Ohio Revised Code
Chapter 4501 | Motor Vehicles - Definitions; General Provisions
Section 4501.271 | Confidentiality of Peace Officer's Residence Address or Use of Business Address.

Effective: September 10, 2012
Latest Legislation: House Bill 487 - 129th General Assembly
(A)(1) A peace officer, correctional employee, or youth services employee may file a written request with the bureau of motor vehicles to do either or both of the following:
(a) Prohibit disclosure of the officer's or employee's residence address as contained in motor vehicle records of the bureau;
(b) Provide a business address to be displayed on the officer's or employee's driver's license or certificate of registration, or both.
(2) The officer or employee shall file the request described in division (A)(1) of this section on a form provided by the registrar of motor vehicles and shall provide any documentary evidence verifying the person's status as a peace officer, correctional employee, or youth services employee and the officer's or employee's business address that the registrar requires pursuant to division (G) of this section.
(B)(1) Except as provided in division (C) of this section, if a peace officer, correctional employee, or youth services employee has filed a request under division (A) of this section, neither the registrar nor an employee or contractor of the bureau of motor vehicles shall knowingly disclose the residence address of the officer or employee that the bureau obtained in connection with a motor vehicle record.
(2) In accordance with section 149.43 of the Revised Code, the registrar or an employee or contractor of the bureau shall make available for inspection or copying a motor vehicle record of a peace officer, correctional employee, or youth services employee who has filed a request under division (A) of this section if the record is a public record under that section, but shall obliterate the residence address of the officer or employee from the record before making the record available for inspection or copying. The business address of the officer or employee may be made available in response to a valid request under section 149.43 of the Revised Code.
(C) Notwithstanding division (B)(2) of section 4501.27 of the Revised Code, the registrar or an employee or contractor of the bureau may disclose the residence address of a peace officer, correctional employee, or youth services employee who files a request under division (A) of this section only in accordance with division (B)(1) of section 4501.27 of the Revised Code or pursuant to a court order.
(D) If a peace officer, correctional employee, or youth services employee files a request under division (A)(1)(b) of this section, the officer shall still provide a residence address in any application for a driver's license or license renewal and in any application for a motor vehicle registration or registration renewal. In accordance with sections 4503.101 and 4507.09 of the Revised Code, an officer or employee shall notify the registrar of any change in the officer's or employee's residence within ten days after the change occurs.
(E) A certificate of registration issued to a peace officer, correctional employee, or youth services employee who files a request under division (A)(1)(b) of this section shall display the business address of the officer. Notwithstanding section 4507.13 of the Revised Code, a driver's license issued to an officer or employee who files a request under division (A)(1)(b) of this section shall display the business address of the officer or employee.
(F) The registrar may utilize the residence address of a peace officer, correctional employee, or youth services employee who files a request under division (A)(1)(b) of this section in carrying out the functions of the bureau of motor vehicles, including determining the district of registration for any applicable motor vehicle tax levied under Chapter 4504. of the Revised Code, determining whether tailpipe emissions inspections are required, and financial responsibility verification.
(G) The registrar shall adopt rules governing a request for confidentiality of a peace officer's, correctional employee's, or youth services employee's residence address or use of a business address, including the documentary evidence required to verify the person's status as a peace officer, correctional employee, or youth services employee, the length of time that the request will be valid, procedures for ensuring that the bureau of motor vehicles receives notice of any change in a person's status as a peace officer, correctional employee, or youth services employee, and any other procedures the registrar considers necessary. The rules of the registrar may require an officer or employee to surrender any certificate of registration and any driver's license bearing the business address of the officer or employee and, upon payment of any applicable fees, to receive a certificate of registration and license bearing the officer's or employee's residence address, whenever the officer or employee no longer is associated with that business address.
(H) As used in this section:
(1) "Motor vehicle record" has the same meaning as in section 4501.27 of the Revised Code.
(2) "Peace officer" means those persons described in division (A)(1), (2), (4), (5), (6), (9), (10), (12), (13), or (15) of section 109.71 of the Revised Code, an officer, agent, or employee of the state or any of its agencies, instrumentalities, or political subdivisions, upon whom, by statute, a duty to conserve the peace or to enforce all or certain laws is imposed and the authority to arrest violators is conferred, within the limits of that statutory duty and authority, an investigator of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation as defined in section 2903.11 of the Revised Code, the house sergeant at arms appointed under division (B)(1) of section 101.311 of the Revised Code, any assistant sergeant at arms appointed under division (C)(1) of section 101.311 of the Revised Code, the senate sergeant at arms, and an assistant senate sergeant at arms. "Peace officer" includes state highway patrol troopers but does not include the sheriff of a county or a supervisory employee who, in the absence of the sheriff, is authorized to stand in for, exercise the authority of, and perform the duties of the sheriff.
(3) "Correctional employee" and "youth services employee" have the same meanings as in section 149.43 of the Revised Code.

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