House Bill 29, legislation enacted in December 2024 and signed into law in January 2025, went into effect on April 9, 2025. As a result of the new law, driver’s license suspensions for failure to pay a court fine or fee will be eliminated and will begin to be automatically removed from a driver’s record retroactively, without the imposition of reinstatement fees.
Ohio drivers with a suspended license for failure to pay a fine or fee should check their driving record and update their current address on file with the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) to make sure they get important notices. They can also contact the court that ordered the suspension or the local BMV Registrar's office with questions about getting that suspension removed.
The information below provides a short summary about the new law and how it could affect you. This helpful guide from The Marshall Project also provides a form to ask questions and get answers about the new law.
The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland's report, “Road to Nowhere: Debt Related Driver’s License Suspensions in Ohio” played a key role in the statewide advocacy to eliminate debt-related driver's license suspensions. Read the full report here: lasclev.org/RoadToNowhereReport.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
My license is suspended because I didn’t pay a court fine or fee. How does the new law affect me?
- If your license is suspended because you failed to pay a court fine or fee, your suspension should be removed. The Ohio BMV will mail letters to drivers with information about which suspensions will be removed.
- Going forward, courts will no longer be able to suspend a driver’s license for failure to pay a court fine or fee.
Should I do anything now?
- Make sure the BMV has your current address so you can receive important notices. You can update your address on the BMV’s website.
- You can also:
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- Look up your unofficial driving record online or call 614-752-7600 or 844-644-6268 to have information mailed to you.
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- If you have a suspended license for failure to pay a fine or fee and you don’t want to wait for a letter from the BMV, you can contact the clerk for the court that ordered your suspension and ask about getting that suspension removed.
If I don’t hear from the BMV about my suspension, can I start driving again?
- Drivers are strongly encouraged to get confirmation from the BMV that their suspension has been lifted and their license is valid before they start driving again. There may be additional steps that the driver must take before they can legally drive again.
Once my suspension is removed, how do I get my license back?
- You should receive a letter from the BMV that will include the steps you need to follow to restore your license. If your nonpayment suspension is removed, you should not be charged any fees to get your license back.
- If you have additional suspensions for reasons other than nonpayment, such as a DUI, the letter should identify which suspensions will be removed and which will remain.
- If your suspended license has been expired for more than six months, you may have to retake the driver’s test.
Will the BMV remove all driver’s license suspensions that involve unpaid fines?
No. The new law only affects suspensions that were imposed by a court because the driver failed to pay fines or fees related to a minor misdemeanor traffic or vehicle equipment offense. These types of suspensions are called “license forfeiture suspensions.” The new law does not affect other suspensions caused by other traffic-related violations (like a suspension imposed because of a DUI) or suspensions imposed for reasons other than the driver’s failure to pay a court fine or fee.
The new law also does not remove any warrant blocks placed on your license. However, if you have a warrant block related to outstanding fines or fees owed to a court, the new law allows you to enter into an installment payment plan with the court that issued the warrant. If you enter into a payment plan to cover the amount owed, the court should cancel the warrant.
If my license was suspended because I didn’t show up to court for a traffic violation, will my suspension be lifted?
No. The new law does not remove license forfeiture suspensions imposed because you failed to appear in court for a minor misdemeanor traffic or vehicle equipment offense. Those suspensions will remain on your record. The new law only removes license forfeiture suspensions that a court imposed because you failed to pay a court fine or fee in a minor misdemeanor traffic or vehicle equipment offense.
If my suspension is removed, do I still owe the fines and fees from my case?
Yes. Even if your suspension or registration block is removed by the new law, you will still owe the fines or fees related to your case. The suspension may go away, but the debt will not.
I’m already on a payment plan to reinstate my license. Should I keep sending money?
- Yes. Do not stop making payments until you get a letter from the BMV that confirms your suspension has been removed. If you stop paying too early, your license could be suspended again.
- Fees related to nonpayment suspensions should be automatically removed within 30 days.
What’s a registration block and will those be dropped?
- Courts can block a driver’s ability to update their vehicle registration and get license plate stickers. Under the new law, courts will no longer be able to do that when a driver fails to pay fines or fees. Registration blocks based on nonpayment of a court fine or fee should also be removed.
My license was suspended for not paying child support. How do I request limited driving privileges?
The new law allows a driver whose license was suspended for failure to pay child support to request “limited driving privileges” from a court. “Limited driving privileges” is like a permit that allows someone to drive only for certain things usually related to work, school, childcare, or legal or medical reasons.
If you have a child support suspension and you’re interested in requesting limited driving privileges, you should first ask your local child support enforcement agency if you’re eligible to fully reinstate your driver’s license. If you are eligible, the child support enforcement agency may be able to reinstate your driver’s license.
If you are not eligible to fully reinstate your driver’s license, you can request limited driving privileges from a court by filing a motion asking for it. But where should you file your motion? Here is how to figure that out:
- If you are divorced and your child support order is from an Ohio Domestic Relations Court, you should file your motion for limited driving privileges in that same case.
- If you were never married to the other parent of the child and your child support order is an “administrative order” from a child support enforcement agency (not a court), you should file your motion in the Juvenile Court in the county where your administrative order was established.
- If you are married to the other parent of the child and your child support order is an “administrative order” from a child support enforcement agency (not a court), you can file your motion in either the Domestic Relations Court, the Juvenile Court, or the Family Court in the county where your administrative order was established.
- NOTE: Administrative child support orders must first be adopted by a court before that court can consider a motion for limited driving privileges. This means that if your license is suspended for not paying child support and you want limited driving privileges, you must file two motions with the court: 1) a motion for the court to adopt the administrative child support order; and 2) a motion for limited driving privileges. You may be able to avoid paying filing fees if you file a “Poverty Affidavit” with your motions stating that you can’t afford to pay the fees.
- If you file a motion for limited driving privileges, you must include with your motion a copy of your driver’s record from the BMV so the court knows if you have any other suspensions on your record.
What else does the new law change?
- Courts will no longer suspend driver’s licenses for drug abuse, which is a minor offense, unless the person is also convicted of making or selling drugs, and they used a vehicle as part of that crime.
- Driver’s licenses will no longer be denied or suspended for school truancy.
- People who have suspensions for not paying child support can ask local courts for driving privileges by filing a motion.
- It reduces the lookback period for imposing higher penalties for repeat offenses of driving without proof of insurance from five years to one year.
- It reduces the time that a person whose license was suspended for driving without proof of insurance must keep an SR-22 certificate from three or five years to one year.
- See a more detailed breakdown of the new law here.
Updated June 20, 2025