OVI / DUI Yellow License Plates

One part of the sentence for an Ohio DUI / OVI conviction may be a requirement that you have yellow license plates on your vehicle. Although they are commonly referred to as “party plates”, Ohio law calls them “restricted license plates”. In some cases, they are an optional part of the sentence, but in other cases, they are mandatory:

• If you are convicted of DUI / OVI as a first offense, the judge may order restricted plates as a condition of granting you limited driving privileges.
• If you are convicted of DUI / OVI as a first offense that involves a “high test”, the judge must order restricted plates as a condition of limited driving privileges.
• If you are convicted of DUI / OVI as a second offense or more within ten years, the judge must order restricted plates as a condition of limited driving privileges.
• If you are convicted of DUI / OVI as a fourth offense or more within 20 years, the judge must order restricted plates as a condition of limited driving privileges.
• If you are placed under an administrative license suspension, a judge may order restricted plates as a condition of granting you limited driving privileges.If a judge orders the use of restricted plates, you must complete an ‘application for registration of a motor vehicle with restricted plates’ and have the application approved by a judge or other court official. You then take the approved application to the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, surrender your old license plates, and purchase the restricted plates. The restricted plates must remain on your vehicle for the duration of the license suspension for your limited driving privileges to be valid.

There are several components to a DUI / OVI sentence, and there are also secondary consequences to consider. For some people, the yellow license plates can be the worst part of getting a DUI / OVI. If you can live with yellow license plates, the other parts of the DUI / OVI sentence, and the secondary consequences, you may not have an incentive to contest the DUI/OVI charge. If, however, any or all of those consequences concern you, you may want to plead not guilty and contest the DUI / OVI charge. In most instances in central Ohio, hiring a Columbus DUI lawyer with expertise in contesting the charges results in an improved result. Not all attorneys have the same level of knowledge and experience. If you hope to avoid a DUI / OVI conviction by getting the charge(s) dismissed or reduced, you should find a lawyer with expertise in field sobriety tests, breath tests, blood tests, and urine tests, as well as experience with DUI / OVI investigations and the DUI / OVI court process.

Our practice is focused on DUI / OVI defense, and we represent clients that are contesting DUI / OVI charges in Columbus and central Ohio with the intention of avoiding yellow license plates and other consequences. For more information about our practice, please see the firm overview. You can also read what our clients say and review our past case results. We limit the number of cases we accept so we can provide outstanding service to our clients. If you would like to discuss how we can help with your DUI / OVI case, EMAIL US or call our office at 614-717-1177 to arrange a free consultation.