US DMV permit tests · Learn · 2 November 2026 · 6 min read
Teen GDL rules explained: permit, provisional and full license
Graduated driver licensing for teens explained: the permit, provisional and full stages, supervised hours, night and passenger limits, with six state examples.
Graduated driver licensing (GDL) is the system states use to bring teen drivers onto the road in steps rather than all at once. You start with a learner's permit and drive only with a licensed adult. Then you move to a provisional or intermediate license, which lets you drive alone but with limits at night and on passengers. Finally the limits fall away and you hold a full license.
Each state sets its own ages, hours and limits, so the details below come from six states' official pages and handbooks: California, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia. Read them to see the pattern, then check your own state's page.
The three stages
| Stage | What it lets you do | Typical conditions in our six examples |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Learner's permit | Drive only with a qualified adult beside you | Pass the knowledge test; hold the permit 6 months to a year and a day; log supervised hours |
| 2. Provisional or intermediate license | Drive alone, with limits | Night driving curfew; limits on young passengers; phone bans |
| 3. Full license | Drive without GDL limits | Reached by age (often 18) or after time without violations |
The permit test is the gate to stage 1, which is why the knowledge test matters so much to teen drivers.
Stage 1: the learner's permit
Who can supervise you
Every state sets rules for the person beside you. The age is usually 21 or older:
- Texas: a supervisor at least 21 with at least one year of driving experience, in the front seat, and not intoxicated or asleep.
- Florida: a licensed driver 21 or older in the closest seat to your right.
- Georgia: a supervisor 21 or older, licensed for a Class C vehicle, beside you.
- California: for minors, a California-licensed driver aged 25 or older.
- Pennsylvania: a licensed driver 21 or older, or a licensed parent, guardian or spouse 18 or older, in the front seat at all times.
- North Carolina: a parent, guardian, grandparent or approved adult who has been licensed for five years, sitting next to you.
How long you hold it, and how many hours you log
| State | Minimum time on the permit | Supervised practice |
|---|---|---|
| California | 6 months (or until 18) | 50 hours, 10 at night |
| Texas | 6 months | 30 hours of practice driving, at least 10 at night, as part of driver education |
| Florida | 12 months (or until 18) | 50 hours, 10 at night |
| Pennsylvania | 6 months | 65 hours, 10 at night and 5 in bad weather |
| North Carolina | 9 months (Level 1) | 60 hours, at least 10 at night |
| Georgia | 1 year and 1 day | 40 hours, 6 at night |
Other permit limits
Some states restrict when or how a permit holder drives. Florida allows daylight driving only for the first 3 months, then until 10 p.m. North Carolina's Level 1 permit allows supervised driving from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. for the first six months, and bans mobile devices. Texas bans cell phone use, including hands-free, except in an emergency. Pennsylvania drivers under 18 may not carry more passengers than there are seat belts.
Violations can slow you down. In Florida, a moving violation conviction extends the 12-month period by one year from the conviction date, or until 18.
Stage 2: the provisional or intermediate license
This is the stage where you first drive alone, and where most of the GDL limits sit. The two big ones are a night curfew and a passenger limit.
Night driving
| State | Night limit for young drivers |
|---|---|
| California | No driving 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. in the first 12 months |
| Texas | No driving midnight to 5 a.m. |
| Florida | Age 16: only 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.; age 17: only 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. |
| Pennsylvania | No driving 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. unless a parent, guardian or spouse 18 or older is with you |
| North Carolina | Level 2: unsupervised only 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. |
| Georgia | No driving midnight to 5 a.m., no exceptions |
Most of these states allow exceptions, for example for work or school activities (Texas), or work (Florida). Georgia's curfew has none.
Passengers
- California: no passengers under 20 in the first 12 months unless a parent, guardian or a licensed driver aged 25 or older rides along.
- Texas: no more than one passenger under 21 who is not family.
- Pennsylvania: no more than one passenger under 18 who is not immediate family, unless a parent or guardian is in the vehicle; after six months the limit rises to three, unless you have had an at-fault crash or a driving conviction.
- North Carolina: at Level 2, one passenger under 21 who is not a household member, with one more allowed for a student being driven to or from school.
- Georgia: immediate family only for the first 6 months, then one passenger under 21 who is not family for the next 6, then up to three after a year.
Phones and points
Phone bans continue in this stage in several states. Texas bans all wireless device use under 18 except in an emergency, and North Carolina bans mobile devices at every provisional level. Points matter too: in Florida, a driver under 18 who gets six or more points in 12 months is restricted to Business Purposes Only, and in Pennsylvania six or more points brings a mandatory 90-day suspension.
Stage 3: the full license
How you graduate differs:
- Texas: the provisional license expires on your 18th birthday.
- Pennsylvania: the junior license becomes a regular license automatically at 18, or earlier after one year if you meet the conditions.
- North Carolina: after six months at Level 2 with no moving violation, seat belt or mobile phone convictions, you move to Level 3, then to a regular Class C license at 18.
- Georgia: you can move to a full Class C license at 18 if you have no major traffic violation convictions in the previous 12 months.
Ages at a glance
The earliest permit age also varies. Texas, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina start at 15. California starts at 15 and a half with driver education. Pennsylvania starts at 16. Across the 42 states we cover, the earliest permit ages run from 14 (for example Alaska, Iowa, Kansas and South Dakota) to 16 (for example New York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts).
How to use this
- Open your state page and read the permit and license rows in its facts box. Every row has a source link and a checked date.
- Read your handbook's licensing chapter, for example Getting your permit and license for California, Your license to drive for Texas, Graduated licensing for North Carolina or Teen driving laws for Georgia. GDL rules also appear on the permit test.
- Start a practice log on the day your permit is issued. Hours are easier to log as you go than to rebuild later.
- Pass the permit test first. Take your state's first practice test and see how the DMV permit test works.
Sources: California Driver's Handbook; Texas Driver Handbook and DPS learner and provisional license pages; Florida FLHSMV teen driver pages; Pennsylvania Driver's Manual (Applying for a Learner's Permit); NCDMV Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 pages and North Carolina Driver Handbook; Georgia DDS Drivers Manual (2023-2024); minimum ages from each state's official pages as listed on our state pages; checked 1 November 2026.