Eliminate additional registration fee for hybrid motor vehicles

As Introduced

136th
General Assembly

Regular
Session
H. B. No. 389

2025-2026

Representatives Miller, J., Thomas,
D.

Cosponsors: Representatives McNally,
Brownlee, Rader, Brennan, Williams, Synenberg, Somani, Lawson-Rowe,
Baker, Sims, Upchurch, Brent, Grim, Hall, D., White, E., Brewer,
Mohamed, Jarrells, Tims

A
BILL

To
amend sections 4501.01 and 4503.10 of the Revised Code
to
eliminate the additional registration fee applicable to hybrid motor
vehicles.

BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section
1.
That
sections 4501.01 and 4503.10 of the Revised Code be amended to read
as follows:

Sec.
4501.01.
As
used in this chapter and Chapters 4503., 4505., 4507., 4509., 4510.,
4511., 4513., 4515., and 4517. of the Revised Code, and in the penal
laws, except as otherwise provided:

(A)
"Vehicles" means everything on wheels or runners, including
motorized bicycles, but does not mean electric personal assistive
mobility devices, low-speed micromobility devices, vehicles that are
operated exclusively on rails or tracks or from overhead electric
trolley wires, and vehicles that belong to any police department,
municipal fire department, or volunteer fire department, or that are
used by such a department in the discharge of its functions.

(B)
"Motor vehicle" means any vehicle, including mobile homes
and recreational vehicles, that is propelled or drawn by power other
than muscular power or power collected from overhead electric trolley
wires. "Motor vehicle" does not include utility vehicles as
defined in division (VV) of this section, under-speed vehicles as
defined in division (XX) of this section, mini-trucks as defined in
division (BBB) of this section, motorized bicycles, electric
bicycles, road rollers, traction engines, power shovels, power
cranes, and other equipment used in construction work and not
designed for or employed in general highway transportation,
well-drilling machinery, ditch-digging machinery, farm machinery, and
trailers that are designed and used exclusively to transport a boat
between a place of storage and a marina, or in and around a marina,
when drawn or towed on a public road or highway for a distance of no
more than ten miles and at a speed of twenty-five miles per hour or
less.

(C)
"Agricultural tractor" and "traction engine" mean
any self-propelling vehicle that is designed or used for drawing
other vehicles or wheeled machinery, but has no provisions for
carrying loads independently of such other vehicles, and that is used
principally for agricultural purposes.

(D)
"Commercial tractor," except as defined in division (C) of
this section, means any motor vehicle that has motive power and
either is designed or used for drawing other motor vehicles, or is
designed or used for drawing another motor vehicle while carrying a
portion of the other motor vehicle or its load, or both.

(E)
"Passenger car" means any motor vehicle that is designed
and used for carrying not more than nine persons and includes any
motor vehicle that is designed and used for carrying not more than
fifteen persons in a ridesharing arrangement.

(F)
"Collector's vehicle" means any motor vehicle or
agricultural tractor or traction engine that is of special interest,
that has a fair market value of one hundred dollars or more, whether
operable or not, and that is owned, operated, collected, preserved,
restored, maintained, or used essentially as a collector's item,
leisure pursuit, or investment, but not as the owner's principal
means of transportation. "Licensed collector's vehicle"
means a collector's vehicle, other than an agricultural tractor or
traction engine, that displays current, valid license tags issued
under section 4503.45 of the Revised Code, or a similar type of motor
vehicle that displays current, valid license tags issued under
substantially equivalent provisions in the laws of other states.

(G)
"Historical motor vehicle" means any motor vehicle that is
over twenty-five years old and is owned solely as a collector's item
and for participation in club activities, exhibitions, tours,
parades, and similar uses, but that in no event is used for general
transportation.

(H)
"Noncommercial motor vehicle" means any motor vehicle,
including a farm truck as defined in section 4503.04 of the Revised
Code, that is designed by the manufacturer to carry a load of no more
than one ton and is used exclusively for purposes other than engaging
in business for profit.

(I)
"Bus" means any motor vehicle that has motor power and is
designed and used for carrying more than nine passengers, except any
motor vehicle that is designed and used for carrying not more than
fifteen passengers in a ridesharing arrangement.

(J)
"Commercial car" or "truck" means any motor
vehicle that has motor power and is designed and used for carrying
merchandise or freight, or that is used as a commercial tractor.

(K)
"Bicycle" means every device, other than a device that is
designed solely for use as a play vehicle by a child, that is
propelled solely by human power upon which a person may ride, and
that has two or more wheels, any of which is more than fourteen
inches in diameter.

(L)
"Motorized bicycle" or "moped" means any vehicle
that either has two tandem wheels or one wheel in the front and two
wheels in the rear, that may be pedaled, and that is equipped with a
helper motor of not more than fifty cubic centimeters piston
displacement that produces no more than one brake horsepower and is
capable of propelling the vehicle at a speed of no greater than
twenty miles per hour on a level surface. "Motorized bicycle"
or "moped" does not include an electric bicycle.

(M)
"Trailer" means any vehicle without motive power that is
designed or used for carrying property or persons wholly on its own
structure and for being drawn by a motor vehicle, and includes any
such vehicle that is formed by or operated as a combination of a
semitrailer and a vehicle of the dolly type such as that commonly
known as a trailer dolly, a vehicle used to transport agricultural
produce or agricultural production materials between a local place of
storage or supply and the farm when drawn or towed on a public road
or highway at a speed greater than twenty-five miles per hour, and a
vehicle that is designed and used exclusively to transport a boat
between a place of storage and a marina, or in and around a marina,
when drawn or towed on a public road or highway for a distance of
more than ten miles or at a speed of more than twenty-five miles per
hour. "Trailer" does not include a manufactured home or
travel trailer.

(N)
"Noncommercial trailer" means any trailer, except a travel
trailer or trailer that is used to transport a boat as described in
division (B) of this section, but, where applicable, includes a
vehicle that is used to transport a boat as described in division (M)
of this section, that has a gross weight of no more than ten thousand
pounds, and that is used exclusively for purposes other than engaging
in business for a profit, such as the transportation of personal
items for personal or recreational purposes.

(O)
"Mobile home" means a building unit or assembly of closed
construction that is fabricated in an off-site facility, is more than
thirty-five body feet in length or, when erected on site, is three
hundred twenty or more square feet, is built on a permanent chassis,
is transportable in one or more sections, and does not qualify as a
manufactured home as defined in division (C)(4) of section 3781.06 of
the Revised Code or as an industrialized unit as defined in division
(C)(3) of section 3781.06 of the Revised Code.

(P)
"Semitrailer" means any vehicle of the trailer type that
does not have motive power and is so designed or used with another
and separate motor vehicle that in operation a part of its own weight
or that of its load, or both, rests upon and is carried by the other
vehicle furnishing the motive power for propelling itself and the
vehicle referred to in this division, and includes, for the purpose
only of registration and taxation under those chapters, any vehicle
of the dolly type, such as a trailer dolly, that is designed or used
for the conversion of a semitrailer into a trailer.

(Q)
"Recreational vehicle" means a vehicular portable structure
that meets all of the following conditions:

(1)
It is designed for the sole purpose of recreational travel.

(2)
It is not used for the purpose of engaging in business for profit.

(3)
It is not used for the purpose of engaging in intrastate commerce.

(4)
It is not used for the purpose of commerce as defined in 49 C.F.R.
383.5, as amended.

(5)
It is not regulated by the public utilities commission pursuant to
Chapter 4905., 4921., or 4923. of the Revised Code.

(6)
It is classed as one of the following:

(a)
"Travel trailer" or "house vehicle" means a
nonself-propelled recreational vehicle that does not exceed an
overall length of forty feet, exclusive of bumper and tongue or
coupling. "Travel trailer" includes a tent-type fold-out
camping trailer as defined in section 4517.01 of the Revised Code.

(b)
"Motor home" means a self-propelled recreational vehicle
that has no fifth wheel and is constructed with permanently installed
facilities for cold storage, cooking and consuming of food, and for
sleeping.

(c)
"Truck camper" means a nonself-propelled recreational
vehicle that does not have wheels for road use and is designed to be
placed upon and attached to a motor vehicle. "Truck camper"
does not include truck covers that consist of walls and a roof, but
do not have floors and facilities enabling them to be used as a
dwelling.

(d)
"Fifth wheel trailer" means a vehicle that is of such size
and weight as to be movable without a special highway permit, that is
constructed with a raised forward section that allows a bi-level
floor plan, and that is designed to be towed by a vehicle equipped
with a fifth-wheel hitch ordinarily installed in the bed of a truck.

(e)
"Park trailer" means a vehicle that is commonly known as a
park model recreational vehicle, meets the American national standard
institute standard A119.5 (1988) for park trailers, is built on a
single chassis, has a gross trailer area of four hundred square feet
or less when set up, is designed for seasonal or temporary living
quarters, and may be connected to utilities necessary for the
operation of installed features and appliances.

(R)
"Pneumatic tires" means tires of rubber and fabric or tires
of similar material, that are inflated with air.

(S)
"Solid tires" means tires of rubber or similar elastic
material that are not dependent upon confined air for support of the
load.

(T)
"Solid tire vehicle" means any vehicle that is equipped
with two or more solid tires.

(U)
"Farm machinery" means all machines and tools that are used
in the production, harvesting, and care of farm products, and
includes trailers that are used to transport agricultural produce or
agricultural production materials between a local place of storage or
supply and the farm, agricultural tractors, threshing machinery,
hay-baling machinery, corn shellers, hammermills, and machinery used
in the production of horticultural, agricultural, and vegetable
products.

(V)
"Owner" includes any person or firm, other than a
manufacturer or dealer, that has title to a motor vehicle, except
that, in sections 4505.01 to 4505.19 of the Revised Code, "owner"
includes in addition manufacturers and dealers.

(W)
"Manufacturer" and "dealer" include all persons
and firms that are regularly engaged in the business of
manufacturing, selling, displaying, offering for sale, or dealing in
motor vehicles, at an established place of business that is used
exclusively for the purpose of manufacturing, selling, displaying,
offering for sale, or dealing in motor vehicles. A place of business
that is used for manufacturing, selling, displaying, offering for
sale, or dealing in motor vehicles shall be deemed to be used
exclusively for those purposes even though snowmobiles or all-purpose
vehicles are sold or displayed for sale thereat, even though farm
machinery is sold or displayed for sale thereat, or even though
repair, accessory, gasoline and oil, storage, parts, service, or
paint departments are maintained thereat, or, in any county having a
population of less than seventy-five thousand at the last federal
census, even though a department in a place of business is used to
dismantle, salvage, or rebuild motor vehicles by means of used parts,
if such departments are operated for the purpose of furthering and
assisting in the business of manufacturing, selling, displaying,
offering for sale, or dealing in motor vehicles. Places of business
or departments in a place of business used to dismantle, salvage, or
rebuild motor vehicles by means of using used parts are not
considered as being maintained for the purpose of assisting or
furthering the manufacturing, selling, displaying, and offering for
sale or dealing in motor vehicles.

(X)
"Operator" includes any person who drives or operates a
motor vehicle upon the public highways.

(Y)
"Chauffeur" means any operator who operates a motor
vehicle, other than a taxicab, as an employee for hire; or any
operator whether or not the owner of a motor vehicle, other than a
taxicab, who operates such vehicle for transporting, for gain,
compensation, or profit, either persons or property owned by another.
Any operator of a motor vehicle who is voluntarily involved in a
ridesharing arrangement is not considered an employee for hire or
operating such vehicle for gain, compensation, or profit.

(Z)
"State" includes the territories and federal districts of
the United States, and the provinces of Canada.

(AA)
"Public roads and highways" for vehicles includes all
public thoroughfares, bridges, and culverts.

(BB)
"Manufacturer's number" means the manufacturer's original
serial number that is affixed to or imprinted upon the chassis or
other part of the motor vehicle.

(CC)
"Motor number" means the manufacturer's original number
that is affixed to or imprinted upon the engine or motor of the
vehicle.

(DD)
"Distributor" means any person who is authorized by a motor
vehicle manufacturer to distribute new motor vehicles to licensed
motor vehicle dealers at an established place of business that is
used exclusively for the purpose of distributing new motor vehicles
to licensed motor vehicle dealers, except when the distributor also
is a new motor vehicle dealer, in which case the distributor may
distribute at the location of the distributor's licensed dealership.

(EE)
"Ridesharing arrangement" means the transportation of
persons in a motor vehicle where the transportation is incidental to
another purpose of a volunteer driver and includes ridesharing
arrangements known as carpools, vanpools, and buspools.

(FF)
"Apportionable vehicle" means any vehicle that is used or
intended for use in two or more international registration plan
member jurisdictions that allocate or proportionally register
vehicles, that is used for the transportation of persons for hire or
designed, used, or maintained primarily for the transportation of
property, and that meets any of the following qualifications:

(1)
Is a power unit having a gross vehicle weight in excess of twenty-six
thousand pounds;

(2)
Is a power unit having three or more axles, regardless of the gross
vehicle weight;

(3)
Is a combination vehicle with a gross vehicle weight in excess of
twenty-six thousand pounds.

"Apportionable
vehicle" does not include recreational vehicles, vehicles
displaying restricted plates, city pick-up and delivery vehicles, or
vehicles owned and operated by the United States, this state, or any
political subdivisions thereof.

(GG)
"Chartered party" means a group of persons who contract as
a group to acquire the exclusive use of a passenger-carrying motor
vehicle at a fixed charge for the vehicle in accordance with the
carrier's tariff, lawfully on file with the United States department
of transportation, for the purpose of group travel to a specified
destination or for a particular itinerary, either agreed upon in
advance or modified by the chartered group after having left the
place of origin.

(HH)
"International registration plan" means a reciprocal
agreement of member jurisdictions that is endorsed by the American
association of motor vehicle administrators, and that promotes and
encourages the fullest possible use of the highway system by
authorizing apportioned registration of fleets of vehicles and
recognizing registration of vehicles apportioned in member
jurisdictions.

(II)
"Restricted plate" means a license plate that has a
restriction of time, geographic area, mileage, or commodity, and
includes license plates issued to farm trucks under division (J) of
section 4503.04 of the Revised Code.

(JJ)
"Gross vehicle weight," with regard to any commercial car,
trailer, semitrailer, or bus that is taxed at the rates established
under section 4503.042 or 4503.65 of the Revised Code, means the
unladen weight of the vehicle fully equipped plus the maximum weight
of the load to be carried on the vehicle.

(KK)
"Combined gross vehicle weight" with regard to any
combination of a commercial car, trailer, and semitrailer, that is
taxed at the rates established under section 4503.042 or 4503.65 of
the Revised Code, means the total unladen weight of the combination
of vehicles fully equipped plus the maximum weight of the load to be
carried on that combination of vehicles.

(LL)
"Chauffeured limousine" means a motor vehicle that is
designed to carry nine or fewer passengers and is operated for hire
pursuant to a prearranged contract for the transportation of
passengers on public roads and highways along a route under the
control of the person hiring the vehicle and not over a defined and
regular route. "Prearranged contract" means an agreement,
made in advance of boarding, to provide transportation from a
specific location in a chauffeured limousine. "Chauffeured
limousine" does not include any vehicle that is used exclusively
in the business of funeral directing.

(MM)
"Manufactured home" has the same meaning as in division
(C)(4) of section 3781.06 of the Revised Code.

(NN)
"Acquired situs," with respect to a manufactured home or a
mobile home, means to become located in this state by the placement
of the home on real property, but does not include the placement of a
manufactured home or a mobile home in the inventory of a new motor
vehicle dealer or the inventory of a manufacturer, remanufacturer, or
distributor of manufactured or mobile homes.

(OO)
"Electronic" includes electrical, digital, magnetic,
optical, electromagnetic, or any other form of technology that
entails capabilities similar to these technologies.

(PP)
"Electronic record" means a record generated, communicated,
received, or stored by electronic means for use in an information
system or for transmission from one information system to another.

(QQ)
"Electronic signature" means a signature in electronic form
attached to or logically associated with an electronic record.

(RR)
"Financial transaction device" has the same meaning as in
division (A) of section 113.40 of the Revised Code.

(SS)
"Electronic motor vehicle dealer" means a motor vehicle
dealer licensed under Chapter 4517. of the Revised Code whom the
registrar of motor vehicles determines meets the criteria designated
in section 4503.035 of the Revised Code for electronic motor vehicle
dealers and designates as an electronic motor vehicle dealer under
that section.

(TT)
"Electric personal assistive mobility device" means a
self-balancing two non-tandem wheeled device that is designed to
transport only one person, has an electric propulsion system of an
average of seven hundred fifty watts, and when ridden on a paved
level surface by an operator who weighs one hundred seventy pounds
has a maximum speed of less than twenty miles per hour.

(UU)
"Limited driving privileges" means the privilege to operate
a motor vehicle that a court grants under section 4510.021 of the
Revised Code to a person whose driver's or commercial driver's
license or permit or nonresident operating privilege has been
suspended.

(VV)
"Utility vehicle" means a self-propelled vehicle designed
with a bed, principally for the purpose of transporting material or
cargo in connection with construction, agricultural, forestry,
grounds maintenance, lawn and garden, materials handling, or similar
activities.

(WW)
"Low-speed vehicle" means a three- or four-wheeled motor
vehicle with an attainable speed in one mile on a paved level surface
of more than twenty miles per hour but not more than twenty-five
miles per hour and with a gross vehicle weight rating less than three
thousand pounds.

(XX)
"Under-speed vehicle" means a three- or four-wheeled
vehicle, including a vehicle commonly known as a golf cart, with an
attainable speed on a paved level surface of not more than twenty
miles per hour and with a gross vehicle weight rating less than three
thousand pounds.

(YY)
"Motor-driven cycle or motor scooter" means any vehicle
designed to travel on not more than three wheels in contact with the
ground, with a seat for the driver and floor pad for the driver's
feet, and is equipped with a motor with a piston displacement between
fifty and one hundred cubic centimeters piston displacement that
produces not more than five brake horsepower and is capable of
propelling the vehicle at a speed greater than twenty miles per hour
on a level surface.

(ZZ)
"Motorcycle" means a motor vehicle with motive power having
a seat or saddle for the use of the operator, designed to travel on
not more than three wheels in contact with the ground, and having no
occupant compartment top or occupant compartment top that can be
installed or removed by the user.

(AAA)
"Cab-enclosed motorcycle" means a motor vehicle with motive
power having a seat or saddle for the use of the operator, designed
to travel on not more than three wheels in contact with the ground,
and having an occupant compartment top or an occupant compartment top
that is installed.

(BBB)
"Mini-truck" means a vehicle that has four wheels, is
propelled by an electric motor with a rated power of seven thousand
five hundred watts or less or an internal combustion engine with a
piston displacement capacity of six hundred sixty cubic centimeters
or less, has a total dry weight of nine hundred to two thousand two
hundred pounds, contains an enclosed cabin and a seat for the vehicle
operator, resembles a pickup truck or van with a cargo area or bed
located at the rear of the vehicle, and was not originally
manufactured to meet federal motor vehicle safety standards.

(CCC)
"Autocycle" means a three-wheeled motorcycle that is
manufactured to comply with federal safety requirements for
motorcycles and that is equipped with safety belts, a steering wheel,
and seating that does not require the operator to straddle or sit
astride to ride the motorcycle.

(DDD)
"Plug-in hybrid electric motor vehicle" means a passenger
car powered in part by a battery cell energy system that can be
recharged via an external source of electricity.

(EEE)

"Hybrid motor vehicle" means a passenger car powered by an
internal propulsion system consisting of both of the following:

(1)
A combustion engine;

(2)
A battery cell energy system that cannot be recharged via an external
source of electricity but can be recharged by other vehicle
mechanisms that capture and store electric energy.

(FFF)

"Low-speed micromobility device" means a device weighing
less than one hundred pounds that has handlebars, is propelled by an
electric motor or human power, and has an attainable speed on a paved
level surface of not more than twenty miles per hour when propelled
by the electric motor.

(GGG)
(FFF)

"Specialty license plate" means a license plate, authorized
by the general assembly, that displays a combination of words,
markings, logos, or other graphic artwork that is in addition to the
words, images, and distinctive numbers and letters required by
section 4503.22 of the Revised Code.

(HHH)
(GGG)

"Battery electric motor vehicle" means a passenger car
powered wholly by a battery cell energy system that can be recharged
via an external source of electricity.

(III)
(HHH)

"Adaptive mobility vehicle" means either a new passenger
car or bus purchased from a new motor vehicle dealer or a used
passenger car or bus, provided that such passenger car or bus is
designed, modified, or equipped to enable an individual with a
disability to operate or to be transported in the passenger car or
bus, in accordance with 49 C.F.R. part 568 or 595, and contains at
least one of the following:

(1)
An electronic or mechanical lift that enables a person to enter or
exit the motor vehicle while occupying a wheelchair or scooter;

(2)
An electronic or mechanical wheelchair ramp;

(3)
A system to secure a wheelchair or scooter in order to allow a person
to operate or be transported safely while occupying that wheelchair
or scooter.

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.

(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 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 2937.221, division (A) of
section 4503.13, division (B) of section 4510.22, 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 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 that is presented at the time of registration of the
vehicle as required under this division.

(C)(1)
Except as otherwise provided in division (C)(1) of this section, the
registrar and each deputy registrar shall collect an additional fee
of eleven dollars for each application for registration and
registration renewal received. For vehicles specified in divisions
(A)(1) to (21) of section 4503.042 of the Revised Code, the registrar
and deputy registrar shall collect an additional fee of thirty
dollars for each application for registration and registration
renewal received. No additional fee shall be charged for vehicles
registered under section 4503.65 of the Revised Code. The 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)
(b)

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, and the stamping of the inspection
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 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.

Section
2.
That
existing sections 4501.01 and 4503.10 of the Revised Code are hereby
repealed.