Wyoming graduated driver licence stages

By the end of this topic you can

• You can name the main Wyoming license stages in order.
• You can state the minimum age for each stage.
• You can explain the two ways to reach full driving privileges.
• You can describe who qualifies for the restricted license for 14 and 15-year-olds.

What you need to know and understand

• You can apply for an instruction permit at 15.
• An instruction permit is valid for 1 year and can be renewed.
• At 16 you can apply for an intermediate license after 50 hours of practice, including 10 at night.
• Intermediate drivers may not drive between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. unless an exception applies.
• Full privileges come at 17, or at 16 1/2 with approved driver education and 6 months on an intermediate license.
• An intermediate license expires 30 days after your 17th birthday.
• The restricted (RC) license for ages 14-15 needs approval from the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

The ladder from permit to full license

At every stage before 18, a parent or legal guardian must sign a minor's release for your application.

1. Instruction permit (from 15): pass the written knowledge test and vision screening. You may drive only with a licensed person 18 or older in the front passenger seat.
2. Intermediate license (from 16): hold your permit for at least 10 days, log 50 hours of driving including 10 at night, and pass a driving skills test or an approved driver education program.
3. Full driving privileges (16 1/2 or 17): at 16 1/2 if you have held the intermediate license for 6 months and finished approved driver education, or at 17 by applying directly.

Limits while you hold an intermediate license

• No driving between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., unless an adult supervisor rides with you or you carry a signed exception form for work, school, a school activity, organized youth sports, a religious activity or medical necessity.
• No more than one passenger under 18 who is not an immediate family member, unless a licensed driver 18 or older is with you.
• Everyone in the vehicle must wear a seat belt.
• Breaking these limits brings a 30-day suspension.

Wyoming's restricted license for 14 and 15-year-olds

Wyoming may issue a restricted Class C (RC) license, often called a hardship license, to a 14 or 15-year-old when the household faces extreme inconvenience. Examples in the law include living more than 5 miles from school, having a regular job more than 5 miles from home, or needing to drive for a parent's business. The Wyoming Highway Patrol investigates and decides.

RC drivers may drive only from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. and within 50 miles of home. One moving violation leads to a 90-day suspension, and a second leads to a 1-year suspension. The RC license expires 30 days after the 16th birthday. Our separate guide to the Wyoming hardship license covers the application in more depth.

Common mistakes

• Thinking the intermediate license lets you drive alone at midnight. The 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. limit applies unless you carry the correct signed exception form or have an adult supervisor.
• Forgetting that driver education is what unlocks full privileges at 16 1/2. Without it, you wait until 17.
• Carrying a car full of friends. Only one non-family passenger under 18 is allowed without an adult driver.
• Assuming an RC license is for any 14-year-old. It is only for proven extreme inconvenience, approved by the Highway Patrol.

Test yourself: Wyoming graduated driver licence stages

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

Go deeper

• How to Get a Driver’s License in Wyoming
• Wyoming Intermediate License
• Wyoming Permit Practice Test