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SB229 • 2026

Create the Law Enforcement Purple Heart license plate

Create the Law Enforcement Purple Heart license plate

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Mark Romanchuk
Last action
Official status
As Passed by the Senate
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Create the Law Enforcement Purple Heart license plate

To enact section 4503.472 of the Revised Code to create the "Law Enforcement Purple Heart" license plate.

What This Bill Does

  • To enact section 4503.472 of the Revised Code to create the "Law Enforcement Purple Heart" license plate.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. Ohio Legislature

    As Introduced

  2. Ohio Legislature

    As Reported by the Senate Transportation Committee

  3. Ohio Legislature

    As Passed by the Senate

Official Summary Text

To enact section 4503.472 of the Revised Code to create the "Law Enforcement Purple Heart" license plate.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
As Passed by the Senate

136th
General Assembly

Regular
Session
S. B. No. 229

2025-2026

Senator Romanchuk

Cosponsors: Senators Schaffer,
Antonio, Blessing, Brenner, Cirino, Craig, DeMora, Gavarone,
Hicks-Hudson, Ingram, Johnson, Lang, Liston, O'Brien, Patton,
Reineke, Roegner, Smith, Timken, Weinstein

To
enact section 4503.472 of the Revised Code
to
create the "Law Enforcement Purple Heart" license plate.

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

Section
1.
That
section 4503.472 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:

Sec.
4503.472.
(A)(1)
Any person who has been awarded the law enforcement purple heart may
apply to the registrar of motor vehicles for the registration of any
passenger car, noncommercial motor vehicle, recreational vehicle,
motorcycle, or other vehicle of a class approved by the registrar
that the person owns or leases. The application shall be accompanied
by such documentary evidence in support of the award as the registrar
may require. The application may be combined with a request for a
special reserved license plate under section 4503.40 or 4503.42 of
the Revised Code.

If
the applicant also is eligible for license plates imprinted with the
international symbol of access under section 4503.41 of the Revised
Code, the applicant may apply to have the law enforcement purple
heart license plates that are issued to the applicant display the
international symbol of access. The application shall be accompanied
by such documentary evidence in support of the disability and of the
vehicle alterations as the registrar requires under section 4503.41
of the Revised Code.

(2)
Upon receipt of an application for registration of a motor vehicle
under this section, and upon presentation of the required supporting
evidence of the award of the law enforcement purple heart and, as
applicable, the evidence required under section 4503.41 of the
Revised Code, the registrar shall issue to the applicant the
appropriate motor vehicle registration and a set of license plates
and a validation sticker, or a validation sticker alone, when
required by section 4503.191 of the Revised Code.

(3)
In addition to the letters and numbers ordinarily inscribed on the
license plates, the license plates shall be inscribed with the words
"LAW ENFORCEMENT PURPLE HEART." When applicable, the
license plates also shall display the international symbol of access.
The license plates shall bear county identification stickers that
identify the county of registration as required under section 4503.19
of the Revised Code.

(B)
The license plates and validation stickers shall be issued without
the payment of any registration fee and service fee required by
sections 4503.04, 4503.10, 4503.102, and 4503.12 of the Revised Code,
and without the payment of any local motor vehicle license tax levied
under Chapter 4504. of the Revised Code. The applicant shall comply
with all other applicable laws relating to the registration of motor
vehicles. If the application is combined with a request for a special
reserved license plate under section 4503.40 or 4503.42 of the
Revised Code, the license plates and validation sticker shall be
issued upon payment of seventy-five per cent of the additional fee
prescribed under section 4503.40 or 4503.42 of the Revised Code.

(C)(1)
No person who is not a recipient of the law enforcement purple heart
shall willfully and falsely represent that the person is a recipient
of a law enforcement purple heart for the purpose of obtaining
license plates under this section. No person shall knowingly own a
motor vehicle bearing license plates under this section unless the
person is eligible to be issued those license plates.

(2)
When the ownership of a motor vehicle registered under this section
is transferred under section 4503.12 of the Revised Code after the
death of the owner, the registrar shall ensure that the law
enforcement purple heart license plates are replaced by non-law
enforcement purple heart license plates with the amended registration
required under that section.

(D)
Whoever violates division (C)(1) of this section is guilty of a
misdemeanor of the fourth degree.