Idaho graduated driver licence stages

By the end of this topic you can

• You can name the permit or license you need at your age.
• You can explain the under-17 route from driver training to a first license.
• You can describe the different route for applicants aged 17 and over.
• You can list the limits that stay on a new license until 16 and 17.

What you need to know and understand

• A Driver Training Permit is available from age 14 1/2 and lets you drive only with your driver training instructor.
• Under-17 applicants must finish an approved driver training course and then a supervised instruction period of at least 6 months.
• During the supervised period you must log at least 50 hours of driving, including at least 10 hours at night.
• Your supervisor during that period must be a licensed driver aged 21 or older in the front passenger seat.
• You must be at least 15 to take the knowledge and skills tests for a license.
• Applicants aged 17 or older can instead get a Class D Instruction Permit, valid for one year, after passing the knowledge test.
• Under 16, a license holder may drive only in daylight (5 a.m. to 10 p.m.) unless a licensed driver aged 21 or older sits in the front seat.

The under-17 route, step by step

Most Idaho teens follow this path. Each step must be finished before the next one starts, and ITD enforces the earliest test dates strictly.

1. From age 14 1/2, buy a Driver Training Permit at the county driver's license office (a parent or guardian signs as liability signer).
2. Complete an approved driver training course: 30 hours of classroom work, 6 hours observing in the training car and 6 hours behind the wheel with the instructor.
3. When the instructor signs off, start the supervised instruction period (SIP) of at least 6 months with no traffic violations.
4. Log at least 50 supervised hours, 10 of them at night, with a licensed driver aged 21 or older beside you.
5. Pass the knowledge test and the skills test (you must be at least 15), then collect your license at the county office.

If you start at 17 or older

Driver training is not required from 17. You pass the knowledge test, buy a Class D Instruction Permit and practice for up to one year with a licensed adult aged 18 or older. When you feel ready, you book a skills test. You may still choose a driver training course, which many new drivers find worthwhile.

From 18, no liability signer is needed for an instruction permit.

Limits on a new under-17 license

• Under 16: daylight driving only (5 a.m. to 10 p.m.) unless a licensed driver aged 21 or older is in the front seat.
• Under 17: for the first 6 months, no more than one passenger under 17 unless they are related to you by blood, adoption or marriage.
• Under 17: a first moving violation brings a warning letter, a second brings a 30-day suspension and a third brings a 60-day suspension.

Common mistakes

• Assuming the 6-month clock keeps running after a ticket. A conviction during the supervised period cancels the permit and the 6 months start again.
• Logging only easy daytime trips. Ten of the 50 hours must be at night, so plan them early.
• Letting an 18-year-old sibling supervise an under-17 driver. During the supervised period the supervisor must be 21 or older.
• Forgetting school paperwork. Under-18 applicants must show proof of school enrollment, attendance or graduation.

Test yourself: Idaho graduated driver licence stages

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

Go deeper

• Idaho Permit Practice Test
• Idaho GDL Rules and the Supervised Instruction Permit
• Idaho Permit Test