Section 4507.21 | Application for and issuance of license.

• Effective: October 3, 2023
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 33 - 135th General Assembly

(A) Except as provided in section 4507.061 of the Revised Code, each applicant for a driver's license shall file an application in the office of the registrar of motor vehicles or of a deputy registrar.

(B)(1) Each person under eighteen years of age applying for a driver's license issued in this state shall present satisfactory evidence of having successfully completed any one of the following:

(a) A driver education course approved by the state department of education and workforce prior to December 31, 2003.

(b) A driver training course approved by the director of public safety.

(c) A driver training course comparable to a driver education or driver training course described in division (B)(1)(a) or (b) of this section and administered by a branch of the armed forces of the United States and completed by the applicant while residing outside this state for the purpose of being with or near any person serving in the armed forces of the United States.

(2) Each person under eighteen years of age applying for a driver's license also shall present, on a form prescribed by the registrar, an affidavit signed by an eligible adult attesting that the person has acquired at least fifty hours of actual driving experience, with at least ten of those hours being at night.

(C)(1) An applicant for an initial driver's license shall present satisfactory evidence of successful completion of the abbreviated driver training course for adults, approved by the director of public safety under section 4508.02 of the Revised Code, if all of the following apply:

(a) The applicant is eighteen years of age or older.

(b) The applicant failed the road or maneuverability test required under division (A)(2) of section 4507.11 of the Revised Code.

(c) In the twelve months immediately preceding the date of application, the applicant has not successfully completed a driver training course.

(2) An applicant shall present satisfactory evidence as required under division (C)(1) of this section prior to attempting the test a second or subsequent time.

(D) If the registrar or deputy registrar determines that the applicant is entitled to the driver's license, it shall be issued. If the application shows that the applicant's license has been previously canceled or suspended, the deputy registrar shall forward the application to the registrar, who shall determine whether the license shall be granted.

(E) An applicant shall file an application under this section in duplicate, and the deputy registrar issuing the license shall immediately forward to the office of the registrar the original copy of the application, together with the duplicate copy of any certificate of completion if issued for purposes of division (B) of this section. The registrar shall prescribe rules as to the manner in which the deputy registrar files and maintains the applications and other records. The registrar shall file every application for a driver's or commercial driver's license and index them by name and number, and shall maintain a suitable record of all licenses issued, all convictions and bond forfeitures, all applications for licenses denied, and all licenses that have been suspended or canceled.

(F) For purposes of section 2313.06 of the Revised Code, the registrar shall maintain accurate and current lists of the residents of each county who are eighteen years of age or older, have been issued, on and after January 1, 1984, driver's or commercial driver's licenses that are valid and current, and would be electors if they were registered to vote, regardless of whether they actually are registered to vote. The lists shall contain the names, addresses, dates of birth, duration of residence in this state, citizenship status, and social security numbers, if the numbers are available, of the licensees, and may contain any other information that the registrar considers suitable.

(G) Each person under eighteen years of age applying for a motorcycle operator's endorsement or a restricted license enabling the applicant to operate a motorcycle shall present satisfactory evidence of having completed the courses of instruction in the motorcycle safety and education program described in section 4508.08 of the Revised Code or a comparable course of instruction administered by a branch of the armed forces of the United States and completed by the applicant while residing outside this state for the purpose of being with or near any person serving in the armed forces of the United States. If the registrar or deputy registrar then determines that the applicant is entitled to the endorsement or restricted license, it shall be issued.

(H) No person shall knowingly make a false statement in an affidavit presented in accordance with division (B)(2) of this section.

(I) As used in this section, "eligible adult" means any of the following persons:

(1) A parent, guardian, or custodian of the applicant;

(2) A person over the age of twenty-one who acts in loco parentis of the applicant and who maintains proof of financial responsibility with respect to the operation of a motor vehicle owned by the applicant or with respect to the applicant's operation of any motor vehicle.

(J) Whoever violates division (H) of this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor and shall be fined one hundred dollars.

Last updated September 12, 2023 at 12:01 PM

Available Versions of this Section

• October 11, 2002 – House Bill 407, Senate Bill 123 - 124th General Assembly
• July 1, 2015 – House Bill 53 - 131st General Assembly
• September 29, 2015 – House Bill 64 - 131st General Assembly
• April 12, 2021 – Amended by Senate Bill 68 - 133rd General Assembly
• June 30, 2021 – Amended by House Bill 74 - 134th General Assembly
• October 3, 2023 – Amended by House Bill 33 - 135th General Assembly