Graduated Driver’s License in Michigan 2026: Levels 1 to 3

How does the graduated driver’s license work in Michigan?

The steps, in order:

Segment 1 of driver education, from 14 years and 8 months
Level 1 Learner’s License, from 14 years and 9 months, driving only with a supervisor
Segment 2, once you’ve held Level 1 for three months and logged 30 hours
The driving skills test, from 15
Level 2 Intermediate License
Level 3 Full License

See the Level 1 rules →See the Segment 2 rules →

Getting a Level 2 license

You need to have held Level 1 for at least six months, passed the driving skills test, and had no violations, at-fault crashes or suspensions in the 90 days before you apply. With a Level 1 photo hard card, you move up to Level 2 automatically once the Secretary of State (SOS) has the Segment 2 report and 90 days pass without a conviction. There’s no office visit.

With a paper Level 1 license, you visit an SOS office with it, your Segment 2 Certificate of Completion, your Driving Skills Test Certificate and your Social Security number, legal presence, identity and residency documents.

Read the skills test steps →

Michigan Level 2 license restrictions

On Level 2, you may not:

Drive between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
Carry more than one passenger under 21, unless the others are immediate family
Use a cell phone while driving, except in an emergency, under Kelsey’s Law

The night and passenger limits don’t apply when a parent, guardian or licensed adult 21 or older they designate is with you, or when you’re driving for your job, to or from work, or to or from an authorized activity. State law counts school and school events, official sports leagues and clubs, vocational classes, events of a religious organization and emergency trips as authorized activities.

Breaking a Level 2 rule is a civil infraction, and the SOS tells a parent or guardian. A moving violation, a crash with a moving violation on your part or a suspension keeps you on Level 2 until you’ve gone 12 months in a row without one, or until you turn 18.

The Level 3 Full License

You qualify once you’ve held Level 2 for at least six months and driven 12 months in a row without a moving violation, an at-fault crash, a suspension or a GDL violation. It’s issued automatically if your parent or guardian gave authorization, and the state puts no limits on it. A parent or guardian can ask to delay it if they feel you aren’t ready, and with a visit to an SOS office they can also keep a teen at Level 1 or Level 2, or cancel the license before 18. On Level 3, the general cell phone law applies, as it does to every driver.

Teen crash risk and reexaminations

The SOS’s teen page gives these crash figures: 16- and 17-year-olds are about three times more likely to be in a fatal crash at night than during the day, one teen passenger raises the crash risk by 50%, and three or more raise it nearly four times.

In GDL or on probation, you may be called to a driver reexamination after only one or two violations. A driver analyst reviews your record with you and can restrict, suspend or revoke your license.

See the probation rules →

Sources: Michigan Department of State · Michigan Legislature and 1 more. Checked November 2026.

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

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