(A) No person whose driver's or commercial driver's license or permit or nonresident operating privilege has been suspended under section 4511.19, 4511.191, or 4511.196 of the Revised Code or under section 4510.07 of the Revised Code for a conviction of a violation of a municipal OVI ordinance shall operate any motor vehicle upon the public roads or highways within this state during the period of the suspension.

(B) Whoever violates this section is guilty of driving under OVI suspension. The court shall sentence the offender under Chapter 2929. of the Revised Code, subject to the differences authorized or required by this section.

(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (B)(2) or (3) of this section, driving under OVI suspension is a misdemeanor of the first degree. The court shall sentence the offender to all of the following:

(a) A mandatory jail term of three consecutive days. The three-day term shall be imposed, unless, subject to division (C) of this section, the court instead imposes a sentence of not less than thirty consecutive days of house arrest with electronic monitoring. A period of house arrest with electronic monitoring imposed under this division shall not exceed six months. If the court imposes a mandatory three-day jail term under this division, the court may impose a jail term in addition to that term, provided that in no case shall the cumulative jail term imposed for the offense exceed six months.

(b) A fine of not less than two hundred fifty and not more than one thousand dollars;

(c) A license suspension under division (E) of this section;

(d) If the vehicle the offender was operating at the time of the offense is registered in the offender's name, immobilization for thirty days of the offender's vehicle and impoundment for thirty days of the identification license plates of that vehicle. The order for immobilization and impoundment shall be issued and enforced in accordance with section 4503.233 of the Revised Code.

(2) If, within six years of the offense, the offender previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to one violation of this section or one equivalent offense, driving under OVI suspension is a misdemeanor of the first degree. The court shall sentence the offender to all of the following:

(a) A mandatory jail term of ten consecutive days. Notwithstanding the jail terms provided in sections 2929.21 to 2929.28 of the Revised Code, the court may sentence the offender to a longer jail term of not more than one year. The ten-day mandatory jail term shall be imposed unless, subject to division (C) of this section, the court instead imposes a sentence of not less than ninety consecutive days of house arrest with electronic monitoring. The period of house arrest with electronic monitoring shall not exceed one year.

(b) Notwithstanding the fines provided for in Chapter 2929. of the Revised Code, a fine of not less than five hundred and not more than two thousand five hundred dollars;

(c) A license suspension under division (E) of this section;

(d) If the vehicle the offender was operating at the time of the offense is registered in the offender's name, immobilization of the offender's vehicle for sixty days and the impoundment for sixty days of the identification license plates of that vehicle. The order for immobilization and impoundment shall be issued and enforced in accordance with section 4503.233 of the Revised Code.

(3) If, within six years of the offense, the offender previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to two or more violations of this section or two or more equivalent offenses, driving under OVI suspension is a misdemeanor. The court shall sentence the offender to all of the following:

(a) A mandatory jail term of thirty consecutive days. Notwithstanding the jail terms provided in sections 2929.21 to 2929.28 of the Revised Code, the court may sentence the offender to a longer jail term of not more than one year. The court shall not sentence the offender to a term of house arrest with electronic monitoring in lieu of the mandatory portion of the jail term.

(b) Notwithstanding the fines set forth in Chapter 2929. of the Revised Code, a fine of not less than five hundred and not more than two thousand five hundred dollars;

(c) A license suspension under division (E) of this section;

(d) If the vehicle the offender was operating at the time of the offense is registered in the offender's name, criminal forfeiture to the state of the offender's vehicle. The order of criminal forfeiture shall be issued and enforced in accordance with section 4503.234 of the Revised Code. If title to a motor vehicle that is subject to an order for criminal forfeiture under this division is assigned or transferred and division (B)(2) or (3) of section 4503.234 of the Revised Code applies, the court may fine the offender the value of the vehicle as determined by publications of the national automobile dealers association. The proceeds from any fine so imposed shall be distributed in accordance with division (C)(2) of section 4503.234 of the Revised Code.

(C) No court shall impose an alternative sentence of house arrest with electronic monitoring under division (B)(1) or (2) of this section unless, within sixty days of the date of sentencing, the court issues a written finding on the record that, due to the unavailability of space at the jail where the offender is required to serve the jail term imposed, the offender will not be able to begin serving that term within the sixty-day period following the date of sentencing.

An offender sentenced under this section to a period of house arrest with electronic monitoring shall be permitted work release during that period.

(D) Fifty per cent of any fine imposed by a court under division (B)(1), (2), or (3) of this section shall be deposited into the county indigent drivers alcohol treatment fund or municipal indigent drivers alcohol treatment fund under the control of that court, as created by the county or municipal corporation pursuant to division (H) of section 4511.191 of the Revised Code.

(E) In addition to or independent of all other penalties provided by law or ordinance, the trial judge of any court of record or the mayor of a mayor's court shall impose on an offender who is convicted of or pleads guilty to a violation of this section a class seven suspension of the offender's driver's or commercial driver's license or permit or nonresident operating privilege from the range specified in division (A)(7) of section 4510.02 of the Revised Code.

When permitted as specified in section 4510.021 of the Revised Code, if the court grants limited driving privileges during a suspension imposed under this section, the privileges shall be granted on the additional condition that the offender must display restricted license plates, issued under section 4503.231 of the Revised Code, on the vehicle driven subject to the privileges, except as provided in division (B) of that section.

A suspension of a commercial driver's license under this section shall be concurrent with any period of suspension or disqualification under section 3123.58 or 4506.16 of the Revised Code. No person who is disqualified for life from holding a commercial driver's license under section 4506.16 of the Revised Code shall be issued a driver's license under Chapter 4507. of the Revised Code during the period for which the commercial driver's license was suspended under this section, and no person whose commercial driver's license is suspended under this section shall be issued a driver's license under Chapter 4507. of the Revised Code during the period of the suspension.

(F) The offender shall provide the court with proof of financial responsibility as defined in section 4509.01 of the Revised Code. If the offender fails to provide that proof of financial responsibility, then, in addition to any other penalties provided by law, the court may order restitution pursuant to section 2929.28 of the Revised Code in an amount not exceeding five thousand dollars for any economic loss arising from an accident or collision that was the direct and proximate result of the offender's operation of the vehicle before, during, or after committing the offense that is a misdemeanor of the first degree under this section for which the offender is sentenced.

(G) As used in this section:

(1) "Electronic monitoring" has the same meaning as in section 2929.01 of the Revised Code.

(2) "Equivalent offense" means any of the following:

(a) A violation of a municipal ordinance, law of another state, or law of the United States that is substantially equivalent to division (A) of this section;

(b) A violation of a former law of this state that was substantially equivalent to division (A) of this section.

(3) "Jail" has the same meaning as in section 2929.01 of the Revised Code.

(4) "Mandatory jail term" means the mandatory term in jail of three, ten, or thirty consecutive days that must be imposed under division (B)(1), (2), or (3) of this section upon an offender convicted of a violation of division (A) of this section and in relation to which all of the following apply:

(a) Except as specifically authorized under this section, the term must be served in a jail.

(b) Except as specifically authorized under this section, the term cannot be suspended, reduced, or otherwise modified pursuant to any provision of the Revised Code.

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.25, HB 5, §1, eff. 9/23/2011.

Effective Date: 01-01-2004 .