(A) No person of insufficient age to purchase intoxicating liquor or beer, contrary to division (A) or (C) of section 4507.30 of the Revised Code, shall display as proof that the person is of sufficient age to purchase intoxicating liquor or beer, a driver's or commercial driver's license, knowing the same to be fictitious, altered, or not the person's own. The registrar of motor vehicles shall impose a class C suspension of the person's driver's license, probationary driver's license, commercial driver's license, temporary instruction permit, or commercial driver's license temporary instruction permit for the period of time specified in division (B)(3) of section 4510.02 of the Revised Code upon the offender and shall not issue or reissue a license or permit of that type to the offender during the suspension period.

(B) In any prosecution, or in any proceeding before the liquor control commission, in which the defense authorized by section 4301.639 of the Revised Code is sustained, the clerk of the court in which the prosecution was had, or the clerk of the liquor control commission, shall certify to the registrar the facts ascertainable from the clerk's records evidencing violation of division (A) or (C) of section 4507.30 of the Revised Code by a person of insufficient age to purchase intoxicating liquor or beer, including in the certification the person's name and residence address.

(C) The registrar, upon receipt of the certification, shall suspend the person's license or permit to drive subject to review as provided in this section, and shall mail to the person, at the person's last known address, a notice of the suspension and of the hearing provided in division (D) of this section.

(D) Any person whose license or permit to drive has been suspended under this section, within twenty days of the mailing of the notice provided above, may file a petition in the municipal court or county court, or in case the person is under the age of eighteen years, in the juvenile court, in whose jurisdiction the person resides, agreeing to pay the cost of the proceedings, and alleging error by the registrar in the suspension of the license or permit to drive, or in one or more of the matters within the scope of the hearing as provided in this section, or both. The petitioner shall notify the registrar of the filing of the petition and send the registrar a copy thereof. The scope of the hearing shall be limited to whether a court of record did in fact find that the petitioner displayed, or, if the original proceedings were before the liquor control commission, whether the petitioner did in fact display, as proof that the person was of sufficient age to purchase intoxicating liquor or beer, a driver's or commercial driver's license knowing the same to be fictitious, altered, or not the person's own, and whether the person was at that time of insufficient age legally to make a purchase of intoxicating liquor or beer.

(E) In any hearing authorized by this section, the registrar shall be represented by the prosecuting attorney of the county where the petitioner resides.

(F) If the court finds from the evidence submitted that the person has failed to show error in the action by the registrar or in one or more of the matters within the scope of the hearing as limited in division (D) of this section, or both, the court shall assess the cost of the proceeding against the person and shall impose the suspension provided in divisions (A) and (C) of this section. If the court finds that the person has shown error in the action taken by the registrar, or in one or more of the matters within the scope of the hearing as limited in division (B) of this section, or both, the cost of the proceeding shall be paid out of the county treasury of the county in which the proceedings were held, and the suspension provided in divisions (A) and (C) of this section shall not be imposed. The court shall inform the registrar in writing of the action taken.

Effective Date: 01-01-2004.