How Old Do You Have to Be to Drive in Each State?
In most states, you can get your license at 16, but you can start driving earlier with your learner's permit.
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Usually, you have to be between 14 and 16 to get your permit. You can legally drive with a permit, but you generally have to have a licensed adult, such as a parent, in the car with you. And when you first get your license, you'll have restrictions on when you can drive and if you can have passengers in the car.
At what age can you get your license?
In most states, you can get your license at 16.
However, you'll likely have restrictions on your license, such as not being allowed to drive at night or to have passengers in your car. This is because teen licenses have different stages, known as graduated licensing."
In most states, you have to be at least 17 to get a full license, meaning you no longer have any nighttime driving or passenger restrictions. It's also common to have to wait until you turn 18 to get a full license.
At what age can you get a permit?
Because state laws vary so much, the best way to find out when you can get your permit is to contact your local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Usually, you can get your permit at around age 15, although in some states you can get it as young as 14. In these cases, however, there could be some restrictions. For example, in Nebraska, you can get a permit if you're 14 years and two months old and you live or go to school outside of a metropolitan area. Otherwise, you usually have to wait until you're 15 to get a permit.
In some states, you can drive without a permit if you meet certain requirements. In Delaware, for example, you don't need a permit if you're driving with a driver education teacher.
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When you have your permit, you usually have to meet some requirements before you can get your license. This typically involves having your permit for six months to a year and logging a certain number of hours of supervised driving with a licensed driver.
Learner's permit and driver's license ages by state
State | Min. age for a permit | Min. age for a restricted license | Min. age for a full license |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| Alaska | 14 | 16 | 16 and a half |
| Arizona | 15 and a half | 16 | 16 and a half |
| Arkansas | 14 | 16 | 18 |
| California | 15 and a half | 16 | 17 |
Source: IIHS. A full license means no driving restrictions. Contact your state's DMV for specific info.
What is graduated driver licensing?
Teen drivers have to go through stages when they start to drive. This is called "graduated licensing" because it allows you to gradually practice driving and give you more driving privileges in stages.
The graduated licensing process has three stages:
- Learner stage: Also called a "learner's permit," this is the stage during which you start to learn how to drive. You usually have to have a licensed driver in the car with you, and you have to rack up a certain number of driving hours before you can move on.
- Intermediate stage: This is the stage when you first get your license but don't yet have full driving privileges. For example, you might not be allowed to drive after dark and you probably won't be allowed to have passengers in your car.
- Unrestricted stage: At this point, you have your full license. You can have passengers in your car and drive after dark.
The rules around each stage depend on where you live. You might be able to get your permit at 14, for example, or you might have to wait until you're 16.
Does a teenager with a learner's permit need insurance?
Teens with learner's permits generally need to have car insurance.
But teens under 18 usually can't get their own policy because they're not legal adults. Instead, parents will typically add permitted teens to their car insurance policy. This ensures that permitted drivers are covered while they're learning to drive, which is especially important because teens have a higher risk of accidents than any other age group.
However, some insurance companies will only list teens who have a license on policies and won't add teens who have only a permit. In this case, parents won't see their rate increase for adding a driver with a permit. But it's always a good idea for parents to talk to their insurance company to make sure the insurance knows there's a driver with a permit in the household.
Common restrictions on teen licenses
No matter where you live, you'll have some restrictions on your license when you first get it.
The most common restrictions are on nighttime driving and having passengers in your car. States may also have additional restrictions. For example, 37 states and Washington, D.C., ban young drivers from using cell phones while driving.
Nighttime driving restrictions
In every state except Vermont, newly licensed drivers aren't allowed to drive at night.
The exact hours change depending on where you live and, sometimes, your age or how long you've been licensed. In Florida, for example, 16-year-olds can't drive between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., but the restriction for 17-year-olds is 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. In Indiana, your age doesn't matter, but you can't drive between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. for the first six months of having your license. But in Maryland, all drivers in the intermediate stage are banned from driving between midnight and 5 a.m.
Nighttime driving is riskier because it makes seeing the road harder. You might not see someone crossing the street, for example, or you may not realize that the road is curving until it's too late to slow down. All drivers, no matter how old they are, are more likely to get into a fatal crash at night. Restricting young drivers from driving at night gives them time to grow their driving skills so they're better prepared for the increased risk.
Sometimes, the exact times of the restrictions change depending on the day of the week or the time of year. In Illinois, for example, you can't drive between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday. But on Friday and Saturday, the time pushes back to 11 p.m. And in Washington, D.C., you can drive a bit later into the night in summer than you can in fall and winter.
Passenger restrictions
In every state except Florida, Mississippi and North Dakota, you'll have to follow rules about how many passengers you can have in your car while you're in the intermediate stage of your license. In Iowa, you can have passengers, but only if your parents give you permission.
In Tennessee, for example, you can't have more than one passenger in your car, no matter how old they are. But in North Carolina, you're only restricted from having more than one passenger who is under 21. Just like with nighttime driving, these restrictions sometimes change depending on how long you've had your license.
Usually, family members are an exception to this rule, which means it's okay for young drivers to have family members in the car. However, it's a good idea to check this with your state's DMV, to make sure.
Frequently asked questions
In which state can you drive at 14?
You can get your permit at age 14 in Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, North Dakota and South Dakota. In Idaho and Montana, you can get your permit at 14 and a half, and in Michigan, you can get it at 14 years and 9 months old.
Can you drive at 16 in NY?
You can get your learner's permit at age 16 in New York. Before you get your license, you have to hold your permit for at least six months and drive for 50 hours, 15 of which must be at night, with a licensed driver. During the intermediate stage of your licensing process, you can't have more than one passenger under 21 in the car with you. You also can't drive between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. If you live in New York City, you have to have a licensed driver with you at all times during this stage. If you live on Long Island, you can only drive between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m., and only if you're going to work, school or a driver's education class.
Can you drive at 15 in Colorado?
You can get your permit at age 15 in Colorado, but only if you have completed a driver's education course within six months of applying for a permit.
Sources
State-level permit and license data is from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Highway Loss Data Institute (IIHS-HLDI) and is accurate as of June 2025. Other sources include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA).
State laws may change. Contact your local Department of Motor Vehicles for more info about getting a permit and license.
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