North Dakota driving lesson · Your License & Permits
Holding periods & teen license limits
A 3-minute lesson from the North Dakota course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
North Dakota eases teens into driving. How long you must hold your permit depends on how old you are, and a license issued at 15 comes with vehicle and nighttime limits until you turn 16.
How long to hold the permit before the road test (or waiver)
How long to hold the permit before the road test (or waiver)
Age with permit
Hold the permit for
14 or 15
12 months or to age 16, whichever is first; min. 6 months
On road test day, your parent or legal guardian must go with you to the test site and sign that you completed the 50 hours. The 50 hours are in addition to formal driver's education.
A 15-year-old who passes the road test gets a restricted Class D license. It is good only for driving a parent's, guardian's, grandparent's, sibling's, aunt's or uncle's vehicle.
At 15 with a restricted license, you may not drive between the later of sunset or 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. unless your parent, legal guardian, or someone at least 18 is with you.
Anyone driving on an instruction permit, and every licensed driver under 18, may not use an electronic communication device while driving. That includes talking and composing, reading or sending messages.
You're 15 with a restricted license. On a December evening the sun sets at 5:00 p.m. The limit starts at the later time, 9:00 p.m., so you may drive alone until then. After 9:00 you need an adult 18 or older along, unless you're driving straight home from work, school activities or church.
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.
How many hours of supervised practice driving must a permit holder under 16 complete?
40 hours
20 hours
50 hours
30 hours
Answer: 50 hours
Individuals under 16 must complete a minimum of 50 hours of supervised practice driving in variable conditions.
Between what hours is a 15-year-old with a restricted Class D license barred from driving unaccompanied?
Between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. only
Between sunset and sunrise every night
Between the later of sunset or 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.
Between 11:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. only
Answer: Between the later of sunset or 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.
A restricted 15-year-old license holder may not drive unaccompanied between the later of sunset or 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., except for work, school, or religious activities.