(A) A municipal court, county court, or mayor's court, at the court's discretion, may order the clerk of the court to send to the registrar of motor vehicles a report containing the name, address, and such other information as the registrar may require by rule, of any person for whom an arrest warrant has been issued by that court and is outstanding.

Upon receipt of such a report, the registrar shall enter the information contained in the report into the records of the bureau of motor vehicles. Neither the registrar nor any deputy registrar shall issue a certificate of registration for a motor vehicle owner or lessee, when a lessee is determinable under procedures established by the registrar under division (E) of this section, who is named in the report until the registrar receives notification from the municipal court, county court, or mayor's court that there are no outstanding arrest warrants in the name of the person. The registrar also shall send a notice to the person who is named in the report, via regular first class mail sent to the person's last known address as shown in the records of the bureau, informing the person that neither the registrar nor any deputy registrar is permitted to issue a certificate of registration for a motor vehicle in the name of the person until the registrar receives notification that there are no outstanding arrest warrants in the name of the person.

(B) A clerk who reports an outstanding arrest warrant in accordance with division (A) of this section immediately shall notify the registrar when the warrant has been executed and returned to the issuing court or has been canceled.

Upon receipt of such notification, the registrar shall charge and collect from the person named in the executed or canceled arrest warrant a processing fee of fifteen dollars to cover the costs of the bureau in administering this section. The registrar shall deposit all such processing fees into the public safety - highway purposes fund created by section 4501.06 of the Revised Code.

Upon payment of the processing fee, the registrar shall cause the report of that outstanding arrest warrant to be removed from the records of the bureau and, if there are no other outstanding arrest warrants issued by a municipal court, county court, or mayor's court in the name of the person and the person otherwise is eligible to be issued a certificate of registration for a motor vehicle, the registrar or a deputy registrar may issue a certificate of registration for a motor vehicle in the name of the person named in the executed or canceled arrest warrant.

(C) Neither the registrar, any employee of the bureau, a deputy registrar, nor any employee of a deputy registrar is personally liable for damages or injuries resulting from any error made by a clerk in entering information contained in a report submitted to the registrar under this section.

(D) Any information submitted to the registrar by a clerk under this section shall be transmitted by means of an electronic data transfer system.

(E) The registrar shall determine the procedures and information necessary to implement this section in regard to motor vehicle lessees. Division (A) of this section shall not apply to cases involving a motor vehicle lessee until such procedures are established.

Amended by 132nd General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 26, §101.01, eff. 6/30/2017; however, the modifications to provisions of law requiring the deposit of funds into the Public Safety - Highway Purposes Fund that are made in this section shall take effect not earlier than July 1, 2017.

Effective Date: 03-03-1998; 09-16-2004.