Louisiana graduated driver licence stages

By the end of this topic you can

• You can name the four steps from the Temporary Instructional Permit to the full Class E license.
• You can state the minimum age for each stage.
• You can explain how long you must hold a learner's permit.
• You can list what a clean record means for moving up a stage.
• You can explain how adults 18 and older enter the system.

What you need to know and understand

• A Temporary Instructional Permit (TIP) can be issued from age 14 and only lets you drive with a driving school instructor.
• The learner's permit starts at 15 after a 38-hour driver education course, a vision test and the knowledge test.
• You must hold the learner's permit for at least 180 days, and you cannot move to an intermediate license before your 16th birthday.
• The intermediate license needs 50 hours of supervised practice, 15 of them at night, and a road skills test score of at least 80%.
• The intermediate license is kept until your 17th birthday.
• To get a full Class E license at 17 you need 12 consecutive months with no at-fault crashes, no moving violations and no seat belt, curfew, drug or alcohol violations.
• Licenses for drivers under 21 have a different color and orientation, so they are easy to recognize.

The ladder from TIP to full license

1. TIP (age 14 or older): needed before the knowledge test, behind-the-wheel lessons or a road test. You drive only with a licensed driver education instructor.
2. Learner's permit (age 15): drive only with a licensed parent, guardian or adult 21 or older, or a licensed sibling 18 or older. No phone use at all, including hands-free.
3. Intermediate license (age 16): drive alone, but with a night curfew and a passenger limit in the evening.
4. Full Class E license (age 17): no graduated restrictions, provided your record has been clean for the required 12 months.

What changes at 17 and 18

Louisiana treats 17 as a turning point. A 17-year-old applying for the first time can choose a learner's permit or go straight for a full license by passing the vision, knowledge and road skills tests after driver education.

Adults 18 or older who have never been in the program may apply for a learner's permit or a full Class E license after either the 38-hour course or a 14-hour adult course (6 classroom hours plus 8 behind-the-wheel hours). A teen who moves in at 16 after holding an out-of-state license or permit for at least 180 days may be able to skip straight to the intermediate stage.

Why a clean record matters

Moving up depends on more than age. A parent or guardian must sign a statement confirming the practice hours and that you had no at-fault crashes, moving violations, or seat belt, curfew, drug or alcohol violations while on your permit. One ticket on an intermediate license can push your full license well past your 17th birthday. Our deeper guide to Louisiana intermediate license rules covers the restrictions in detail.

Common mistakes

• Thinking a TIP lets you practice with a parent. It only covers driving with a driver education instructor.
• Counting the 180 days from the TIP date. The holding period runs from when the learner's permit is issued.
• Assuming you can upgrade on your 16th birthday no matter what. You also need the 180 days, the 50 hours and a clean record.
• Treating a seat belt ticket as minor. It counts against moving up a stage.

Test yourself: Louisiana graduated driver licence stages

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

Go deeper

• Louisiana Intermediate License Rules Under the R.Y.A.N. Act
• Louisiana Permit Test
• Louisiana Permit Practice Test