How Old Do You Have to Be to Drive in Each State?

Driving can be an exciting milestone for new drivers — one that people can reach at different times depending on where they live. U.S. states set their own laws for how old you must be to get a learner’s permit, but the minimum age is 14 to 16 years old. To get a license, minimum age requirements vary from 14 and a half to 17 years old.

As a parent or teen driver, you should know your state’s age limits for different licensing levels. Here’s the legal driving age for each state, restrictions to know, and tips for insuring a teen driver.

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Driving age by state

In the U.S., each state sets and enforces different regulations regarding how old you must be to get a learner’s permit and a full driver’s license. A teenager can typically obtain a driver’s license at 16 years of age and drive unrestricted at age 18, but some states have less stringent driving restrictions for teens.

If your teen has a learner’s permit or provisional license, you should be aware of potential driving restrictions like a nighttime curfew and passenger limits. These restraints will no longer apply once your teen has obtained their license.

Here’s a look at the minimum age to get a learner’s permit in every state:

Besides age limits for learner’s permits, states also have minimum age requirements for provisional driver’s licenses and restrictions on when teens can drive and with whom. The following table breaks down licensing rules in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

State	Learner’s Permit Minimum Age	Driver’s License Minimum Age	Nighttime Restrictions	Passenger Limits	When Restrictions End
Alabama	15	16	Midnight to 6 a.m. (with some exceptions)	1 passenger (other than parents, legal guardians, or family members)	17 and license held for six months
Alaska	14, and must hold permit for six months	16	1–5 a.m. (unless to or from a job)	No passengers younger than 21, unless they’re siblings or a parent/guardian is also in the car	18 or license held for six months, whichever comes first
Arizona	15 and a half	16	Midnight to 5 a.m. (with some exceptions)	No more than 1 passenger under 18 (unless passengers are driver’s siblings, or a parent or legal guardian is in the front passenger’s seat)	18 or after six months with a graduated license and clean driving record
Arkansas	14	16	11 p.m.–5 a.m. (with some exceptions)	No passengers under 18 (unless a licensed driver, 21 or older, rides in the front passenger seat)	18
California	15 and a half	16	11 p.m.–5 a.m. (with some exceptions)	No passengers younger than 20 (limited exceptions)	12 months after license
Colorado	15 and a half	16	Midnight to 5 a.m. (unless with a parent or legal guardian)	No passengers under 21 (unless accompanied by a licensed driver over 21) during first six months	Age 18 or 12 months after licensing, whichever comes first
Connecticut	16	16	11 p.m.–5 a.m. (exceptions for travel to job, school, religious activity, or medical necessity)	No passengers under 20 for first six months; only immediate family members in the second six months	Age 18, or 12 months after licensing
Delaware	16	17	May only drive 6 a.m.–10 p.m. unsupervised after 6 months, and 10 p.m.–6 a.m. under supervision	Only 1 passenger in addition to supervising driver during first 6 months	Age 17 and after 12 months driving on a learner’s permit
Florida	15	16 with valid permit for 1 year	Daylight hours for first 3 months, until 10 p.m. after 3 months for permit holders, 6 a.m.–11 p.m. for licensed 16-year-olds, and 5–1 a.m. for licensed 17-year-olds	None	18
Georgia	15	16	Midnight to 5 a.m., without exception	Only immediate family during first 6 months; during second 6 months, 1 non-family member under 21; after 12 months, 3 non-family member passengers under 21	18
Hawaii	15 years and six months, must hold permit for six months	16+	11 p.m.–5 a.m., unless for work or school activity	Only 1 passenger under 18	17 and have completed at least 6 months on provisional license
Idaho	14 years and six months	15	Daylight hours only unless supervised	Only 1 non-family passenger younger than 17 during first 6 months	17 or after 6 months
Illinois	15	16	10 p.m.–6 a.m. Sunday–Thursday, 11 p.m.–6 a.m. Saturdays	Only 1 non-family member under 20	18 or after 12 months of full licensing
Indiana	15 with driver education, 16 without driver education	16 and 3 months with driver education; 16 and 9 months without driver education	10 p.m.–5 a.m. for 180 days after probationary licensing; after 180 days, 1 a.m.–5 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, 11 p.m.–5 a.m. Monday–Friday; exemptions for travel to or from work, school, or a religious event	No non-family passengers for 180 days after probationary licensing, unless supervised by a licensed adult older than 25	18
Iowa	14	16	12:30–5 a.m. unless supervised	Only 1 non-family member under 18 for first 6 months	18
Kansas	14	15	For 15-year-olds, no time restriction for driving with supervision; unsupervised, restricted to school or religious activity; for 16-year-olds, 9 p.m.–5 a.m., unless to or from work, school, or religious activity	No non-sibling minors for 15-year-old drivers; 1 non-sibling minor for 16-year-old drivers	17
Kentucky	16	16 years and 6 months	Midnight to 6 a.m. unless for work, school, or emergency	1 non-family member younger than 20	18
Louisiana	15	16	11 p.m.–5 a.m.	1 non-family passenger under 21	17
Maine	15	15 years and 6 months	Midnight to 5 a.m.	No non-family passengers unless supervised	18
Maryland	15 years and 9 months	16 years and 6 months	Midnight to 5 a.m.	No non-family passengers under 18 for first 5 months, unless supervised	18
Massachusetts	16	16 years and 6 months	12:30–5 a.m.	No non-family minor passengers for first 6 months	18
Michigan	14 years, 8 months	16	10 p.m.–5 a.m., unless driving for work, school, sport participation, extracurricular activity, or religious activity	Only 1 non-family passenger under 21	17
Minnesota	15	16	Midnight to 5 a.m. for first 6 months, unless driving for work or certain school events	1 passenger younger than 20 for first 6 months, up to 3 in second 6 months	17 if driver has held a provisional license for at least 12 months
Mississippi	15	16	10 p.m.–6 a.m. Sunday–Thursday, 11:30 p.m.–6 a.m. Friday and Saturday		17
Missouri	15	16	1–5 a.m. unless driving to school activities, a job, or for an emergency	1 non-family passenger under 19 for first 6 months, then 3 non-family members under 19	18
Montana	14 and 6 months	15	11 p.m.–5 a.m.	1 non-family passenger for first 6 months, up to 3 for the next 6 months	18, or after 1 year with a restricted license
Nebraska	14 and 2 months	16	Midnight to 6 a.m.	1 non-family member under 19 for first 6 months	17, or after 1 year with a provisional operator’s permit (POP)
Nevada	15 years and 6 months	16	10 p.m.–5 a.m.	No non-family passengers under 18 for first 6 months	18
New Hampshire	15 years and 9 months	16	1–4 a.m.	1 non-family member under 25 for first 6 months	18, or after 6 months of licensed driving
New Jersey	16	17	11:01 p.m.–5 a.m.	1 passenger	18 with 1 year on probationary license
New Mexico	15	15 years and 6 months	Midnight to 5 a.m.	1 non-family passenger	18
New York	16	16 years and 6 months	9 p.m.–5 a.m. (Differs for New York City and Long Island)	1 non-family passenger under 21	17 with driver education, 18 without it
North Carolina	15	16	9 p.m.–5 a.m.	1 non-household passenger under 21 and 1 household passenger under 21	16 with at least 6 months on a provisional license
North Dakota	14	15	Sunset or 9 p.m.–5 a.m.	None	16
Ohio	15 years and 6 months	16	Midnight to 6 a.m.	1 non-family passenger for first 12 months	18
Oklahoma	15	16	10 p.m.–5 a.m.	1 non-household passenger	16 years, 6 months
Oregon	15	16	Midnight to 5 a.m.	1 non-family member under 20 for first 6 months, no more than 3 passengers under 20 for next 6 months	18
Pennsylvania	16	16 years and 6 months	11 p.m.–5 a.m.	1 passenger under 18 who’s not an immediate family member, parent, or guardian	18
Rhode Island	16	16 years and 6 months	1–5 a.m.	1 passenger younger than 21 who’s not a family member	17 after 12 months on a provisional license
South Carolina	15	15 years and 6 months	6 p.m. (8 p.m. during daylight saving) to 6 a.m.	2 passengers younger than 21	17
South Dakota	14	14 years and 9 months, or 14 years and 6 months with driver’s education	10 p.m.–6 a.m.	No non-family passengers for first 6 months, 1 passenger under 18 for the next 6 months	16
Tennessee	15	16	11 p.m.–6 a.m.	Only 1 passenger	18
Texas	15	16	Midnight to 5 a.m.	Only 1 non-family member younger than 21	18
Utah	15	16	Midnight to 5 a.m.	Only immediate family members	17 (after being licensed 6 months) or 18
Vermont	15	16	None	No passengers for first 3 months, only family members in the next 3 months	After 6 months of licensed driving, or age 18
Virginia	15 years and 6 months	16 years and 3 months	Midnight to 4 a.m.	1 passenger younger than 21	18
Washington	15 (with driver training course)	16 (with driving training course)	1–5 a.m.	No non-family passengers under 20 for first 6 months, no more than 3 passengers younger than 20 for next 6 months	18
Washington, D.C.	16	17	11 p.m.–6 a.m. Sunday to Thursday and midnight to 6 a.m. on Friday and Saturday during September through June; midnight to 6 a.m. daily in July and August	Limited to 2 non-sibling passengers younger than 21	18
West Virginia	15	16	10 p.m.–5 a.m.	No non-family passengers under 20 for first 6 months, 1 non-family member under 20 for the next 6 months	18
Wisconsin	15	15 years and 6 months (driving on instruction permit for 6 months)	Midnight to 5 a.m.	1 non-family member 21 or older	18
Wyoming	15 (14 with hardship permit)	16	11 p.m.–5 a.m.	1 non-family member passenger younger than 18	17

Learner’s permit vs. driver’s license

Learner’s permits and driver’s licenses allow Americans to drive on public roads. But they differ in some important ways. A learner’s permit usually has restrictions, while a driver’s license doesn’t, except for traffic rules.

A learner’s permit — or instruction permit — allows new drivers to practice under the guidance of a legal guardian. As the previous table shows, most states have driving curfews and passenger limits for new drivers.

You may need to pass a driver’s test that includes a written exam and vision exam to get your learner’s permit. Most states require drivers to be at least 15 and a half years old to get a permit.

After getting your learner’s permit, you may have to take state-approved driver’s education courses and drive a certain amount of time under supervision before you can take a driving test to get your driver’s license. Even with a learner’s permit, you generally can’t drive a car on public roads without another fully licensed driver with you.

Once you have a driver’s license, you can drive a car on public roads by yourself, with some restrictions that vary among states. You can upgrade to an unrestricted driver’s license by holding your intermediate license for a specific time, reaching a specific age, or both.

Your state determines how old you must be to get your provisional license, and the range of minimum licensing ages is broad — from 14 and a half in South Dakota to 17 years old in Washington, D.C., New Jersey, and Delaware. Most states lift restrictions when drivers reach age 18.

What is a graduated driver’s licensing program?

A graduated driver’s licensing (GDL) program is a three-stage driving education system for young drivers.^[?]

Studies show that graduated licensing systems significantly reduce teen crashes and their insurance losses.^[?]

Graduated driver’s license stages

Florida took the lead in improving teen driver safety, rolling out the nation’s first GDL program in 1996. Now, all states have GDL systems that move young drivers toward full licensing in three stages:

1. Learner’s permit: New drivers practice behind the wheel under the supervision of a licensed driver. States typically specify how long you must drive on a permit and the number of hours you must log before you can move to the next stage of the GDL system.

2. Provisional license: Also called an intermediate license in some states, a provisional license allows you to drive without supervision. At this stage, you’ll likely have limitations on the hours you can drive and the number and age of passengers you can have in your vehicle. Like a learner’s permit, you’ll have to drive on a provisional license for a set amount of time before moving to the next stage.

3. Unrestricted driver’s license: Most states allow drivers to obtain an unrestricted license when they reach age 18. Some states allow you to get a full license earlier if you meet certain requirements, like driving for a specified number of months on a provisional license. An unrestricted license means you can drive at any time of the day or night, with as many passengers as your vehicle has seat belts for.

State driving restrictions

Most states have some restrictions on when you can drive on a permit or provisional license, including:

• Hours when you can’t drive unsupervised

• The number of passengers you can carry

• Who you can drive with unsupervised (for example, family members or people older than 18)

Even when you get your full, unrestricted license, you’ll still have to follow your state’s safe driving laws. For example, your state may prohibit drivers from using their cell phones while driving. And your state will likely have various speed limit rules to follow.

Legal consequences of driving without a license

Driving without a valid license is a serious offense, no matter your age. Adult motorists who get behind the wheel without a license can face fines, license suspension, and even jail time.

While teens who violate their state’s GDL rules probably won’t face jail, most states will revoke their learner’s permit or provisional license.

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Adding a teen driver to a car insurance policy

You’ll likely see a spike in rates when you add a teen to your insurance policy. Insurance companies generally consider younger drivers riskier to insure because they have less experience operating a vehicle.^[?] Still, adding a teen driver to a parent’s policy is almost always cheaper than getting them their own car insurance.

Average car insurance premiums for teenagers with their own policies are $342 per month for full coverage and $193 for minimum coverage. Averages vary based on the state and other factors, like the vehicle a teen drives and how far they drive.

Fortunately, you can take steps to lower your rates if you add a teenager to your car insurance policy:

• Look for student-centric discounts, like for good grades, taking defensive driving courses, or college students who are away at school.

• Encourage safe driving habits so your teen avoids accidents when possible — this can also decrease premiums if they remain claims-free.

• Insure your teen’s car with your current policy to potentially get a multi-car discount.

• Raise your deductible, which can lower your premiums. But this will increase the amount you pay out of pocket when filing a claim.^[?]

Driving age FAQs