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Indiana · Permit test

Indiana learner's permit rules

You may drive on a permit only with an approved supervisor in the front passenger seat, and who counts depends on your age and whether you're in driver education. The Indiana learner's permit rules also set a 180-day hold and a 50-hour driving log before your license. After that, a probationary license limits passengers and late-night driving, and it stays probationary until you're 21.

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Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

Who can supervise you under the Indiana learner's permit rules?

Relative means related by blood, marriage or legal status. Every supervisor's license must be valid, not expired, suspended or revoked.

Your situationWho may sit in the front passenger seat
Under 16, in driver educationYour licensed driving instructor or a BMV-recognized driver rehabilitation specialist, a licensed relative 25 or older, or your licensed spouse 21 or older
Under 18, not in driver educationA licensed relative 25 or older, your licensed spouse 21 or older, or a licensed driving school instructor working for a school
Under 18, in Department of Child Services careA licensed relative 25 or older, or a licensed driver 25 or older approved by DCS
18 or olderAny licensed driver 25 or older, or your licensed spouse 21 or older

The 180-day hold and the 50-hour log

  • Hold your permit at least 180 days, about six months, before you get a license. Time on a valid permit counts.
  • Log at least 50 hours of supervised driving, with 10 of them at night, on State Form 54706. You can use more than one log sheet.
  • If your permit has a daylight-only restriction, the night hours don't apply, but the 50 hours still do.
  • Under 18, a parent or guardian signs the log. The manual asks drivers 18 and older for the 50 hours too.
  • Your permit lasts two years from the day it's issued.
Indiana BMV: Log of Supervised Driving Practice (State Form 54706) ↗

Probationary license rules

Once you pass, you're on a probationary license until 21. It's valid until 21 years and 30 days, and you can renew it from the day after your 21st birthday.

  • First 180 days: no passengers unless a licensed driver 25 or older, your licensed spouse 21 or older, or a driving instructor sits in front. Your child, stepchild, sibling, step or half-sibling, or spouse can ride with you.
  • First 180 days: no driving from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
  • After that, until 18: no driving after 11 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, before 5 a.m. Monday to Friday, or from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
  • The time limits don't apply going to or from work, a school-sanctioned activity or a religious event, or with a licensed driver 25 or older, or your licensed spouse 21 or older.

Indiana driving laws that apply on a permit

  • Phones: don't use a phone or any other device while you drive, except to call 911. The BMV states this rule for probationary drivers, so it's the habit to build now.
  • Seat belts: the driver and every passenger, whenever the car is moving.
  • Children under 8 ride in a child car seat or booster.
  • Alcohol: the legal limit is .08 BAC. Refusing a chemical test means a one-year suspension.
  • School: being expelled, suspended a second time in a school year, found a habitual truant or dropping out can cost a juvenile their driving privileges.

Letters on your permit

Restrictions print in the lower left corner of the card. The common ones come from the vision screening: B for glasses or contacts, F for outside mirrors or a rearview camera, and G for daylight driving only. J means specific limitations, and the manual uses it for permits issued with driver education.

Sources: Indiana Driver's Manual, Chapter 1 · Indiana BMV · Indiana Driver's Manual, Chapter 2 and 3 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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