Ohio prohibits an individual from operating a motor vehicle if that individual’s operating license has been suspended or if the operation of the vehicle violates a restriction placed on the individual’s operating license.

Driving under suspension or in violation of a license restriction is a Misdemeanor of the 1st degree. This charge carries a maximum penalty of up to a $1,000 fine and 180 days in jail. The court may also impose a class 7 suspension of the offender’s license. This level of suspension carries a definite period of suspension not to exceed one year.

Driving under OVI suspension carries harsher penalties. Driving under OVI suspension is usually a Misdemeanor of the 1st degree. The offender faces a mandatory three days in jail, minimum $250 fine, a one-year license suspension, and 30-day immobilization of the vehicle being operated. The penalties may be even more severe if the offender has been convicted of this same crime in the past.

If you are charged with driving under suspension or in violation of a license restriction, the state has the burden to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you were in fact operating a vehicle and that your license was suspended at that time.