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Parent-taught driver education (PTDE) lets a parent, guardian or approved designee teach a Texas teen the full driver education course. That means 24 hours of classroom instruction, 7 hours of in-car observation, 7 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction and 30 hours of practice. You apply to TDLR for authorization ($20), buy a curriculum from a licensed parent-taught provider, then take your student to DPS twice. These are the steps in order, with the paperwork at each stage.
Key facts
- Regulator: Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR).
- Authorization fee: $20 per student, applied for online, non-refundable (as of November 2026).
- Total course: 24 classroom hours plus 44 in-car hours (7 observation, 7 instruction, 30 practice with at least 10 at night).
- Commitment: TDLR says plan for at least 7 weeks of daily instruction.
- DPS visits: two (learner license, then provisional license). The parent instructor must attend both.
Step 1: Check you and your student are eligible
Instructor
- You must have an excellent driving history and must not have been convicted of certain criminal offenses. Use TDLR’s eligibility check.
- If your license carries the B restriction, you cannot be an instructor.
- A parent, legal guardian or judge can designate an alternate instructor. The alternate must meet the same rules and may not charge a fee.
- DPS checks the instructor’s driving record twice: at the learner license stage and again at the provisional license stage. If you become ineligible, DPS can deny the license and throw out the hours taught after that point. TDLR recommends buying a copy of your driving record first if you have had a moving violation or crash in the past three years.
Student
Under 18s without a diploma or GED must have been enrolled in public, private or home school for at least the past 80 days, or in a high school equivalency program for at least 45 days. They must also be meeting the school’s attendance and progress rules. The school confirms this on the VOE form.
Step 2: Apply for instructor authorization
- Apply online through TDLR. Paper applications are not accepted.
- Fee: $20, non-refundable. One application covers one parent teaching one student.
- Enter the student’s legal name exactly as it appears on the birth certificate and the documents you will take to DPS.
- Add any alternate instructor on the same form.
- Keep the receipt. DPS asks for it at both visits. The program guide arrives by email, and you can download it from the Parent Instructor Portal.
Step 3: Buy a parent-taught curriculum
Buy the course from a licensed driver education provider with the parent-taught endorsement. Use TDLR’s provider search. Prices vary and TDLR does not recommend specific courses. Start teaching only after TDLR confirms your designation and you have the materials.
Hybrid option: your teen can do the classroom part at a licensed driving school (online or in person) or a public high school. The school then transfers the classroom hours to you, and you teach only the in-car part.
Step 4: Classroom phase and the learner license
- The learner license becomes possible once your student is 15 and has done enough classroom hours: the whole classroom phase under the block method, or the first 6 hours under the concurrent method. Most providers issue the learner certificate after Module One. Some wait for the full 24 hours.
- The provider may give the sign and traffic law tests. If not, your student takes them at DPS. See the Texas learner license test.
- DPS visit 1: book an appointment and bring the application, identity, citizenship or lawful presence, residency, Social Security, vehicle registration and insurance documents, the DE-964 certificate, the VOE (or diploma or GED), the TDLR receipt and the fee. A guardian who is the instructor brings a certified court order.
No driving is allowed until the learner license is issued.
Step 5: In-car phase (44 hours)
| Part | Hours | Who |
|---|---|---|
| In-car observation | 7 | Parent instructor |
| Behind-the-wheel instruction | 7 | Parent instructor |
| Behind-the-wheel practice (at least 10 at night) | 30 | Any licensed adult 21 or over, licensed at least a year, certified by a parent or guardian |
TDLR limits in-car instruction to two hours a day and supervised practice to two hours a day. The in-car phase cannot be completed in less than 15 calendar days. Log the 30 practice hours on TDLR’s form. See the Texas 30-hour log.
Step 6: ITTD, the driving test and the provisional license
- Complete Impact Texas Teen Drivers within 90 days before the test.
- Make sure your student has held the learner license for at least six months.
- Pass the driving test at DPS or with a third-party testing school.
- DPS visit 2: bring the same identity and vehicle documents, plus the completion certificate, a VOE dated within its validity window, the TDLR receipt, the completed 30-hour log and the fee.
Your teen then drives on a provisional license until 18.
Common questions
Can grandparents teach parent-taught driver ed in Texas?
Yes, if a parent, legal guardian or judge designates them as the alternate instructor and they meet the same requirements.
Can I change instructor partway through?
Yes. Contact TDLR customer service with the student’s full name and date of birth, the new instructor’s name and your designation receipt number.
Do I log the 14 instruction hours?
TDLR says the 14 in-car instruction hours are usually not logged by the parent, though some courses include a log. The 30 practice hours must be logged.
I have two teens. Is one application enough?
No. A separate application and fee are needed for each child.
Can an 18 to 24 year old use parent-taught?
Yes. TDLR lists it as an option for that age group. See adult driver ed in Texas.
The provider has not sent the DE-964. What can I do?
Email TDLR customer service with the student’s full name and the name of the parent-taught course.
Related guide
Sources
- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, “Getting Started with Parent-Taught Driver Education” (tdlr.texas.gov)
- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, “How to Become a Parent-Taught Driver Education Instructor” (tdlr.texas.gov)
- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, “Classroom Instruction” (tdlr.texas.gov)
- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, “Hybrid Parent-Taught Driver Education” (tdlr.texas.gov)
- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, “Getting the Learner License” (tdlr.texas.gov)
- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, “Behind the Wheel Instruction” (tdlr.texas.gov)
- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, “Getting a Provisional Driver’s License” (tdlr.texas.gov)
- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, “Parent Taught Driver Education Program: Step-by-Step Guide” (tdlr.texas.gov)
- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, “Do I Need to Take Driver Education in Texas?” (tdlr.texas.gov)