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Ohio OVI penalties breakdown: every component, line by line
Our Ohio DUI costs page gives the state overview. This page does the narrower job: each separate component of an Ohio OVI under Revised Code § 4511.19 as in force from April 9, 2025 — the fine, the mandatory jail or Driver Intervention Program term, the court suspension, the administrative suspension that starts at arrest, and the BMV reinstatement fee — and no added-up total.
The fine and jail terms: § 4511.19(G) after the April 2025 changes
Ohio calls the offence OVI, and § 4511.19(G)(1)(a) sentences a first offender as a first-degree misdemeanour. In all first-offence cases the fine is not less than $565 and not more than $1,075 — the floor was raised from the older $375 figure by the legislation effective April 9, 2025, so pages still quoting $375 are out of date. For a standard-tier first offence the court must impose a mandatory three-day jail term, but it may suspend that term where the offender attends, for three consecutive days, a certified Driver Intervention Program, and it may combine part jail and part program. The offender pays the program's charges; the Revised Code sets the three-day requirement, not a statewide program price.
A high-tier first offence — a concentration of 0.17 or more, or a refusal coupled with a prior OVI — requires both a mandatory three-day jail term and three days in a Driver Intervention Program, and where the offender is not suited to the program or refuses it, a mandatory jail term of at least six days. The fine range stays $565 to $1,075. A second conviction within ten years brings a mandatory ten days (twenty at the high tier), a fine of $715 to $1,625, a suspension of one to seven years, and 90 days of vehicle immobilisation with plate impoundment where the vehicle is registered to the offender. A third conviction within ten years brings a mandatory thirty days (sixty at the high tier), a fine of $1,040 to $2,750, a suspension of two to twelve years, and criminal forfeiture of the vehicle.
Two suspensions and the $475 reinstatement fee
The court suspension for a first OVI is one to three years under the current code — lengthened from the former six-month floor by the same April 2025 changes — and the court may grant limited driving privileges, or unlimited privileges conditioned on an ignition interlock, under §§ 4510.021, 4510.13 and 4510.022. Running before it is the Administrative License Suspension under § 4511.191, imposed at arrest: 90 days for a first offender who takes and fails the test, and one year for a first offender who refuses. The ALS is credited against the court suspension, but it is a separate BMV action with its own appeal route, as our refusal page explains.
Reinstatement is a BMV transaction with a published price: the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles charges a $475 reinstatement fee for an OVI suspension, payable when the suspension term and the court's conditions are satisfied, together with proof of financial responsibility. An OVI also places six points on the driving record. Interlock, where the court orders or authorises it, is supplied by approved vendors at their own rates, and a Driver Intervention Program charges its own attendance fee — both real costs, neither of them a figure the Revised Code sets. Our reinstatement page and program page cover those layers.
| DUI component | Published amount |
|---|---|
| Fine — first offence, all tiers (§ 4511.19(G)(1)(a)) | $565–$1,075 (floor raised from $375 effective April 9, 2025) |
| Jail / program — first offence, standard tier | Mandatory 3 days jail, suspendable for 3 consecutive days in a certified Driver Intervention Program |
| Jail / program — first offence, high tier (0.17+) | Mandatory 3 days jail plus 3 days Driver Intervention Program; at least 6 days jail where the program is refused or unsuitable |
| Court license suspension — first offence | 1 to 3 years; limited privileges possible; unlimited privileges possible with interlock (§§ 4510.021, 4510.022, 4510.13) |
| Administrative License Suspension (§ 4511.191) | 90 days, first failed test; 1 year, first refusal |
| Second conviction within 10 years | Mandatory 10 days (20 high tier); fine $715–$1,625; suspension 1–7 years; 90-day vehicle immobilisation and plate impoundment |
| Third conviction within 10 years | Mandatory 30 days (60 high tier); fine $1,040–$2,750; suspension 2–12 years; vehicle forfeiture |
| BMV reinstatement fee (Ohio BMV schedule) | $475 for an OVI suspension, plus proof of financial responsibility; 6 points assessed |
Sources: Ohio Revised Code §§ 4511.19 (effective April 9, 2025), 4511.191, 4510.021, 4510.022, 4510.13; Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles reinstatement-fee schedule. Last verified: October 2026.
The fine is one line in a longer stack — court costs, program fees, interlock, supervision and reinstatement all bill separately. Price the layers that apply to your case in the calculator.
Open the DUI cost calculatorWhat this state does not publish as a single figure
Court costs in Ohio are assessed by the court of conviction and differ between a municipal court, a mayor's court and a court of common pleas, so no single cost figure appears in this table even though every OVI carries one. The Driver Intervention Program's attendance charge is set by the certified program, and interlock lease charges are set by the vendor. Pages that fold those provider prices into a statewide Ohio 'average' are estimating, and the estimate is not labelled as one.
There is likewise no published Ohio figure for the effect of an OVI on the price of insuring a car. The BMV's requirement is proof of financial responsibility — the filing covered on our SR-22 page — and the premium attached to that filing belongs to the insurer, not the state.
Common questions
- Why do older pages quote a $375 minimum fine?
- That was the pre-April 2025 floor. The current § 4511.19 sets the first-offence fine at $565 to $1,075, and the first-offence court suspension at one to three years.
- Can the three days be served in a program instead of jail?
- On a standard-tier first offence, yes — the court may suspend the three-day jail term for three consecutive days in a certified Driver Intervention Program, which the offender pays for.
- What does reinstatement cost at the BMV?
- The BMV reinstatement fee for an OVI suspension is $475, payable with proof of financial responsibility once the suspension and court conditions are complete.
Related cost guides: Ohio DUI costs overview, license reinstatement fees, SR-22 costs, second-offense DUI costs.
Sources: Ohio Revised Code §§ 4511.19 (effective April 9, 2025), 4511.191, 4510.021, 4510.022, 4510.13; Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles reinstatement-fee schedule. Last verified: October 2026. This page is educational information about costs only — not legal advice. Laws and fees change; confirm current figures with your court and your state's driver-licensing agency.