Learning to Drive in Kansas: Permit to License

Photo: >Author Elli, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

This guide is for Kansas teens, their parents and adult first-time drivers. You can get an instruction permit at 14 in Kansas, a restricted license at 15 or 16, and a license without restrictions once you meet the conditions of Kansas’s graduated driver licensing law, known as Cody’s Law. Below are the stages, the tests and where to find the detail.

Key facts

Licensing in Kansas is run by the Kansas Department of Revenue (KDOR), Division of Vehicles.
Instruction permit: from 14 (K.S.A. 8-2,100). Under 16, a parent or guardian must apply in writing.
Restricted license: from 15 with approved driver education, or from 16. Either way you must have held your permit for at least one year (K.S.A. 8-2,101).
Supervised driving: 50 hours, including 10 at night, certified by a parent or guardian’s signed affidavit.
Farm permit: from 14 if you live or work on a Kansas farm (K.S.A. 8-296).
Drivers under 21: the alcohol limit is .02 (K.S.A. 8-1567a).

The Kansas GDL stages at a glance

Stage	Earliest age	Main conditions
Instruction permit	14	Pass the vision and written tests. You may only drive with a supervising adult beside you. No phone use.
Restricted license (from 15)	15	Approved driver education, permit held 1 year, 25 supervised hours and a parent’s application. You may drive to work and school, or with an adult.
Restricted license (at 16)	16	Permit held 1 year and the 50-hour affidavit. For six months you may drive from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. plus some set trips, with a passenger limit.
No restrictions	After the six-month period, if you have complied	A brand-new license with no restrictions can’t be issued under 17 (K.S.A. 8-237).

The full rules for each stage are in Kansas restricted license rules at 15 and 16.

Step 1: Get a Kansas instruction permit at 14

From 14 up to 17 you apply under K.S.A. 8-2,100. From 17 you apply under K.S.A. 8-239. Either way you must pass every part of the exam except the driving test. In practice that means the vision test and the written (knowledge) test. The permit lasts one year.

Carry the permit whenever you drive.
Your supervising driver must be at least 21, hold a valid class A, B, C or commercial license, have at least one year of driving experience and sit in the front seat beside you.
If you are under 17, no one else may sit in the front seat.
If you are under 17, you may not use a wireless device while driving. The only exceptions are reporting illegal activity or calling for medical or emergency help.

Test format, the online option and fees are covered in Kansas written driving test, including the online option.

Step 2: Log practice and sign the 50-hour affidavit

Kansas asks a parent or guardian to sign an affidavit stating that you completed at least 50 hours of supervised driving, including 10 at night. The supervising adult must be 21 or older and hold a valid class A, B, C or commercial license. When the affidavit is due depends on your path:

Restricted license at 15: 25 hours before the license, then the full 50 before you turn 16.
Restricted license at 16: 50 hours before the license.
First license at 17 (before 18): 50 hours (K.S.A. 8-235d).

The affidavit, a sample log and what happens if you skip it are in Kansas 50 hour supervised driving affidavit.

Step 3: Pass the driving test, or use a driver’s ed certificate

The Kansas exam has three parts: vision, written and driving (K.S.A. 8-240). KDOR’s teen pages list an approved driver education completion certificate as an alternative to the written and driving tests at several stages. See Kansas driving test and the driver’s ed waiver for which certificates count and what the drive test involves.

Farm permits for rural teens

A Kansas teen aged 14 to under 17 who lives on, or is paid to work on, a farm of more than 20 acres can apply for a farm permit. It allows farm-related driving and driving to and from school on school days. Details are in Kansas farm permit for teen drivers.

What the Kansas Driving Handbook covers

KDOR publishes the Kansas Driving Handbook (Non-Commercial Driver’s Manual) in English and Spanish. The edition used here is the one revised February 2022. The written test is based on it. Its 12 sections are:

1. The driver’s license: license and permit types, required tests, renewal, loss of driving privileges
2. State laws and rules of the road (summarized below)
3. Being in shape to drive: vision, hearing, fatigue, distractions, aggressive driving, alcohol and other drugs, health and emotions
4. Before you drive: seat and mirrors, safety belts, air bags, child passenger safety
5. Basic driving: starting, accelerating, stopping, steering and backing
6. Rules of the road: right of way, traffic signals and signs, pavement markings, school buses, parking
7. Safe driving tips: visual search, speed and space management, communicating, hazards
8. Avoiding collisions and emergencies
9. Sharing the road: pedestrians, cyclists, motorcycles, emergency vehicles, traffic stops, trucks, buses and slow vehicles
10. Special situations: rural roads, night driving, bad weather and animals
11. How to prepare for your tests (see the written test and driving test guides)
12. Optional information: trip planning, winter and hot weather, tornadoes, lightning and floods

Check KDOR for a newer edition before your test. The national guides below cover the same ground in more depth:

Kansas road rules from the handbook

Speed limits unless posted (K.S.A. 8-1558): 30 mph in urban districts, 75 mph on posted separated multilane highways, 65 mph on other state and federal highways, 55 mph on county and township roads, and 20 mph in marked school zones and business districts. Driving so slowly that you block traffic is also illegal.
Seat belts: every occupant must be belted, and it is a primary offense. Children under 4 ride in a child safety seat. Ages 4 to 8 use a child seat or booster unless taller than 4 feet 9 inches or heavier than 80 pounds. From 8, a seat belt. The handbook says children under 14 must ride in the rear seat, belted.
Signals: at least 100 feet before you turn, slow down or change lanes. Kansas also requires headlights whenever your wipers are on.
U-turns: not on a curve, near the top of a hill, or anywhere other drivers cannot see you for at least 500 feet.
Passing: not within 100 feet of a bridge, viaduct, tunnel, intersection or railroad crossing, on a hill or curve, where a solid yellow line is on your side, or within 100 feet of a stopped emergency vehicle with lights on. Be back in your lane before you come within 200 feet of oncoming traffic.
Following: two seconds in good conditions, four in bad conditions. Stay at least 500 feet behind emergency vehicles.
School buses: stop for a school, church or day care bus loading children, and stay stopped until the stop arm is pulled in and the red lights go off. Traffic on the opposite side of a divided highway does not stop.
Emergency vehicles and work crews: pull to the right and stop for lights or sirens. For a stopped emergency, tow or construction vehicle, move out of the lane next to it, or slow down if you cannot (K.S.A. 8-1530, 8-1531).
Parking bans: within 15 feet of a hydrant, more than 12 inches from the curb, within 30 feet of a signal, stop sign or flashing beacon, within 50 feet of a railroad crossing, and within 20 feet of a fire station driveway (75 feet across the street).
Studded tires are legal only from November 1 to April 1.

Licensing rules for every Kansas driver

New residents need a Kansas license within 90 days. Active-duty military and their families, out-of-state students, temporary trainees and foreign visitors here up to a year with valid papers can drive on a valid license from age 16.
Vision: at least 20/40 in one eye, with or without lenses. An eye form from an optometrist or ophthalmologist must be from the last 90 days.
Renewal: KDOR sends a notice at least 30 days ahead. An expired license costs $1 extra, and after more than a year expired you retake the vision, written and driving tests.
Suspension: three moving violations in 12 months, failing to appear in court, letting your insurance lapse, DUI, an open container, or failing to report a crash. Refusing a breath or blood test means 1 year for a first refusal, 2 for a second, 3 for a third and 10 for a fourth.
Revocation: vehicular homicide, leaving an injury or fatal crash, reckless driving, a felony using a vehicle, fleeing police or vehicular battery. A fifth test failure or refusal means permanent revocation.
DUI: .08 or more is illegal. The handbook says a first conviction brings a $750 to $1,000 fine, at least 48 hours in jail or 100 hours of community service, a suspension and an ignition interlock.

Kansas laws every new driver should know

Texting: no driver of any age may write, send or read a text, instant message or email while driving on a public road (K.S.A. 8-15,111). The handbook notes that talking or dialing is not specifically illegal for fully licensed drivers. Permit and restricted license holders face a wider ban on using wireless devices at all.
Alcohol under 21: driving with a breath or blood alcohol content of .02 or more is illegal (K.S.A. 8-1567a). See zero tolerance laws for drivers under 21.
Breaking GDL rules: breaking a restricted license or farm permit restriction leads to suspension. Two or more chargeable crashes bring a suspension of one year.

Common questions

Can you get a driver’s license at 15 in Kansas?

Yes, a restricted one. You need approved driver education, a permit held for at least one year, 25 supervised hours and a parent or guardian’s written application.

What can a 16-year-old do on a Kansas restricted license?

For six months: drive from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., to and from work, school activities or religious activities, or at any time with a licensed adult beside you. You may carry no more than one passenger under 18 who isn’t family.

When do the restrictions end?

The statute lifts them six months after you turn 16 (if you started at 15) or six months after your license is issued at 16, provided you complied. Two or more moving violations, or a missing 50-hour affidavit, delay this.

Is driver’s ed required in Kansas?

Only for the restricted license at 15. At 16 and 17 it is optional, but a completion certificate can stand in for some tests.

Can I take the Kansas permit test online?

Some applicants can, through KDOR’s web-based written exam. Check whether you qualify before you book.

I am 17 or older and have never driven. What is my route?

Apply for an instruction permit under K.S.A. 8-239 and practice with a 21+ licensed adult. Then take the driving test or present a driver education certificate. If you are 17, a parent or guardian must also sign the 50-hour affidavit.

Can I drive in another state on my Kansas permit?

Each state sets its own rule. See driving with a learner’s permit in another state.

More US guides

Sources

Kansas Department of Revenue, “Kansas Driving Handbook, Non-Commercial Driver’s Manual”, revised February 2022 (ksrevenue.gov)
Kansas Department of Revenue, “Graduated Driver License Requirements for Teen Drivers” (ksrevenue.gov)
Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes, “K.S.A. 8-2,100 Instruction permits; under 17 years of age” (ksrevisor.gov)
Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes, “K.S.A. 8-2,101 Restricted license” (ksrevisor.gov)
Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes, “K.S.A. 8-2,102 Cody’s law” (ksrevisor.gov)
Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes, “K.S.A. 8-239 Instruction permits for persons 17 years of age and older” (ksrevisor.gov)
Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes, “K.S.A. 8-235d Applications for licenses; examinations” (ksrevisor.gov)
Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes, “K.S.A. 8-237 Persons to whom license not issued” (ksrevisor.gov)
Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes, “K.S.A. 8-240 Drivers’ licenses and instruction permits; fees” (ksrevisor.gov)
Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes, “K.S.A. 8-296 Farm permit” (ksrevisor.gov)
Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes, “K.S.A. 8-15,111 Text messaging, prohibited” (ksrevisor.gov)
Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes, “K.S.A. 8-1567a Driving under the influence by any person less than 21” (ksrevisor.gov)

Learning to Drive in Kansas: Permit, Restricted License, GDL