Ohio: Vehicle Ownership with a Suspended Driver's License - Legal Rights Explained

If you get your driving privileges suspended or revoked in the state of Ohio, you are no longer legally allowed to drive. However, a suspended license doesn't change your rights to own or transfer property, including automobiles. Talk to an Ohio attorney if you need legal advice about your rights with a suspended license.

Ohio Suspended License

In Ohio, a licensed driver, commercial driver or person with a temporary permit or probationary license can have her license suspended if she is convicted of any number of driving offenses. For example, Ohio Revised Code section 4511.194 (D) states that any person who commits the offense of having control of a motor vehicle while under the influence of an intoxicant can be subject to a Class 7 suspension of her driver's license by the court. Other suspendable offenses include failure to stop for a school bus, wrongful entrustment of a motor vehicle or operating in wanton disregard of public safety.

Ownership

Getting your license suspended means you are no longer legally allowed to drive in the state of Ohio. The laws, however, do not prevent you from purchasing, selling, trading or otherwise owning motor vehicles. If, for example, you have your license suspended but want to buy a new car, you can still do so without committing a criminal offense. However, you cannot legally drive a car until your license is reinstated.

Title

When you buy a car in Ohio, make sure that you properly transfer the car's title to your name. The car's title is the legal document that lists who owns that car and whether there are any liens against it. If you buy a car from a private seller, for example, the seller has to transfer the title to you by assigning it to you. Once you receive the assigned title, you have to take it to the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles to get a new title that is solely in your name.

Reinstatement

A license suspension in Ohio doesn't mean that you'll necessarily never be able to drive again. When a court suspends a driver's license in Ohio, it often imposes a specific amount of time in which the driver is suspended from driving. Ohio Revised Code section 4510.02 states, for example, that a Class 7 suspension lasts for one year. Other classes of suspension can last from between six months to life. Once the period is over, you can ask the Ohio Department of Public Safety to reinstate driving privileges.