Permit rules and dates
Driver education requirements in every state
Pick a state: the tool quotes its driver education rule next to the permit age and the supervised hours. The table below classifies every state rule we could confirm.
Driver education rules in your state
Permit in California from
15½
| Supervised hours | 50 h |
under 18: driver education before the permit, plus driver training (behind-the-wheel) before the drive test
Whether a teen must take a driver education course depends entirely on the state. Of the 47 jurisdictions in our data with a published rule, 29 make an approved course a requirement for drivers under 18, usually before the permit or before the provisional license; 16 do not require it; and 2 tie it to a particular age or licensing route. Where the course is required, the usual format is about 30 hours of classroom or online instruction and 6 hours behind the wheel with an instructor, though the exact hours are set by each state. Where it is optional, the course often still pays off: several states shorten the supervised practice log, the holding period or the wait for an unrestricted license for teens who complete it. Adults are mostly exempt, with a few states extending a shorter course to young adults. Our figures quote each agency's rule; the course provider must be one the state approves.
Questions and state rules by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the questions are written
Driver education rules, state by state
The category in the second column is read from the opening of each official rule: "Required" when the agency states the course is required for teens, "Not required" when it states the opposite, and "Depends on age or route" when the rule applies only to some ages or license paths. The third column quotes the rule as recorded from the agency page. The supervised hours are shown alongside because the two often interact.
| State | Category | Official rule | Practice hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Not required | not required (approved driver education is an alternative to the 50 practice hours) | 50 |
| Alaska | Not required | not required | 40 |
| Arizona | Not required | not required (approved driver education replaces the 30 supervised hours) | 30 |
| Arkansas | Not required | not required | not stated |
| California | Depends on age or route | under 18: driver education before the permit, plus driver training (behind-the-wheel) before the drive test | 50 |
| Colorado | Required | required for a permit at 15 (30-hour classroom course); at 15.5 a 4-hour Driver Awareness Program (or 30-h course); none at 16+ | 50 |
| Connecticut | Required | required for 16-17: 30 h classroom (incl. 8-h safe driving practices) + 2-h parent class, or home training (22 h + 8-h course) + 40 h practice | 40 |
| Delaware | Required | required under 18 (certified Delaware driver education course before the Level One permit) | 50 |
| District of Columbia | Not required | not required (encouraged) | 40 |
| Florida | Required | required for the learner's license (department-approved driver education course) | 50 |
| Georgia | Required | required for Class D at 16 and 17 (Joshua's Law: 30 h classroom/online + 6 h behind the wheel or parent-taught program), plus ADAP | 40 |
| Hawaii | Required | required for the provisional license under 18 (state-certified classroom + behind-the-wheel) | not stated |
| Idaho | Required | required under 17 (30 h classroom, 6 h observation, 6 h behind the wheel) | 50 |
| Illinois | Required | Required under 18 (at least 30 hours of classroom and 6 hours behind the wheel); first-time applicants aged 18-20 without it take a 6-hour adult driver education course. | 50 |
| Indiana | Not required | not required (needed for permit at 15 and license at 16; otherwise license at 16 years 270 days) | 50 |
| Iowa | Required | required for the intermediate license (under 18) | 20 |
| Kansas | Required | required only for the restricted license at 15; not required at 16 | 50 |
| Kentucky | Required | required under 18: 4-hour Graduated Driver Licensing course before the full license | 60 |
| Louisiana | Required | required (38-hour driver education course) for the learner's permit at 15, or for a full license at 17 without intermediate | 50 |
| Maine | Required | required under 18 (driver education certificate needed for the permit application and the license) | 70 |
| Maryland | Required | required (30 h classroom + 6 h driving instruction) before the provisional license test | 60 |
| Minnesota | Required | required under 18 | 50 |
| Mississippi | Depends on age or route | Not yet required for the Regular license; required from July 1, 2027 (already required for a hardship license) | 50 |
| Missouri | Not required | not required | 40 |
| Montana | Required | Required for licensing under 18: an approved traffic education course (traditional or DOJ-approved alternative) per MCA 61-5-132 | 50 |
| Nebraska | Not required | Not required: a DMV-approved driver safety course OR a 50-hour supervised driving certification (10 at night) is required for the POP/School Permit | 50 |
| Nevada | Required | Required for applicants under 18 (DMV-approved classroom or online course); if no approved school within 30 miles and no internet access, 100 hours of logged driving instead | 50 |
| New Hampshire | Required | Required for all applicants under 18 (30 h classroom, 10 h behind the wheel, 6 h observation) | 40 |
| New Jersey | Not required | Not required for the age-17 examination permit route; a 6-hour behind-the-wheel course is required only for the age-16 Special Learner Permit | 50 |
| New Mexico | Required | Required under 18: TSB-approved driver education with a 3-hour DWI component. | 50 |
| New York | Not required | Not required; a 5-hour pre-licensing course (or a driver education course) is required before the road test. Driver education allows the senior Class D license at 17. | 50 |
| North Carolina | Required | Required for all permit applicants under 18: approved course of at least 30 hours classroom + 6 hours behind the wheel. | 60 |
| North Dakota | Required | Required for applicants under 16 (driver education Certificate of Training for the road test: 30 h classroom + 6 h behind the wheel via DPI, or 6 h behind the wheel at an approved commercial school). | 50 |
| Ohio | Required | Required under 18 (and also for first-time applicants 18-20): licensed driver training school, 24 hours classroom/online + 8 hours driving. | 50 |
| Oklahoma | Not required | Not required; driver education (school, commercial or parent-taught) allows permit at 15, intermediate at 16 and earlier removal of restrictions. | not stated |
| Oregon | Not required | Not required; ODOT-approved traffic safety education reduces supervised hours from 100 to 50. | 100 |
| Pennsylvania | Not required | Not required; approved driver education only allows an unrestricted license before 18. | 65 |
| South Carolina | Required | Required for the conditional (15) and special restricted (16) licenses: driver's education course from a licensed driving school or high school. | 40 |
| South Dakota | Not required | Not required; approved driver education shortens the instruction-permit holding period from 275 to 180 days. | 50 |
| Texas | Required | Required for all applicants under 25 (teens: 24 h classroom + 44 h in-car, via school, provider or parent-taught program; 18-24: 6-hour adult course). | 30 |
| Utah | Required | Required for applicants under 19: driver education at a licensed commercial driver training school or approved program (19+ may substitute 3-month permit + 40 certified hours). | 40 |
| Vermont | Required | Required for all 16-17 year-olds: state-approved course of 30 h classroom, 6 h behind the wheel, 6 h observation. | 40 |
| Virginia | Required | Required under 18: state-approved driver education (36 classroom periods + 14 in-car periods: 7 driving, 7 observation). From Jan 1, 2027 new training requirements also apply to first-time applicants 18-20. | 45 |
| Washington | Required | Required to get a license before 18: approved driver training course (30 h classroom + 6 h behind the wheel). | 50 |
| West Virginia | Not required | Not required; an approved driver education course can replace the 50-hour log. | 50 |
| Wisconsin | Required | Required under 18: enrollment in driver education (incl. behind-the-wheel) to get the permit, completion before the probationary license. | 50 |
| Wyoming | Not required | Not required; driver education allows full privileges at 16.5 instead of 17 and can waive the skills test. | 50 |
We found no driver education rule on the official pages read for Massachusetts, Michigan, Rhode Island, Tennessee.
What a required course looks like
A state-approved course has two parts. The classroom part, in a school, a licensed driving school or online, covers the handbook rules, defensive driving, alcohol and drugs, and sharing the road. The in-car part puts the student with a certified instructor in a dual-control car, and in some states adds hours of observation from the back seat. On completion, the provider issues a certificate the agency checks at the permit or license counter. Where the state sets the hours, the rule in the table quotes them.
Why states require it, or not
Driver education was once a standard high school class; many districts dropped it for budget reasons, and states took different paths. Some made it a condition for licensing under 18, often combined with a long supervised log. Others rely on parents and the practice log alone, and use the course as an incentive: finish it and you reach the next stage sooner. NHTSA treats driver education as one part of a graduated system rather than a substitute for supervised experience, which is why the hours remain even where the course is required.
How the course changes your dates
In states where the course is an incentive, it can move the timeline: an earlier permit, a shorter holding period, fewer logged hours or an earlier unrestricted license. The date calculator shows the default dates; the official rule in the table says what the course changes. Remember that the course has a cost, set by the provider, on top of the state permit and license fees.
Finding an approved class near you
Only a provider on the state approved list counts. The agency publishes that list, usually with license numbers, and it is the place to look for a class close to home: in Texas, for example, the Department of Licensing and Regulation keeps a searchable list of approved driver education providers, parent-taught courses included. This site does not recommend any school or program; check the list yourself, and compare the hours and the price of two or three approved options. If you also need to log practice, the supervised hours guide includes a counter for what is left.