Ohio Widens Duty to ID in Traffic Stops, Effective Today
Ohio House Bill 492 took effect October 6, 2026, amending Ohio Revised Code section 4513.36. The law does two things. First, it broadens the existing ban on interfering with an arrest. Previously the prohibition covered arrests for violations of a specific list of traffic sections. The amended statute now covers interference with an arrest for a violation of any section in Title XLV of the Revised Code, Ohio's motor vehicle title, or a substantially equivalent municipal ordinance. That is a wider sweep than the old list-based approach.
Second, the bill creates a new duty to identify. Both the operator and any passenger of a motor vehicle, motorcycle, moped, utility vehicle, snowmobile, watercraft or aircraft must give their name, address and date of birth if a peace officer reasonably suspects a Title XLV violation. The law does not require answering any other questions, and a person can decline to state age or date of birth if age itself is an element of the suspected offense.
Penalties differ: interfering with an arrest under the statute is a minor misdemeanor of the second degree, while refusing the new identification request is a fourth-degree misdemeanor. For commercial drivers, Title XLV covers most of Ohio's traffic and vehicle-equipment law, so the broadened interference provision and the ID duty both reach routine CDL enforcement stops.
All sources
- HB 492: Ohio General Assembly
