Ohio BMV Driver’s Manual 2026: The Digest of Motor Vehicle Laws

What’s in the Ohio permit book?

The Digest has 13 sections:

How to Get Your Driver License
Before You Drive
Be Alert
Rules of the Road
Learning to Drive
State Laws and Penalties
Special Driving Situations
Safe Driving Tips
Sharing the Road
Emergency Situations
Taking the Driving Test
Purchase Your Driver License
What Else Should I Know?

The BMV says to read the whole manual and to study Sections 2 to 10 for the knowledge test.

Where can you read the Ohio BMV driver’s manual?

The Digest is a set of web pages on the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s site, one per section, each with a link to print it. It doesn’t link a PDF version, and the pages show no edition date.

The Digest says it summarizes the law and doesn’t replace the Ohio Revised Code or the Ohio Administrative Code, that it may not cover every law, and that its information is subject to change.

Some Ohio driving laws in the Digest

Some of the laws in Section 6:

Driving without insurance is illegal; the minimums are $25,000 per person, $50,000 for two or more people and $25,000 for property damage
Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limits: .08% at any age, .04% for commercial drivers, .02% under 21
Six points within two years bring a warning letter, and 12 bring a suspension
Children under 4 or under 40 pounds ride in a child safety seat

The phone rules for each age are in Section 3, and the rules for teen drivers are on the temps and license pages.

See the temps rules →

Other Ohio manuals

For other licenses, the BMV points to:

The Motorcycle Operator Manual from Motorcycle Ohio, for motorcycles and scooters
The Ohio Commercial Driver License Manual (HSY 7605), with a Spanish version (HSY 7606), for commercial licenses

See the motorcycle rules →See the commercial license →