Points and Suspension
ORC 4510.036 — how a license is actually lost
The bureau records each conviction or bail forfeiture for a violation regulating the operation of vehicles, other than parking, within ten days, and the court assesses the points the section charges for it.
Who handles this in Ohio: Ohio State Bar Association lawyer referral; and legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the Ohio directory.
Twelve points in two years, and the clock runs from the first conviction. The two year window is counted from the date of the first conviction inside it, not from a calendar year. At twelve the registrar sends written notice by regular mail, and the suspension takes effect twenty days after that notice is sent, whether or not it was read.
- Thirty or more over the limit is a four point offense, whatever the limit.
- Where the limit is fifty five or more, more than ten over is two points.
- Where the limit is under fifty five, more than five over is two points.
- Below those amounts a speeding conviction carries no points, though it is still a conviction.
- The serious offenses sit at six points each, which means two of them get you most of the way there.
- A point suspension is a class D suspension, which runs six months.
- Limited driving privileges during a suspension are asked for from the court, not from the BMV.
The notice goes to the last address the bureau has.
Point values are set per offense in 4510.036 and change when it is amended. The figures above are that section as this guide last read it.
Sources for this section (4)
- ORC 4510.036 — Points assessed against a license for traffic convictions
- ORC 4510.037 — Suspension for accumulating twelve points in two years
- ORC 4510.13 — Limited driving privileges during a suspension
- ORC 4507.35 — Display of license on demand
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Ohio attorney.