In the state of Ohio, law enforcement typically cites offenders of driving drunk with an OVI meaning Operating a Vehicle under the Influence whereas many other states label it DUI for Driving Under the Influence. In either case, the citation is not taken lightly and the consequences are quite severe if you are found guilty.

For your first offense, you can spend anywhere between 3 days to 6 months in jail. The fines can range between $250 and $1,000, and you can suffer a driver’s license suspension from 6 months to 3 years.

There is a 6 year period of time that the state of Ohio uses to calculate multiple OVI/DUI offenses. This simply means that if you are found guilty of an OVI/DUI in 2015 and then convicted again in 2017, the second conviction will result in consequences of a second offense rather than if the second conviction happened in 2022 the consequences would be that of a first offense.

The second OVI/DUI conviction results in 10 days to 1 year in jail time with a fine of $350 to $1,500. Your license will be suspended anywhere from 1 year to 5 years.

If you still haven’t learned your lesson from your first two OVI/DUI convictions, and you are found guilty of driving intoxicated for a third time in 6 years, you will spend a minimum of 1 month in jail and as much as 1 year. You will be fined $350 to $1,500 and have your license suspended anywhere from 1 year to 10 years. That could be a decade without driving your own car, and when you are finally issued another driver’s license, an interlock ignition device will be installed. (Read more on Interlock Ignition Devices). Bummer.

Ultimately, the fourth offense for an OVI/DUI means you will find yourself in jail for 60 days to 1 year with fines ranging $800 to $10,000. The minimum license suspension time is 3 years, but you can ultimately serve the rest of your life license-free with your fourth OVI offense. If you’re lucky enough to get your driver’s license back, you can count on an interlock ignition device being installed in your car.