Photo: formulanone from Huntsville, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Delaware’s Graduated Driver License (GDL) program covers every new driver aged 16 or 17, and students with an active IEP up to 22. It has one permit and two stages. For the first 6 months you drive only with a supervisor and log 50 hours. For the next 6 months you can drive alone from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. with one passenger at most. After 12 months the permit becomes a full Class D license automatically. This guide is for teens and the parents who sponsor them.
Key facts (Delaware DMV and Delaware Code, checked November 2026)
- Start: age 16, with a Blue Certificate from approved driver education.
- Supervisor: a licensed parent or guardian, or a sponsor-approved licensed driver, aged 25 or older with a Class D license held for at least 5 years.
- Practice: 50 hours, including 10 at night, certified by your parent or guardian after month 6.
- Night limit (months 7 to 12): no solo driving 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., except direct trips to or from church, work or school.
- Passengers: your supervisor plus one other passenger for all 12 months, unless the extras are immediate family and the supervisor is in the car.
- Phones: no cell phone or electronic device use at all while driving, not even hands-free.
- Breaking the rules: 2-month suspension for a first offense, 4 months for each one after.
Delaware GDL stages at a glance
| Stage | When | Driving alone? | Passengers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level One permit, supervised | Months 1 to 6 | Never | Supervisor in the front seat plus 1 other (more if immediate family) |
| Level One permit, limited solo | Months 7 to 12 | 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.; at night only for church, work or school trips | Alone: 1 passenger. With supervisor: supervisor plus 1 (more if immediate family) |
| Class D license | After 12 months, age 17+ | Any time | No GDL limit |
Who can sponsor a Delaware GDL driver?
Every GDL application needs a sponsor. The DMV takes sponsors in this order:
- Either parent, if both live together in Delaware and you live with both.
- The parent you live with. If you live with neither and have no Delaware guardian, either parent living in Delaware.
- A legal guardian or court-appointed custodian.
- Another suitable adult accepted by the Chief of Driver Services.
Parents are checked against your birth certificate. A step-parent can only sponsor if they have adopted you or been appointed your guardian.
What sponsoring means:
- The sponsor is jointly liable for damages caused by the teen’s negligence.
- The sponsor decides who else may supervise.
- The sponsor can withdraw at any time until the teen turns 18 (for an IEP student over 18, until the 12-month program ends), which cancels the teen’s driving privileges.
Supervisor rules: who can ride with a Delaware permit driver?
- A properly licensed parent or guardian, or a licensed driver approved by the sponsor.
- Aged at least 25, and has held a Class D license for at least 5 years.
- Must sit in the front passenger seat. Nobody else may sit in the front.
Some DMV pages mention a supervisor “over 21”. That is the rule for the adult (18+) learner’s permit. For GDL drivers, the law and the GDL page both say 25 with 5 years of Class D experience.
The 50-hour certification
During the first 6 months your parent or guardian certifies that you drove 50 hours, including 10 at night. At the end of month 6 the form goes to the Department of Education, either through your approved driver education program or by email to the department’s GDL driving log address shown in the manual. Keep a log as you go. The national comparison is in supervised driving hours by state.
Night driving: what time can a Delaware teen drive alone?
From month 7, you can drive unsupervised between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. Between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. you need a supervisor, except when going directly to or from:
- church activities
- work activities
- school activities on school property (school events held elsewhere don’t count)
Volunteer firefighters and ambulance attendants have a limited exception for emergency, training and official trips. They need written permission from their chief or captain, carried with the permit.
Passenger limits for Delaware GDL drivers
- For the whole 12 months, no more than your adult supervisor plus one other passenger.
- Immediate family don’t count toward that limit, but only while the adult supervisor is in the car.
- Driving alone in months 7 to 12, you may carry one passenger.
- You and every passenger under 18 must wear a seat belt or use the right child seat or booster.
Phones and GDL drivers
Every Delaware driver is banned from hand-held phone use and texting. GDL drivers go further: no cell phone or similar device at all, hands-free included. The only legal time to use your phone is when you’ve stopped somewhere off the lanes of travel. More: hands-free and texting laws.
Penalties for breaking Delaware GDL rules
- Breaking a Level One permit restriction counts as driving without a license.
- First offense: 2-month suspension. Each later offense: 4 months.
- Suspended time doesn’t count toward your 12 months. It’s added to the end, and you must then undergo complete testing.
- Alcohol: under Delaware’s zero tolerance law, a driver under 21 who has been drinking loses their license for 2 months for a first offense and 6 to 12 months after that. See zero tolerance laws for drivers under 21.
Getting your full Class D license
You qualify at 17 or older, after 12 months of valid driving on the Level One permit, as long as your sponsor hasn’t withdrawn and you aren’t suspended. The permit converts automatically. The law says the DMV notifies you by mail when you’re eligible. You don’t take another road test. Your sponsor can still withdraw until you turn 18.
Common questions
How many passengers can a Delaware GDL driver carry?
One, besides the supervisor, for the full 12 months. Immediate family are allowed beyond that only while the adult supervisor is in the car.
What time can a Delaware teen drive alone?
From month 7, between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. Later than that only for direct trips to or from church, work or school activities on school property.
Can my older brother supervise me?
Only if he is licensed, at least 25, has held a Class D license for 5 years and is approved by your sponsor.
Can I use GPS on my phone?
The law bans GDL drivers from using a cell phone or similar device while driving, and the manual says that includes hands-free. Set your route before you move, or pull off the road to change it.
I’m 18. Do I have to do GDL?
No. GDL is optional at 18 or older. Without it you need no sponsor, but you take the eye, knowledge and road tests at the DMV.
What does a GDL permit look like?
The law lets the DMV issue either a separate permit or a Class D license in a packet explaining the limits. The state’s teen brochure says it looks like a regular license for the first year.
Back to the Delaware learner driver guide. Compare states: US graduated driver licensing compared. Before the permit: Delaware driver’s ed and the Blue Certificate.
Sources
- Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles, “Graduated Driver License” (dmv.de.gov)
- Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles, “Delaware Driver Manual (July 2026)” (dmv.de.gov)
- Delaware General Assembly, “Delaware Code Title 21, Section 2710” (delcode.delaware.gov)
- Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles, “Graduated Driver Licensing handout” (services.dmv.de.gov)
- Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles, “Teen Driving: Delaware Driving Laws” (dmv.de.gov)
- Delaware Office of Highway Safety, “How Do Teens Get a License in Delaware?” (ohs.delaware.gov)