Whoever may be reading this, we hope you had a great 2024 and are looking to the future as we start 2025. Some years have seen many changes to Ohio criminal law, whereas others barely see any change. 2024 was a relatively static year, at least for the types of cases we handle. However, the start of a new year is always a good time to reflect on the state of things as they apply to you. For us, here are some of the most relevant areas of Ohio laws in 2025.
Ohio DUI/OVI 2025 Overview
Many people know this crime as “Driving Under the Influence” (DUI). Ohio law officially calls it “Operating a Vehicle Under the Influence” (OVI). We have written several recent articles on this subject, but we may not cover every factor that could affect an OVI case. Some of these factors include
The driver’s blood alcohol content (Bac)
This one of the main things that determines whether someone is OVI in the first place. But the seriousness of the OVI has more specific rules. The legal limit for an adult driver’s BAC in Ohio is less than 0.08%. Anything at 0.08% or above is illegal. But anything above 0.17% is considered a high test and can carry different penalties.
The driver’s age
The BAC requirements differ further for driver’s that are under the legal drinking age or juveniles of any kind. There are other differences in OVI laws for underage drivers as well.
THe driver’s record
The criminal record (or lack thereof) of the driver can also have an impact on an OVI case. Especially if a driver has a record of OVI, the penalty for subsequent OVIs can be different.
Other factors
The law itself is very expansive and complex. We did not mention all the situations covered by the law here. In addition, the justice system is meant to examine every case individually. There are things that can happen in each case as well as applicable case law that the Court can consider in an OVI case. If you need an OVI lawyer in Ohio, feel free to contact Dearie, Fischer & Martinson.
Expungement 2025 Overview
Similarly to OVI, we are not going to be able to cover everything related to Ohio expungement here. But going into 2025, many of the rules are the same as they were going into 2024. Nevertheless, some of the changes between 2018-2023 were significant to the laws that were in place before.
One of the biggest new changes is the ability to truly expunge many more adult criminal cases. 5 years ago, almost no adult criminal cases could be expunged. That is, the Court would almost never completely destroy an adult’s criminal record. Records of juvenile delinquency may have been eligible for expungement. But many adults could only have their criminal record sealed.
After the changes to Ohio expungement laws, people in Ohio can often have the Court approve applications for expungement. Oftentimes, they may be required to apply for sealing as well. And in some cases, offenders may choose to pursue sealing and not expungement. If you are unsure of how to proceed with a crime on your record, feel free to contact Dearie, Fischer & Martinson.
Domestic Violence 2025 Overview
Domestic Violence laws have not changed too much recently, at least not as far as Ohio Laws in 2025. Federally, some of the laws have changed in recent years, which affects every state including Ohio.
Section 3113.31 of the Ohio Revised Code defines “Domestic Violence” as
(a) The occurrence of one or more of the following acts against a family or household member:
(i) Attempting to cause or recklessly causing bodily injury;
(ii) Placing another person by the threat of force in fear of imminent serious physical harm or committing a violation of section 2903.211 or 2911.211 of the Revised Code;
(iii) Committing any act with respect to a child that would result in the child being an abused child, as defined in section 2151.031 of the Revised Code;
(iv) Committing a sexually oriented offense.
(b) The occurrence of one or more of the acts identified in divisions (A)(1)(a)(i) to (iv) of this section against a person with whom the respondent is or was in a dating relationship.
Ohio Juvenile Court 2025 Overview
Once again, we cannot cover everything that can happen in Ohio Juvenile Court. Some of the main things to keep in include the fact that juveniles are very rarely tried as criminals per se. Their cases are civil cases. However, the Juvenile justice system mirrors the criminal justice system for adults. If the Court believes that the Juvenile is guilty, the juvenile will still not be “found guilty” of a crime. Rather, they are “adjudicated delinquent” of a criminal act. While a delinquency adjudication is not ideal to have on your record, it is not technically a criminal conviction. Furthermore, some delinquencies are automatically expunged after a certain amount of time.
Conclusion
All of these areas Ohio laws in 2025 have many details that we cannot go over hear. Also there are other areas of the law that we have to consider on a regular basis. If you have other areas of the law you would like us to address, let us know in our comment section or on social media. If you need help with a criminal case in Southwest Ohio, please contact Dearie, Fischer & Martinson.
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