After you pass in Iowa: restrictions and your licence

By the end of this topic you can

• You can follow the night driving limit and use the waiver correctly.
• You can apply the passenger restriction and know whether it is on your license.
• You can explain how a ticket or crash affects your full license date.
• You can list the steps to move up to a full license.
• You can explain what changes when you turn 18 and 21.

What you need to know and understand

• Intermediate drivers may drive alone only between 5 a.m. and 12:30 a.m.
• A parent can sign form 431170 to allow late driving for school activities or work; carry it in the car.
• For the first six months, you may carry only one unrelated minor passenger without adult supervision, unless your parent waived this when the license was issued.
• Siblings, step-siblings and other children living in your home do not count as unrelated minors.
• Never carry more passengers than there are seat belts.
• Iowa's hands-free law applies to intermediate drivers, and Iowa DOT advises them not to use a phone or electronic device at all while driving.
• A full license is available at 17 after 12 clean months on the intermediate license and 10 more supervised hours, 2 at night.

Your intermediate license limits

Your parent decides about the passenger restriction when the license is issued. It can only be waived at that moment; if it is accepted, it stays for the full six months. Breaking a restriction can lead to a citation, a suspension and a restart of the 12-month clean period.

• Night limit: from 12:30 a.m. to 5 a.m. you need a qualifying supervising adult beside you, unless you carry a signed waiver (form 431170) and are driving to or from work or school activities.
• Passenger limit: if the back of your license shows the restriction, no more than one unrelated passenger under 18 for the first six months when you drive without adult supervision.
• Seat belts: every passenger needs their own belt.
• Phones: the hands-free law bans holding or manually using a device, and Iowa DOT's guidance for intermediate drivers goes further: no phone or electronic device use while driving, other than equipment built into the car.

Moving up to a full license

Every conviction, crash or broken restriction on an intermediate license pushes your full license back by 12 months. A first offense brings a warning letter and possible suspension; a second brings a 30-day suspension.

1. Turn 17 and hold the intermediate license for at least 12 months in a row.
2. Stay free of convictions, at-fault crashes and restriction violations for the 12 months before you apply.
3. Log 10 more supervised hours, at least 2 between sunset and sunrise, and have your parent sign the affidavit.
4. Book a DMV appointment with parental consent if you are still under 18.

After the full license

A full license has no GDL restrictions, but it is marked 'under eighteen' or 'under twenty-one' until you reach those ages. Zero tolerance still applies until 21, so any alcohol at .02 or more means revocation. Teen licenses have shorter terms than the standard eight-year adult license, so watch your expiration date. Our deeper intermediate license guide covers waivers and passenger questions in more detail.

Common mistakes

• Driving home from a party at 1 a.m. with the work waiver. The waiver only covers work and school activities.
• Giving rides to two friends in the first six months when the passenger restriction is on your license.
• Thinking the restriction lifts after three months. It lasts six months.
• Forgetting that one ticket delays your full license by a whole year.

Test yourself: After you pass in Iowa: restrictions and your licence

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

Go deeper

• Iowa Permit Test
• Iowa Driving Test
• Iowa Intermediate License Rules