Kansas graduated driver licence stages

By the end of this topic you can

• You can name each Kansas license stage and the earliest age for it.
• You can explain who may supervise you while you hold an instruction permit.
• You can describe the trips allowed on a restricted license at 15 and at 16.
• You can explain when the six-month restricted period ends (or 17, if sooner) and what can delay it.
• You can say why the farm permit is a separate route for rural teens.

What you need to know and understand

• An instruction permit is available from age 14 and is valid for one year.
• The 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 beside you.
• A restricted license at 15 requires approved driver education, a permit held for at least one year and 25 hours of supervised driving.
• A restricted license at 16 requires a permit held for at least one year and a parent's affidavit for 50 supervised hours, 10 of them at night.
• Kansas does not issue a license without restrictions to anyone under 17, apart from a restricted license or farm permit that has completed its six-month period.
• Permit, restricted license and farm permit holders may not use a wireless device while driving, except in an emergency.

The Kansas ladder, one rung at a time

Your path depends on your starting age and whether you take driver education.

1. Instruction permit (from 14): pass the vision and written tests, then drive only with a qualified supervising adult in the front passenger seat. Under 17, nobody else may sit in the front.
2. Restricted license at 15: after approved driver education, a full year on your permit and 25 supervised hours, you may drive alone only for work, school attendance and religious activities. Any other trip needs a licensed adult beside you.
3. Restricted license at 16: after a full year on your permit and the 50-hour affidavit, you may drive for any reason from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., and at other hours only for set trips or with a licensed adult. These limits last six months, or until you turn 17 if that comes first.
4. Full privileges: after the six-month period (or at 17 if sooner), if you kept to the rules, the restrictions end. First-time applicants aged 17 can apply directly, with the 50-hour affidavit if under 18.

Passenger limits that catch teens out

A conviction for breaking a passenger rule counts as a moving traffic violation.

• Restricted license under 16: no minor passengers who are not your brothers or sisters.
• At 16, for six months: no more than one passenger under 18 who is not a member of your immediate family.
• Two or more crashes chargeable to you lead to suspension, and the license cannot be reinstated for one year.

The farm permit route

Teens aged 14 to under 17 who live on, or are paid to work on, a farm of more than 20 acres can apply for a farm permit instead. It allows farm-related driving and school trips, with similar passenger and phone limits. Our deeper guide on the Kansas farm permit explains who qualifies and how it works.

Common mistakes

• Assuming the one-year permit clock can be skipped. Both restricted license routes require the permit to have been held for at least a year.
• Giving two school friends a ride at 16. Only one passenger under 18 who is not immediate family is allowed during the six-month period.
• Using a phone for navigation or calls on a permit or restricted license. Any wireless device use is banned except to report illegal activity or summon emergency help.

Test yourself: Kansas graduated driver licence stages

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

Go deeper

• Kansas Farm Permit for Teen Drivers
• Kansas Permit Practice Test
• Kansas Permit Test