How Old Must Teenagers Be to Get a Driving Permit?

Many states allow -- and some states require -- teenagers to get a learner's driving permit before they are eligible to obtain an actual driver's license. A learner's permit allows the teen to practice driving with a supervising adult in the passenger seat. This allows the teen valuable opportunities to practice driving with a responsible adult before he is given the privilege and responsibility of driving a car by himself. The age at which your teen can obtain a learner's permit ranges from 14 to 17, depending on which state you live in.

  1. Fourteen

    • Eight states -- Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, North Dakota and South Dakota -- allow teens to get a learner's permit any time after their 14th birthday. Additionally, Idaho and Montana allow teens to obtain a permit at 14 years and 6 months, and Michigan allows teens to get a permit at 14 years, 9 months.

    Fifteen

    • Fifteen is the most common age for teens to obtain a learner's permit. Twenty-three states allow teens to obtain a permit any time after turning 15. These states are Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming. Teens can get a permit six months after their 15th birthday in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Virginia and Wisconsin. Teens in Maryland can get a learner's permit nine months after their 15th birthday.

    Sixteen

    • Eight states make teens wait until they turn 16 before allowing them to get a learner's permit. These states are Connecticut, Delaware, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. The District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.) also makes teens wait until they turn 16 before allowing them to obtain a permit.

    Supervised Driving Period

    • The laws regarding who can serve as a supervising adult and how long the learner must have her permit before testing for her actual license vary from state to state. You can obtain this information from your state's Department of Motor Vehicles. Most states require a new driver to log a specified number of hours of supervised driving before testing for her license. Most states' requirements specify that some of these hours need to be at night.

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