Ohio waives $8.4 million in fees for drivers. Find out why
Legislators adopted House Bill 29 in 2024 to make it harder to lose your driver's license for non-driving issues, such as unpaid parking tickets. The law took effect in April 2025.
So far, 170,500 drivers have had suspensions and/or vehicle registration blocks removed and nearly 7,100 got their licenses reinstated. Another 24,400 drivers had suspensions removed and may be eligible to take a driving test to restore their licenses.
Under previous law, Ohio drivers could lose their licenses for more than 30 reasons, many of which are not related to dangerous driving. Under the new law, license suspensions are largely limited to convictions that are related to dangerous driving.
"We're trying to reduce the connection between not being able to pay a fine and being allowed to drive, which is pretty essential in this state," said Zack Eckles of the Ohio Poverty Law Center, which lobbied for the new law.
Reinstatement fees can ramp up quickly, starting at $15 and maxing out at $650. Roughly 60% of license suspensions each year are for debt-related reasons.
In Ohio, roughly three in four workers drive to work and 30% of jobs require a driver's license, according to a report from the Ohio Poverty Law Center issued in May 2023. Driving is so essential that most people with suspended licenses continue to drive anyway.
People are automatically notified by mail if they're eligible to have their suspension removed. Drivers can check their driving record and update their current address with the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles to expedite the notification process if they are eligible to have their license reinstated.
State government reporter Laura Bischoff can be reached at lbischoff@gannett.com and @lbischoff on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: New Ohio law reinstates drivers and forgives millions in fees
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