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Regain Your Driving Privileges in Columbus

After being arrested for an OVI, you are asked to submit to a chemical test. If you test over the legal limit or refuse to submit to a chemical test, your license will be suspended. You have work, you have school, and you have a family. You obviously want to regain your ability to drive as quickly as possible. Two ways to regain your driving privileges in Columbus include requesting a stay of your administrative license suspension and requesting limited driving privileges.

Stay of Administrative License Suspension

Requesting a stay of your administrative license suspension will generally occur at your initial court date. At that time, your attorney will request that the judge issue a stay. If the judge stays your administrative license suspension, you will have your full license back immediately. You will have no restrictions or limitations on where and when you can drive. You should receive a certified copy of a Bureau of Motor Vehicle (BMV) Form 2261. You can take the certified copy to a BMV reinstatement office and have a replacement driver’s license made.

Limited Driving Privileges in Columbus

Requesting limited driving privileges is an alternative to requesting a stay of the administrative license suspension. As opposed to the stay, driving privileges are limited to education, vocational and work-related activities. Medical needs are generally granted as well.

You will have to wait a designated period of time before you are eligible for limited driving privileges. This is often called “hard time.” There are different “hard times” for submitting and failing a chemical test, or refusing. There are also different “hard times” based on prior refusals, convictions and guilty pleas within six years. Please see the chart below to determine how long you will have to wait to be eligible for limited driving privileges.

Limited Driving Privileges Waiting Period – “Hard Time”

Refusal of Chemical Test

(Based on prior refusals, convictions and guilty pleas within six years)

No priors After 30 days
One prior After 90 days
Two priors After 1 year
Three priors After 3 years

Failed Chemical Test

(Based on prior refusals, convictions and guilty pleas within six years)

No priors After 15 days
One prior After 45 days
Two priors After 180 days
Three priors After 3 years

Please click on the Administrative License Suspension page for additional information about the length of time your license will be suspended by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

Please click on the Administrative License Suspension Appeal page for additional information about the process of fighting a BMV suspension and the legal issues our Columbus criminal defense team looks for.

In every OVI case, LHA looks to help our client regain their ability to drive as quickly as possible. We go over our client’s options and carefully explain the positives and negatives with respect to requesting a stay of the administrative license suspension or limited driving privileges.

Need Help to Regain Your Ohio Driving Privileges? Contact our Columbus DUI Lawyers today

If you’ve been charged with a OVI / DUI, it’s important to know what you’re up against especially when your driving privileges are on the line. If you have any questions left unanswered by this page, or if you need a competent, experienced Columbus DUI lawyer to fight for you in court, please contact us at (614) 500-3836 or via email at advice@columbuscriminalattorney.com.

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