Section 2935.27. Procedure after issuance of minor misdemeanor citation

(A)

(1) If a law enforcement officer issues a citation to a person pursuant to section 2935.26 of the Revised Code and if the minor misdemeanor offense for which the citation is issued is an act prohibited by Chapter 4511., 4513., or 4549. of the Revised Code or an act prohibited by any municipal ordinance that is substantially similar to any section contained in Chapter 4511., 4513., or 4549. of the Revised Code, the officer shall inform the person, if the person has a current valid Ohio driver's or commercial driver's license, of the possible consequences of the person's actions as required under division (E) of this section, and also shall inform the person that the person is required either to appear at the time and place stated in the citation or to comply with division (C) of section 2935.26 of the Revised Code.

(2) If the person is an Ohio resident but does not have a current valid Ohio driver's or commercial driver's license or if the person is a resident of a state that is not a member of the nonresident violator compact of which this state is a member pursuant to section 4510.71 of the Revised Code, and if the court, by local rule, has prescribed a procedure for the setting of a reasonable security pursuant to division (F) of this section, security shall be set in accordance with that local rule and that division.

A court by local rule may prescribe a procedure for the setting of reasonable security as described in this division. As an alternative to this procedure, a court by local rule may prescribe a procedure for the setting of a reasonable security by the person without the person appearing before the court.

(B) A person who has security set under division (A)(2) of this section shall be given a receipt or other evidence of the deposit of the security by the court.

(C) Upon compliance with division (C) of section 2935.26 of the Revised Code by a person who was issued a citation, the clerk of the court shall notify the court. The court shall immediately return any sum of money, license, or other security deposited in relation to the citation to the person, or to any other person who deposited the security.

(D) If a person who has a current valid Ohio driver's or commercial driver's license and who was issued a citation fails to appear at the time and place specified on the citation, fails to comply with division (C) of section 2935.26 of the Revised Code, or fails to comply with or satisfy any judgment of the court within the time allowed by the court, the court shall declare the forfeiture of the person's license. Thirty days after the declaration of forfeiture, the court shall enter information relative to the forfeiture on a form approved and furnished by the registrar of motor vehicles, and forward the form to the registrar. The registrar shall suspend the person's driver's or commercial driver's license, send written notification of the suspension to the person at the person's last known address, and order the person to surrender the person's driver's or commercial driver's license to the registrar within forty-eight hours. No valid driver's or commercial driver's license shall be granted to the person until the court having jurisdiction of the offense that led to the forfeiture orders that the forfeiture be terminated. The court shall so order if the person, after having failed to appear in court at the required time and place to answer the charge or after having pleaded guilty to or been found guilty of the violation and having failed within the time allowed by the court to pay the fine imposed by the court, thereafter appears to answer the charge and pays any fine imposed by the court or pays the fine originally imposed by the court. The court shall inform the registrar of the termination of the forfeiture by entering information relative to the termination on a form approved and furnished by the registrar and sending the form to the registrar as provided in this division. The person shall pay to the bureau of motor vehicles a fifteen-dollar reinstatement fee to cover the costs of the bureau in administering this section. The registrar shall deposit the fees so paid into the state bureau of motor vehicles fund created by section 4501.25 of the Revised Code.

In addition, upon receipt of the copy of the declaration of forfeiture from the court, neither the registrar nor any deputy registrar shall accept any application for the registration or transfer of registration of any motor vehicle owned or leased by the person named in the declaration of forfeiture until the court having jurisdiction of the offense that led to the forfeiture orders that the forfeiture be terminated. However, for a motor vehicle leased by a person named in a declaration of forfeiture, the registrar shall not implement the preceding sentence until the registrar adopts procedures for that implementation under section 4503.39 of the Revised Code. Upon receipt by the registrar of an order terminating the forfeiture, the registrar shall take such measures as may be necessary to permit the person to register a motor vehicle owned or leased by the person or to transfer the registration of such a motor vehicle, if the person later makes application to take such action and the person otherwise is eligible to register the motor vehicle or to transfer the registration of it.

The registrar is not required to give effect to any declaration of forfeiture or order terminating a forfeiture unless the order is transmitted to the registrar by means of an electronic transfer system. The registrar shall not restore the person's driving or vehicle registration privileges until the person pays the reinstatement fee as provided in this division.

If the person who was issued the citation fails to appear at the time and place specified on the citation and fails to comply with division (C) of section 2935.26 of the Revised Code and the person has deposited a sum of money or other security in relation to the citation under division (A)(2) of this section, the deposit immediately shall be forfeited to the court.

This section does not preclude further action as authorized by division (F) of section 2935.26 of the Revised Code.

(E) A law enforcement officer who issues a person a minor misdemeanor citation for an act prohibited by Chapter 4511., 4513., or 4549. of the Revised Code or an act prohibited by a municipal ordinance that is substantially similar to any section contained in Chapter 4511., 4513., or 4549. of the Revised Code shall inform the person that if the person does not appear at the time and place stated on the citation or does not comply with division (C) of section 2935.26 of the Revised Code, the person's driver's or commercial driver's license will be suspended, the person will not be eligible for the reissuance of the license or the issuance of a new license or the issuance of a certificate of registration for a motor vehicle owned or leased by the person, until the person appears and complies with all orders of the court. The person also is subject to any applicable criminal penalties.

(F) A court setting security under division (A)(2) of this section shall do so in conformity with sections 2937.22 and 2937.23 of the Revised Code and the Rules of Criminal Procedure.

Effective Date: 01-01-2004; 09-16-2004