RETURN TO THE ROAD CAMPAIGN
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Sign On to Support the Return to the Road Campaign to End Debt-Related Driver’s License Suspensions in Ohio
- Click here to look up your state legislators and find their contact info.
- Then click here find fact sheets by legislative district that show how debt-related driver's license suspensions are impacting your community
- Sign on to show your support of the Return to the Road Campaign to eliminate additional debt related driver’s license suspensions in Ohio.
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A person’s ability to pay a fine or a fee should not determine whether they are free to drive.
A valid driver’s license is essential to participating in Ohio’s economy, where, according to the 2021 U.S. Census, 74% of people drive alone to work and 8% carpool, with an average commute of 23 minutes. But debt-related suspensions trap low-income Ohioans in a difficult cycle where they cannot legally drive to work to earn the money required to pay off the debt that is keeping their license suspended.
The Ohio Poverty Law Center is partnering with the Fines and Fees Justice Center and the Free to Drive Campaign, and national, state, and local stakeholders, to ensure that a person’s ability to pay a fine or a fee will no longer determine whether they are free to drive in Ohio.
Follow our journey on the Return to the Road Campaign...
House Bill 29 is a huge win for Ohio drivers!
The Return to the Road Campaign Celebrates the Passage of House Bill 29 to End Debt-Related Driver’s License Suspensions in Ohio. On January 8, 2025, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill 29 into law, legislation that removed many of the financial barriers that lead to driver’s license suspensions.
As of June 2, 2025, statistics collected by the Ohio Department of Public Safety showed that 170,510 Ohio drivers already had a total of 429,501 driver's license suspensions and vehicle registration blocks removed as a result of H.B. 29. Of these, 7,076 drivers regained their valid driver’s license and status to legally drive. Another 24,356 drivers now have no other suspension on their license. In total, drivers also had $8,380,681 in reinstatement fees waived as part of H.B. 29.
The following provisions were included in House Bill 29:
- Eliminates the driver’s license suspension for failure to pay a court fine or fee.
- Applies the removal of license suspensions for failure to pay a court fine or fee both retroactively and automatically, without imposition of reinstatement fees.
- Removes the possible penalty of a driver’s license suspension for a drug abuse offense, unless the offense relates to causing others to use, manufacture, or traffic and the offender used a vehicle to further the commission of the offense.
- Reduces the lookback period for driving without insurance offenses to be considered repeat offenses from five years to one year.
- Eliminates school truancy as a reason for license denial or suspension.
- Authorizes a person whose driver’s license is suspended for failure to pay child support to file a motion with a court for limited driving privileges in all circumstances, not just when the motion is made during contempt proceedings as under current law.
Success and Recommendations of Ohio’s Reinstatement Fee Amnesty Program
In May of 2023, the Ohio Poverty Law Center released the report,
Clearing the Road for Ohioans with Suspended Licenses: A Look at Ohio’s Reinstatement Fee Amnesty Program. The report found that the Reinstatement Fee Amnesty Program was successful and should be expanded.
Key Findings:
- 222,716 Ohioans received help with reinstatement fees through waiver, reductions, and payment plans.
- Lower-income Ohioans participating in the program saved an average of $612 in reinstatement fees.
- For Ohioans that had fees reduced, the state collected $23 million—an amount that might not otherwise have been collected without a payment plan.
OPLC’s policy recommendations in the report included standardizing reinstatement fees at $25, eliminating debt-related suspensions in the state, and expanding eligibility for the Amnesty Program and what they can submit as proof of eligibility.
The Cost of Debt-Related License Suspensions in Ohio
In September of 2022, the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland released the report, “Road to Nowhere: Debt-Related Driver’s License Suspensions in Ohio.” The report demonstrated that:
- Ohio drivers face more than 3 million debt-related suspensions annually.
- Debt-related suspensions substantially burden Ohio communities with an average outstanding total debt each year of over $920 million.
- Administrative fees collected by the BMV to reinstate a driver’s license after a suspension can exceed $600 for driving without insurance.
- Debt-related suspensions cost residents of Ohio’s highest-poverty zip codes an average of $7.9 million each year.
- Ohio zip codes with the highest percentages of people of color foot the largest portion of the bill, costing residents an average of $12 million each year.
From Pilot to Policy: Making Amnesty Permanent
Ohio House Bill 285, sponsored by Representatives Juanita Brent and David Greenspan in the 133rd Ohio General Assembly, established a permanent Driver's License Reinstatement Fee Debt Reduction and Amnesty Program. This bill, signed into law in 2020, expands eligibility for fee waivers and reductions for low-income Ohioans with suspended licenses. It also includes provisions for appealing denied applications and requires the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to explain denials. The legislation follows the successful 2019 six-month Reinstatement Fee Amnesty Initiative supported by
Ohio Poverty Law Center. In its first two years as a permanent program, approximately 222,716 Ohioans participated, saving a total of $136,330,155 in reinstatement fees, for an average savings of $612.12 per person.
Launching the Reinstatement Fee Amnesty Pilot Program
Ohio House Bill 336, sponsored by Representatives John Barnes, Jr. and David Greenspan in the 132nd Ohio General Assembly, established the Reinstatement Fee Amnesty Initiative. In 2018 OPLC led a successful push for the creation of this six-month pilot program, allowing the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to reduce or waive eligible driver’s license reinstatement fees for lower-income Ohioans. During the pilot program, legal aid programs coordinated with local courts and the BMV to hold clinics in which 76,000 Ohioans participated, receiving an average reduction in fees of $789. OPLC was then able to successfully lobby the Ohio legislature to make the program permanent through the passage of House Bill 285 during the 133rd General Assembly.