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Florida driving lesson · Getting Your License

Learner's license and teen driving limits

A 4-minute lesson from the Florida course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

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Read time
4 minutes
Course unit
Getting Your License
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
9, 16, 17, 33

Florida eases teens into driving. At 15 you can get a learner's license and practice with an adult 21 or older. At 16 you can get a driver license, but until 18 there are curfews and stricter point rules.

To get a learner's license you must:

  • Be at least 15 years old
  • Complete the Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education (TLSAE) course
  • Pass the Vision and Class E Knowledge exams
Handbook p. 16 ↗

To get a driver license you must:

  • Be at least 16 years old
  • Complete the TLSAE course
  • Provide the required identification
  • Pass the Vision, Class E Knowledge and Driving Skill exams
Handbook p. 16 ↗

Know the rule

You need the TLSAE course if you have never held a license anywhere, or don't have one with you. Passing driver education at a certified DELAP school exempts you.

Handbook p. 16 ↗

Extra requirements if you are under 18:

  • Hold a learner's license for 12 months or until your 18th birthday, whichever comes first
  • No moving violation convictions for 12 months from the learner's license issue date
  • One moving violation is allowed in those 12 months if adjudication was withheld
  • A parent, guardian or responsible adult 21+ certifies 50 hours of driving, 10 of them at night
  • A parent or guardian signs the parental consent form
  • You must be in compliance with school attendance
Handbook p. 16 ↗
50 hours

Practice driving required before an under-18 driver license, including 10 hours at night

Handbook p. 16 ↗

Driving limits for minors

Driving limits for minors
LicenseRules
Learner's, first 3 monthsDaylight hours only, with a licensed driver 21+
Learner's, after 3 monthsUntil 10 pm, with a licensed driver 21+
Driver license, age 16No driving 11 pm–6 am*
Driver license, age 17No driving 1 am–5 am*
*Exceptions (16 and 17)Going to/from work, or with a licensed driver 21+
Handbook p. 33 ↗

Know the rule

A learner must always be accompanied by a licensed driver age 21 or older, who sits in the closest seat to the right of the driver.

Handbook p. 9 ↗

Know the rule

If you are under 18 and not married, a parent or legal guardian must sign your application in front of a license agent or a notary. Married minors show a certified marriage certificate. Emancipated minors show a certified court order.

Handbook p. 16 ↗

Know the rule

The person who signs takes responsibility for your driving. If they withdraw their consent, by letter to FLHSMV or through MyDMVPortal, your license is canceled.

Handbook p. 17 ↗

Know the rule

Drivers under 18 who build up 6 or more points in 12 months are automatically restricted to 'Business Purposes Only' for one year.

Handbook p. 9 ↗

Put it into practice

You're 16 with a driver license and finish a shift at 11:45 pm. You may drive straight home because you are driving from work. Driving to a friend's house at that hour alone would break the curfew.

Check your understanding

Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.

To get a Florida learner's license, how old must you be at minimum?
  1. 17
  2. 16
  3. 15
  4. 14

Answer: 15

You must be at least 15 years old to apply for a Florida learner's license.

Handbook p. 16 ↗
During the first three months of holding a learner's license, when may you drive?
  1. Only on weekends
  2. Only between 6 am and 11 pm
  3. Anytime, unaccompanied
  4. Only during daylight hours, accompanied by a licensed driver 21+

Answer: Only during daylight hours, accompanied by a licensed driver 21+

Learner's license holders must always drive accompanied by a licensed driver 21+ and, in the first three months, only during daylight hours.

Handbook p. 9 ↗
How many hours of driving experience must a learner's license holder have before getting a driver license, and how many must be at night?
  1. 20 hours total, no night requirement
  2. 50 hours total, 10 at night
  3. 100 hours total, 20 at night
  4. 30 hours total, 5 at night

Answer: 50 hours total, 10 at night

Applicants must have at least 50 hours of driving experience prior to getting a driver license, and 10 of those hours must be at night.

Handbook p. 9 ↗
An under-18 learner's license holder had exactly one moving violation within 12 months of getting the license. Can they still get a driver license on schedule?
  1. No, they must restart the 12-month period
  2. No, any violation disqualifies them permanently
  3. Yes, but only after waiting an extra year
  4. Yes, if adjudication was withheld

Answer: Yes, if adjudication was withheld

Under-18 applicants may have one moving violation within the 12-month learner's period if adjudication was withheld; otherwise no convictions are allowed.

Handbook p. 16 ↗
A 16-year-old with a driver license (not just a learner's license) may drive unaccompanied between what hours?
  1. 6 am and 11 pm
  2. 5 am and 1 am
  3. 7 am and 9 pm
  4. Any time, no restriction

Answer: 6 am and 11 pm

A 16-year-old with a driver license may drive from 6 am to 11 pm unless driving to/from work or accompanied by a licensed driver 21+.

Handbook p. 9 ↗
A 17-year-old with a driver license may drive unaccompanied between what hours?
  1. 6 am and 11 pm
  2. 5 am and 1 am
  3. 4 am and midnight
  4. 8 am and 10 pm

Answer: 5 am and 1 am

A 17-year-old with a driver license may drive from 5 am to 1 am unless driving to/from work or accompanied by a licensed driver 21+.

Handbook p. 9 ↗
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