Idaho · Handbook chapter 1 · 7 min read

How Idaho licenses new drivers: driver training at 14 and a half, the supervised instruction permit, the Class D instruction permit at 17, the 40-question knowledge test, documents, fees and the skills test.

Why this chapter matters

The Idaho knowledge test can ask about the steps to a license and the limits on young drivers. The figures to learn are 14 and a half, 15, 17, six months, 50 hours, 10 at night, 21, 40 questions, six misses and three days.

Who issues licenses

Idaho driver's licenses, instruction permits and ID cards are issued at county sheriff's driver's license offices, under rules set by the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD). You must carry your license whenever you drive. New residents have 30 days to get an Idaho license, whether or not the old one has expired. College students and active-duty military (and their families) who keep residency in another state may keep their home-state license.

Two routes to a Class D license

You can be licensed in Idaho from age 15, and you must be 15 or older to take the knowledge and skills tests.

Driver training

• Anyone from 14 and a half to under 17 can buy a Driver Training Instruction Permit and enroll in a public school or private course. It must be bought before the first class.
• An approved course has 30 hours of classroom instruction, 6 hours watching other student drivers from inside the car, and 6 hours behind the wheel with an approved instructor.
• While you are in the course, the permit lets you drive only with the instructor.
• Public school courses are open to Idaho residents aged 14 and a half to 21, even if they do not attend that school. A public school course lasts at least 30 days; private schools have no minimum.
• A driver training permit bought between 14 and a half and 17 and a half expires five days after your 18th birthday; one bought at 17 and a half or older lasts 180 days. It cannot be renewed.

The supervised instruction period (under 17)

When you pass driver training, the instructor gives you your permit (the handbook calls it the Driver Training and Supervised Instruction Permit, or SIP). You must then complete a violation-free supervised period of at least six months:

• A licensed driver at least 21 must sit in the front seat beside you, and no other passenger may sit in the front.
• Everyone in the vehicle must wear a seat belt or a required child restraint.
• You must obey all alcohol and drug laws.
• You must log at least 50 hours of supervised driving, including 10 hours at night.

A conviction for any traffic violation during the supervised period cancels the permit. You must buy a new one, and the six months start over. Once the six months are done, you may keep driving on the permit until it expires.

The Class D Instruction Permit (17 and older)

At 17 or older you can apply for a Class D Instruction Permit after passing the knowledge test. It lets you practice for one year with a licensed driver who is at least 18. At 18 you no longer need a liability signer.

Limits on young licensed drivers

• Under 16: daylight driving only, defined as 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., unless a licensed driver at least 21 is in the front seat beside you.
• Under 17: for the first six months after the license is issued, no more than one passenger under 17, unless the passengers are related to you by blood, adoption or marriage.
• Licenses issued at 15 to 17 say "Under 18 until" a date and expire five days after your 18th birthday. Licenses issued at 18 to 20 expire five days after your 21st birthday.

Documents

New applicants bring proof of age and identity (originals; photocopies and laminated documents are refused, and a photo ID may be up to five years past its expiration date), a Social Security number for electronic verification, proof of Idaho residency showing your name and home address from the last 12 months (two proofs if you want a Star Card; cell phone bills do not count), proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful presence, and a vision or medical statement if needed. Applicants under 17 also need proof of driver training and of the supervised period. Applicants under 18 need:

• A liability signer, normally a parent or legal guardian, who accepts legal responsibility for your driving and can withdraw consent at any time. A married applicant's spouse, if 18 or older, may sign.
• A verification of school compliance (VOC) showing enrollment and attendance in, or graduation from, high school or an equivalent program. A VOC must be used within one year of the date on it; a high school diploma or general education certificate also works.
• If the signer is not a parent named on your birth certificate, bring adoption or guardianship papers. A signer who cannot come to the office may use an acceptable power of attorney.

If you have changed your name, update it with the Social Security Administration before you visit.

The vision screening and knowledge test

• You need at least 20/40 vision in one eye, with or without glasses or contacts. If you wear them for the screening, your license gets a lens restriction.
• The Class D knowledge test has 40 questions, and you may miss up to six, so you need 34 correct. Questions come straight from the Idaho Driver's Handbook.
• The test is offered in English, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, French, Korean, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish, Swahili and Vietnamese, each written and read aloud, and in American Sign Language (ASL) by video.
• A translator is allowed only if your language is not offered, or after you have tried at least three times in an offered language without passing. The translator cannot be a relative and may only read the questions and answers aloud.
• In the testing area you may not use phones, smart watches, headphones or other devices, look at notes or the handbook, or talk with others.
• If you fail, you must wait three days and pay the $5 test fee again.

The skills test

• Private examiners give all Class D skills tests, during daylight and in acceptable weather. You contact the examiner yourself.
• Bring photo ID, proof of insurance, current registration and the owner's permission if the car is not yours. Tires need at least 2/32 inch of tread.
• The test takes about 30 minutes. Before driving you show the examiner the car's controls and all three arm signals; you may miss up to 3 items.
• Twelve or fewer errors is a pass, but any critical driving error, such as disobeying a sign, striking an object or parking more than 18 inches from the curb, ends the test as a fail. Five errors on the same skill also count as a critical error.
• After a failed skills test you also wait three days and pay both fees again.

Fees

Fees are not refundable.