Supervised practice and driver education in Colorado

By the end of this topic you can

• You can state how many supervised hours you need and how many must be at night.
• You can say who may sign your driving log.
• You can work out whether you need 6 hours of professional behind-the-wheel training.
• You can describe the difference between the 30-hour course and the 4-hour program.
• You can plan practice sessions that cover Colorado's varied roads.

What you need to know and understand

• Under-18 applicants need at least 50 hours of driving, including at least 10 hours at night.
• The log is a standardized DMV form (the drive time log sheet) signed by a parent, guardian, responsible adult or approved driver ed instructor.
• If you will be under 16 and a half when you apply for your license, you need 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training with an approved driving school instructor.
• Where no approved school offers that training within 30 miles of home, 12 extra hours with a parent, guardian or alternate supervisor can be used instead.
• The 30-hour driver education course covers all aspects of driving; the driver awareness program is a 4-hour safety course.
• Practice with other licensed adults aged 21+ is allowed but does not count toward the 50 hours.

Building your 50 hours

Record every session: date, length, day or night, and what you practiced. Ten of the hours must be after dark. Our guide to the Colorado 50-hour driving log and affidavit walks through the paperwork step by step.

• Start in empty parking lots: steering, smooth braking and using mirrors.
• Move to quiet residential streets, where the usual limit is 30 mph.
• Add busier business districts, multi-lane roads and highway merging.
• Practice at night, in rain and, with care, in snow.
• Include hills and mountain roads, since Colorado has many steep grades and sharp curves.

Professional training: who needs it

Teens who will be younger than 16 and a half when they apply for a license must complete 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training with an instructor from an approved driver education course. If you are 16 and a half or older at that point, it is optional but recommended.

Driver education itself is changing. From January 1, 2027, all permit applicants aged 15 to 17 must complete the 30-hour course before getting a permit. Behind-the-wheel training stays mandatory for teens licensed before 16 and a half. Our comparison of the 30-hour driver ed and the 4-hour driver awareness course explains the difference.

Being a good supervisor

Supervisors should stay calm, give instructions early, and keep phones away. Plan a route before each drive and talk through what went well afterward. The supervisor must sit in the front passenger seat and hold a valid license, and for log hours must be the affidavit signer or the appointed alternate.

Common mistakes

• Filling in the log from memory weeks later. Write it up after each drive.
• Doing almost all hours in daylight and leaving night driving to the end.
• Practicing only on familiar local streets and never on highways or hills.
• Assuming the 6-hour professional training is optional when you will apply before 16 and a half.

Test yourself: Supervised practice and driver education in Colorado

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Colorado Permit Practice Test
• Colorado 30-Hour Driver Ed vs 4-Hour Driver Awareness Course
• Colorado 50-Hour Driving Log and Affidavit of Liability Checklist