided in sections 4503.103 and 4503.107 of the
Revised Code, every owner of every other motor vehicle not previously
described in this section and every person mentioned as owner in the
last certificate of title of a motor vehicle that is operated or
driven upon the public roads or highways shall cause to be filed each
year, by mail or otherwise, in the office of the registrar of motor
vehicles or a deputy registrar, a written or electronic application
or a preprinted registration renewal notice issued under section
4503.102 of the Revised Code, the form of which shall be prescribed
by the registrar, for registration for the following registration
year, which shall begin on the first day of January of every calendar
year and end on the thirty-first day of December in the same year.
Applications for registration and registration renewal notices shall
be filed at the times established by the registrar pursuant to
section 4503.101 of the Revised Code. A motor vehicle owner also may
elect to apply for or renew a motor vehicle registration by
electronic means using electronic signature in accordance with rules
adopted by the registrar. Except as provided in division (J) of this
section, applications for registration shall be made on blanks
furnished by the registrar for that purpose, containing the following
information:
(1)
A brief description of the motor vehicle to be registered, including
the year, make, model, and vehicle identification number, and, in the
case of commercial cars, the gross weight of the vehicle fully
equipped computed in the manner prescribed in section 4503.08 of the
Revised Code;
(2)
The name and residence address of the owner, and the township and
municipal corporation in which the owner resides;
(3)
The district of registration, which shall be determined as follows:
(a)
In case the motor vehicle to be registered is used for hire or
principally in connection with any established business or branch
business, conducted at a particular place, the district of
registration is the municipal corporation in which that place is
located or, if not located in any municipal corporation, the county
and township in which that place is located.
(b)
In case the vehicle is not so used, the district of registration is
the municipal corporation or county in which the owner resides at the
time of making the application.
(4)
Whether the motor vehicle is a new or used motor vehicle;
(5)
The date of purchase of the motor vehicle;
(6)
Whether the fees required to be paid for the registration or transfer
of the motor vehicle, during the preceding registration year and
during the preceding period of the current registration year, have
been paid. Each application for registration shall be signed by the
owner, either manually or by electronic signature, or pursuant to
obtaining a limited power of attorney authorized by the registrar for
registration, or other document authorizing such signature. If the
owner elects to apply for or renew the motor vehicle registration
with the registrar by electronic means, the owner's manual signature
is not required.
(7)
The owner's social security number, driver's license number, or state
identification number, or, where a motor vehicle to be registered is
used for hire or principally in connection with any established
business, the owner's federal taxpayer identification number. The
bureau of motor vehicles shall retain in its records all social
security numbers provided under this section, but the bureau shall
not place social security numbers on motor vehicle certificates of
registration.
(8)
Whether the applicant wishes to certify willingness to make an
anatomical gift if an applicant has not so certified under section
2108.05 of the Revised Code. The applicant's response shall not be
considered in the decision of whether to approve the application for
registration.
(9)
A reminder that the applicant should check the expiration date of the
applicant's driver's license or identification card.
(B)(1)
When an applicant first registers a motor vehicle in the applicant's
name, the applicant shall provide proof of ownership of that motor
vehicle. Proof of ownership may include any of the following:
(a)
The applicant may present for inspection a physical certificate of
title or memorandum certificate showing title to the motor vehicle to
be registered in the name of the applicant.
(b)
The applicant may present for inspection an electronic certificate of
title for the applicant's motor vehicle in a manner prescribed by
rules adopted by the registrar.
(c)
The registrar or deputy registrar may electronically confirm the
applicant's ownership of the motor vehicle.
An
applicant is not required to present a certificate of title to an
electronic motor vehicle dealer acting as a limited authority deputy
registrar in accordance with rules adopted by the registrar.
(2)
When a motor vehicle inspection and maintenance program is in effect
under section 3704.14 of the Revised Code and rules adopted under it,
each application for registration for a vehicle required to be
inspected under that section and those rules shall be accompanied by
an inspection certificate or alternative emissions certificate for
the motor vehicle issued in accordance with that section.
(3)
An application for registration shall be refused if any of the
following applies:
(a)
The application is not in proper form.
(b)
The application is prohibited from being accepted by division (D) of
section 2935.27, division (A) of section 4503.13, division (B) of
section 4510.22, division (D) of section 4503.234, division (B)(1) of
section 4521.10, or division (B) of section 5537.041 of the Revised
Code.
(c)
Proof of ownership is required but is not presented or confirmed in
accordance with division (B)(1) of this section.
(d)
All registration and transfer fees for the motor vehicle, for the
preceding year or the preceding period of the current registration
year, have not been paid.
(e)
The owner or lessee does not have an inspection certificate or
alternative emissions certificate for the motor vehicle as provided
in section 3704.14 of the Revised Code, and rules adopted under it,
if that section is applicable.
(4)
This section does not require the payment of license or registration
taxes on a motor vehicle for any preceding year, or for any preceding
period of a year, if the motor vehicle was not taxable for that
preceding year or period under sections 4503.02, 4503.04, 4503.11,
4503.12, and 4503.16 or Chapter 4504. of the Revised Code.
(5)
When a certificate of registration is issued upon the first
registration of a motor vehicle by or on behalf of the owner, the
official issuing the certificate shall indicate the issuance with a
stamp on the certificate of title or memorandum certificate or, in
the case of an electronic certificate of title or electronic
verification of ownership, an electronic stamp or other notation as
specified in rules adopted by the registrar, and with a stamp on the
inspection certificate for the motor vehicle, if any.
(6)
The official also shall indicate, by a stamp or by other means the
registrar prescribes, on the registration certificate issued upon the
first registration of a motor vehicle by or on behalf of the owner
the odometer reading of the motor vehicle as shown in the odometer
statement included in or attached to the certificate of title. Upon
each subsequent registration of the motor vehicle by or on behalf of
the same owner, the official also shall so indicate the odometer
reading of the motor vehicle as shown on the immediately preceding
certificate of registration.
(7)
The registrar shall include in the permanent registration record of
any vehicle required to be inspected under section 3704.14 of the
Revised Code the inspection certificate number from the inspection
certificate or the alternative emissions certificate number from the
alternative emissions certificate that is presented at the time of
registration of the vehicle as required under this division.
(C)(1)
The registrar and each deputy registrar shall collect the following
additional fees for each application for registration and
registration renewal received:
(a)
Except as provided in division (C)(1)(b) of this section, a fee of
eleven dollars on or before December 31, 2025, and a fee of sixteen
dollars on and after January 1, 2026;
(b)
For vehicles specified in divisions (A)(1) to (21) of section
4503.042 of the Revised Code, a fee of thirty dollars on or before
December 31, 2025, and a fee of thirty-five dollars on and after
January 1, 2026.
No
additional fee shall be charged for vehicles registered under section
4503.65 of the Revised Code. Each additional fee is for the purpose
of defraying the department of public safety's costs associated with
the administration and enforcement of the motor vehicle and traffic
laws of Ohio. Each deputy registrar shall transmit the fees collected
under divisions (C)(1) and (3) of this section in the time and manner
provided in this section. The registrar shall deposit all moneys
received under division (C)(1) of this section into the public safety
- highway purposes fund established in section 4501.06 of the Revised
Code.
(2)
In addition, a charge of twenty-five cents shall be made for each
reflectorized safety license plate issued, and a single charge of
twenty-five cents shall be made for each county identification
sticker or each set of county identification stickers issued, as the
case may be, to cover the cost of producing the license plates and
stickers, including material, manufacturing, and administrative
costs. Those fees shall be in addition to the license tax. If the
total cost of producing the plates is less than twenty-five cents per
plate, or if the total cost of producing the stickers is less than
twenty-five cents per sticker or per set issued, any excess moneys
accruing from the fees shall be distributed in the same manner as
provided by section 4501.04 of the Revised Code for the distribution
of license tax moneys. If the total cost of producing the plates
exceeds twenty-five cents per plate, or if the total cost of
producing the stickers exceeds twenty-five cents per sticker or per
set issued, the difference shall be paid from the license tax moneys
collected pursuant to section 4503.02 of the Revised Code.
(3)
The registrar and each deputy registrar shall collect the following
additional fee, as applicable, for each application for registration
or registration renewal received for any hybrid motor vehicle,
plug-in hybrid electric motor vehicle, or battery electric motor
vehicle:
(a)
One hundred dollars for a hybrid motor vehicle;
(b)
One hundred fifty dollars for a plug-in hybrid electric motor
vehicle;
(c)
Two hundred dollars for a battery electric motor vehicle.
Each
fee imposed under this division shall be prorated based on the number
of months for which the vehicle is registered. The registrar shall
transmit all money arising from each fee to the treasurer of state
for distribution in accordance with division (E) of section 5735.051
of the Revised Code, subject to division (D) of section 5735.05 of
the Revised Code.
(D)
Each deputy registrar shall be allowed a fee equal to the amount
established under section 4503.038 of the Revised Code for each
application for registration and registration renewal notice the
deputy registrar receives, which shall be for the purpose of
compensating the deputy registrar for the deputy registrar's
services, and such office and rental expenses, as may be necessary
for the proper discharge of the deputy registrar's duties in the
receiving of applications and renewal notices and the issuing of
registrations.
(E)
Upon the certification of the registrar, the county sheriff or local
police officials shall recover license plates erroneously or
fraudulently issued.
(F)
Each deputy registrar, upon receipt of any application for
registration or registration renewal notice, together with the
license fee and any local motor vehicle license tax levied pursuant
to Chapter 4504. of the Revised Code, shall transmit that fee and
tax, if any, in the manner provided in this section, together with
the original and duplicate copy of the application, to the registrar.
The registrar, subject to the approval of the director of public
safety, may deposit the funds collected by those deputies in a local
bank or depository to the credit of the "state of Ohio, bureau
of motor vehicles." Where a local bank or depository has been
designated by the registrar, each deputy registrar shall deposit all
moneys collected by the deputy registrar into that bank or depository
not more than one business day after their collection and shall make
reports to the registrar of the amounts so deposited, together with
any other information, some of which may be prescribed by the
treasurer of state, as the registrar may require and as prescribed by
the registrar by rule. The registrar, within three days after receipt
of notification of the deposit of funds by a deputy registrar in a
local bank or depository, shall draw on that account in favor of the
treasurer of state. The registrar, subject to the approval of the
director and the treasurer of state, may make reasonable rules
necessary for the prompt transmittal of fees and for safeguarding the
interests of the state and of counties, townships, municipal
corporations, and transportation improvement districts levying local
motor vehicle license taxes. The registrar may pay service charges
usually collected by banks and depositories for such service. If
deputy registrars are located in communities where banking facilities
are not available, they shall transmit the fees forthwith, by money
order or otherwise, as the registrar, by rule approved by the
director and the treasurer of state, may prescribe. The registrar may
pay the usual and customary fees for such service.
(G)
This section does not prevent any person from making an application
for a motor vehicle license directly to the registrar by mail, by
electronic means, or in person at any of the registrar's offices,
upon payment of a service fee equal to the amount established under
section 4503.038 of the Revised Code for each application.
(H)
No person shall make a false statement as to the district of
registration in an application required by division (A) of this
section. Violation of this division is falsification under section
2921.13 of the Revised Code and punishable as specified in that
section.
(I)(1)
Where applicable, the requirements of division (B) of this section
relating to the presentation of an inspection certificate issued
under section 3704.14 of the Revised Code and rules adopted under it
for a motor vehicle, the refusal of a license for failure to present
an inspection certificate or alternative emissions certificate, and
the stamping of the inspection certificate or alternative emissions
certificate by the official issuing the certificate of registration
apply to the registration of and issuance of license plates for a
motor vehicle under sections 4503.102, 4503.12, 4503.14, 4503.15,
4503.16, 4503.171, 4503.172, 4503.19, 4503.40, 4503.41, 4503.42,
4503.43, 4503.44, 4503.46, 4503.47, and 4503.51 of the Revised Code.
(2)(a)
The registrar shall adopt rules ensuring that each owner registering
a motor vehicle in a county where a motor vehicle inspection and
maintenance program is in effect under section 3704.14 of the Revised
Code and rules adopted under it receives information about the
requirements established in that section and those rules and about
the need in those counties to present an inspection certificate or an
alternative emissions certificate with an application for
registration or preregistration.
(b)
Upon request, the registrar shall provide the director of
environmental protection, or any person that has been awarded a
contract under section 3704.14 of the Revised Code, an on-line
computer data link to registration information for all passenger
cars, noncommercial motor vehicles, and commercial cars that are
subject to that section. The registrar also shall provide to the
director of environmental protection a magnetic data tape containing
registration information regarding passenger cars, noncommercial
motor vehicles, and commercial cars for which a multi-year
registration is in effect under section 4503.103 of the Revised Code
or rules adopted under it, including, without limitation, the date of
issuance of the multi-year registration, the registration deadline
established under rules adopted under section 4503.101 of the Revised
Code that was applicable in the year in which the multi-year
registration was issued, and the registration deadline for renewal of
the multi-year registration.
(J)
Subject to division (K) of this section, application for registration
under the international registration plan, as set forth in sections
4503.60 to 4503.66 of the Revised Code, shall be made to the
registrar on forms furnished by the registrar. In accordance with
international registration plan guidelines and pursuant to rules
adopted by the registrar, the forms shall include the following:
(1)
A uniform mileage schedule;
(2)
The gross vehicle weight of the vehicle or combined gross vehicle
weight of the combination vehicle as declared by the registrant;
(3)
Any other information the registrar requires by rule.
(K)
The registrar shall determine the feasibility of implementing an
electronic commercial fleet licensing and management program that
will enable the owners of commercial tractors, commercial trailers,
and commercial semitrailers to conduct electronic transactions by
July 1, 2010, or sooner. If the registrar determines that
implementing such a program is feasible, the registrar shall adopt
new rules under this division or amend existing rules adopted under
this division as necessary in order to respond to advances in
technology.
If
international registration plan guidelines and provisions allow
member jurisdictions to permit applications for registrations under
the international registration plan to be made via the internet, the
rules the registrar adopts under this division shall permit such
action.
Sec.
4507.09.
(A)(1)
Except as provided in division (B) of this section, every driver's
license issued to a resident of this state expires on the birthday of
the applicant in the fourth or eighth year after the date it is
issued, based on the period of renewal requested by the applicant. A
resident who is sixty-five years of age or older may only apply for a
driver's license that expires on the birthday of the applicant in the
fourth year after the date it is issued. In no event shall any
license be issued for a period longer than eight years and ninety
days.
Subject
to the requirements of section 4507.12 of the Revised Code, every
driver's license issued to a resident is renewable at any time prior
to its expiration.
(2)
A driver's license issued to a temporary resident shall expire in
accordance with rules adopted by the registrar of motor vehicles. A
driver's license issued to a temporary resident is a limited term
license, but may be renewed within ninety days prior to its
expiration in accordance with division (E) of this section.
(3)
No refund shall be made or credit given for the unexpired portion of
the driver's license that is renewed.
(a)
If the records of the bureau of motor vehicles contain a person's
last known electronic mail address or cellular telephone number, the
registrar may send an electronic notification to the person not less
than fifteen days prior to the date that the person's driver's
license or identification card is scheduled to expire informing the
person of the pending expiration. If a person does not renew the
driver's license or identification card by the expiration date, the
registrar may send an electronic notification of the expiration not
more than fourteen days after the driver's license or identification
card expired.
The
(b)
In addition to any notification sent under division (A)(3)(a) of this
section, the
registrar
shall
notify
send
a notification of expiration to
each
person whose driver's license
or identification card
has expired within
forty-five
sixty
days
after the date of expiration. Notification shall be made by regular
mail sent to the person's last known address as shown in the records
of the bureau of motor vehicles.
Failure
(c)
Failure
to
provide
such
notification
under
division (A)(3)(a) or (b) of this section
shall
not be construed as a renewal or extension of any license.
(4)
For the purposes of this section, the date of birth of any applicant
born on the twenty-ninth day of February shall be deemed to be the
first day of March in any year in which there is no twenty-ninth day
of February.
(B)
Every driver's license or renewal of a driver's license issued to a
resident applicant who is sixteen years of age or older, but less
than twenty-one years of age, expires on the twenty-first birthday of
the applicant, except that an applicant who applies no more than
thirty days before the applicant's twenty-first birthday shall be
issued a license in accordance with division (A) of this section.
(C)
Each person licensed as a driver under this chapter shall notify the
registrar of any change in the person's address within ten days
following that change. The notification shall be in writing on a form
provided by the registrar and shall include the full name, date of
birth, license number, county of residence, social security number,
and new address of the person. The registrar shall offer the person
the opportunity to submit a notice of change of address for voter
registration purposes by electronic means in conjunction with the
person's transaction with the registrar, in accordance with section
3503.11 of the Revised Code.
(D)
No driver's license shall be renewed when renewal is prohibited by
division (A) of section 4507.091 of the Revised Code.
(E)(1)
Except as provided in division (E)(2) of this section, a limited term
license shall not be issued to a temporary resident for a period
longer than the expiration date of the temporary resident's
authorized stay in the United States, or for four years from the date
of issuance, whichever date is earliest.
(2)
If there is no expiration date for a temporary resident's authorized
stay in the United States, a limited term license shall not be issued
to the temporary resident for a period longer than one year from the
date of issuance.
(3)
A limited term license may be renewed within ninety days prior to its
expiration upon the applicant's presentation of documentation
verifying the applicant's legal presence or continued temporary
lawful status in the United States.
(4)
In accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, the registrar
shall adopt rules governing limited term licenses for temporary
residents.
Section
2.
That
existing
sections
4503.10 and
4507.09
of the Revised Code
are
hereby
repealed.