Ohio law requires financial responsibility in the minimum amount of $12,500 for bodily injury to or death of one individual in any one accident, $25,000 for bodily injury to or death of two or more individuals in any one accident, and $7,500 for injury to the property of others in any one accident.

So in Ohio it is illegal to drive any motor vehicle without insurance or another type of approved financial responsibility (FR) proof. Ohio Revised Code (ORC) Section 4509.101 prohibits an individual from operating a motor vehicle in Ohio without maintaining proof of FR continuously throughout the registration period with respect to that vehicle, or, in the case of a driver who is not the owner, with respect to that driver's operation of that vehicle.

If you receive a traffic ticket indicating that proof of FR was not produced, you must submit proof to the traffic violations bureau along with payment of a fine and costs for the traffic citation. If instead you are required to appear in court you must submit proof of FR to the court.

Failure to provide proof of financial responsibility in OH will result in the following civil penalties by the Register of Motor Vehicles:

• Lose driving privileges for a minimum of 90 days and up to 2 years;
• License plates and vehicle registration suspension;
• License plate reinstatement fees of $125 for first violation;
• Require to file with the OH BMV a SR-22 or bond to continuously maintain proof of financial responsibility for a minimum of 3 years up to 5 years from the date of the suspension the driver's license;
• Vehicle immobilization and confiscation of plates for 30 to 60 days if the driver violates the suspension.

The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) notes that driving and registration privileges cannot be restored until all requirements of the suspension have been met.

If you are involved in a accident without insurance, or other FR coverage, additional penalties may apply. You may have a security suspension of your license for 2 years or more and a judgment suspension for an indefinite period, until damages are paid if you were at fault.

You will likely also be required to maintain special FR coverage on file with the OH BMV for a period of 3 to 5 years. This is typically taken care of through a SR-22 certificate.