I have a car and I attend OSU grad school. I just moved here this August but kept my out of state license. I just found out that you have to switch your license to an Ohio license within 30 days of moving here. I’m well over the 30 days and will move after grad school somewhere else.
I) do I really need an Ohio license? I didn’t switch my license when I went to undergrad also out of state but I didn’t drive in that state
2) since it’s been over 30 days, will I face any legal issues/fines if I switch my license right now?
a lot of states have exceptions for students as they do not consider them permanent residents. not sure if Ohio is like this. though it is worth noting if you are going to try to get in state residency, you need to be considered a permanent resident of Ohio and thus switch everything and anything from out of state to Ohio.
if you are not required to, the other thing also worth looking into is the cost of your licenses and car registration in your home state verse Ohio. Ohio may be cheaper particuarly if you are from out west. if you are here for a while, may be worth the hassle to save you a lot of money.
Do you go home for breaks or do you have an apartment you live in with all your stuff full time? Depending on the program, if you're here year round I'd consider it becoming a resident.
Unless you straight up tell them I've been here for more than 30 days, I doubt there will be an issue.
Beware that Ohio has like 2-3 different offices you need to visit to fully transfer your license, title, and registration.
I go home for breaks. And what are the 2-3 different offices? My dad is also on the title of the car with me so would I need to change my registration and insurance if he still permanently resides in my home state
Since you don't stay over the summer, I'd think you wouldn't necessarily need to change anything, but this would probably be a good question to your advisor (or similar).
Ohio has Clerk of Courts Title Offices (Title) and Deputy Registrar Licensing Agencies (License & Registration). Before transferring your title, you need an out of state inspection (some auto shops or the Registrar) and you need to transfer the title before getting your registration. A power of attorney form would likely be necessary for the title transfer and registration since your dad is on the title.
I would imagine your insurance may have a problem with a car being garaged at a different permanent residence than what they're covering (if that's really the case versus this being temporary).
I was there for grad school for two years and never changed my ID because I moved back to my original state right after. It’s more case by case
Regarding your second point, I didn’t change my license from my out of state one until I’d been living here for like two years. I had no issues in changing it when I did.