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Iowa · Permit test

The Iowa school permit (special minor's license)

From 14 and a half, the Iowa school permit lets a teen drive alone to school, school activities and work, in the hour around start and end times. The DOT calls it the special minor's restricted license, and it's optional. You need driver ed, six clean months on a permit and signed forms. The fee is $16 for four years, as of October 2026.

Where to study

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

Who can get an Iowa school permit?

  • Teens at least 14 and a half.
  • Who have finished an Iowa-approved driver education course.
  • Who have held an instruction permit with a clean record for at least six months in a row, right before applying.
  • With the Affidavit (form 430021) signed by a parent and by school officials or the primary homeschool teacher. Signatures must be live, not electronic or stamped.
  • With the Parental Consent (form 430022), which you carry in the car and show police when asked.

If your instructor asks for it, or you did parent-taught driver's ed, you also pass a drive test.

Iowa DOT: Affidavit for the school license (430021) ↗Iowa DOT: Parental Consent for the school license (430022) ↗

Where and when you can drive alone

In the hour before and after the start and end of each of these, using the most direct route. If school runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., that's 7 to 8 a.m. and 3 to 4 p.m.

  • School: public school students within their school district, and nonpublic and homeschooled students within 25 miles. Since July 1, 2024, you can't drive alone to a private school more than 25 miles from home.
  • School-sponsored activities within 25 miles of home.
  • Work trips of 25 miles or less.
  • Farm work within 25 miles, if you live or work on an Iowa farm.
  • A stop for fuel on the way, or at the nearest station off your route.

With adult supervision you can drive any time, under the same rules as the permit.

What the school license doesn't allow

  • No phone or other electronic device while driving.
  • When you drive alone, no more than one minor passenger who isn't a relative, and only pickups and drop-offs at your school.
  • No driving between two homes, and no driving to watch an event at a school you don't attend.
  • No commercial vehicles, vehicles with more than two axles, towing, or motorcycles without a motorcycle license.

Is there a work permit for driving in Iowa?

The school license is the DOT's school/work permit, and it covers work trips of 25 miles or less once a parent fills in form 430022.

There's also a separate Class C minor's restricted work license for 16 to 18 year olds who have finished driver education and dropped out of school. It's only for driving to and from work, or taking dependents to care needed for the job, and you need proof that you don't attend school. It isn't available if you left school because you graduated or earned a high school equivalency diploma.

Suspensions

Any traffic ticket other than parking, a broken restriction or an at-fault crash brings a three-month suspension. To get your license back, you book a DMV visit and pay a $20 reinstatement fee and a $10 duplicate fee. Your six clean months start over, and each suspension adds three months before you can move up to the intermediate license.

The Iowa intermediate license →
Sources: Iowa DOT and 3 more. Checked October 2026.

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

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