Nevada Teen Driving

Nearly all Nevada beginning drivers under 18 must complete a driver education course. You can enroll at age 15. Exceptions are not made for home-schooled students.

You must complete a course if one is offered within a 30-mile radius of your residential address. The course is not a requirement to obtain an instruction permit.  It is a requirement for a driver license. 

You have the choice of courses offered through your public school district or those offered by private Nevada professional driving schools. The course consists of 30 hours of instruction. If training in a vehicle is offered, each hour of behind-the-wheel training is the equivalent of three hours of classroom instruction. However, the course must include a minimum of 15 hours of classroom instruction.

See Professional Drive Schools for a list of licensed schools. The Department of Motor Vehicles licenses and monitors professional driving schools but does not regulate schedules or pricing. 

Any professional driving school offering courses by television, Internet or other means must be specifically licensed for this by the Nevada DMV for the course to be accepted. Your local school district may or may not offer 'distance learning' courses by television, Internet or other means.

All schools issue a Certificate of Completion which must be presented to the DMV when you apply for your full license.

Instruction Permits are valid for one year. If your permit has expired, you must apply for renewal in person at a DMV office and a parent/guardian must sign another Financial Responsibility Statement. You will have to take the written test again if the permit is expired more than 30 days.

The parent/guardian who signed the Financial Responsibility Statement when the minor applied for the permit can request its cancellation at any time by completing the Minor Affidavit (DLD-38) form and presenting it in person at a DMV office. Nevada law requires the permit itself to be surrendered to the DMV. 

The department can require testing, cancel a permit or deny the renewal if the applicant has been convicted of traffic violations or other offenses listed under License Suspensions and Revocations.

Young drivers are required to complete 50 hours of behind-the-wheel experience. You must have a licensed driver, who is 21 or older and has been licensed for at least one year, seated next to you at all times. 10 hours of the experience must be completed in darkness.

If driver education is not offered within a 30-mile radius of your residential address and you do not take a course, you must complete 100 hours of supervised experience, 10 hours of which must be in darkness.

You must keep a written log of the dates and times of this experience on the form provided by DMV. Your parent or guardian must sign this form and submit it when you apply for your full license. Fill in the form after each driving session and have it fully completed before your skills test.

  Beginning Driver Experience Log (DLD-130)

You must complete the log on the official DMV form. If your insurance company requires a log, you must keep it separately. Time spent behind-the-wheel with a professional driving instructor counts toward the required hours.

DMV also provides the Beginning Driver Training Guide (48 pages - 1.4 mb) to help parents and their teens make the most of the behind-the-wheel experience. It contains lists of specific skills and how to practice them plus Nevada traffic laws and more.

Call the DMV to schedule a driving skills test when you have met the requirements for Driver Education, Behind The Wheel Experience and Time Limits and Restrictions. If someone else schedules the test for you, they must have your instruction permit number or Social Security Number.

Bring the following with you:

• Parent/Guardian 
  (must sign Financial Responsibility Statement and Affidavit for Minor to be Licensed)

• Drivers Education Certificate of Completion

• Completed Beginning Driver Experience Log (Form DLD-130)

• Instruction Permit

• Vehicle with Registration and Insurance

You can take the skills test in any passenger car or truck which is properly registered and insured. The Drive Examiner will perform a vehicle safety inspections and check the Certificate of Registration and Evidence of Insurance card. If you are using a rental car, the person taking the exam must be listed as a driver on the rental contract.

The examiner will give you instructions on where to drive for the test. Serious traffic violations such as speeding or failure to yield will result in automatic failure. Examiners use a point system to grade other aspects of performance. If you fail the test, the examiner will explain why and instruct you on how to re-take it. A 30-day time limit can be imposed.

You will need to complete another license application and an affidavit. You may complete these forms in advance, but they must be notarized or signed in person at a DMV office.

Driver License Application (DLD1)
A parent/guardian must sign the Financial Responsibility Statement.

Affidavit for a Minor to be Licensed (DLD-102)
Certifies behind-the-wheel experience. 

Passenger Restriction
Young drivers may not transport any passenger under the age of 18, except for immediate family members, for the first three months after the license was issued. Penalties for violations include extending the restriction for six months or more and fines for repeated violations.

Statewide Driving Curfew
Drivers under 18 may not drive between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. unless they are traveling to or from a scheduled event such as school events or work. Law enforcement may ask for satisfactory evidence of the event. This applies to all drivers under the age of 18 until they turn 18, regardless of when the license was issued. 

Other Restrictions
Nevada has a .02 blood alcohol limit for drivers under 21.
Drivers can also be arrested for any detectable amount of a controlled or prohibited substance.

Minor driver licenses can be suspended for any of the same reasons as adult licenses and also for non-driving alcohol/drug convictions, firearms violations or habitual truancy. See License Suspensions.

The parent/guardian who signed the Financial Responsibility Statement can request cancellation of the license at any time until the driver turns 18. Complete the Minor Affidavit (DLD-38) form and present it in person at a DMV office. Nevada law requires the license itself to be surrendered. 
 

Visitors - Nevada honors out-of-state instruction permits. If the permit is valid in your home state, you can drive in Nevada with a licensed driver 21 years or older seated next to you. Nevada also honors out of state driver licenses, but you must follow Nevada's restrictions.

New Residents - Drivers education is not required for any applicant age 18 or older, or for a driver under 18 who has received a license with full driving privileges issued by another state. All applicants under 25 must take the written test. See our New Resident Guide.

Applicants with restricted or graduated licenses or those with out-of-state instruction permits must complete drivers education unless they live in an area of Nevada which is exempt. The Beginning Driver Experience Log also must be completed.

Out-of-state drivers education classes are accepted if the course instructor completes an affidavit that the school's curriculum meets or exceeds Nevada's standards. The form and curriculum requirements are listed below.

Affidavit of Completion of Out-of-State Driver Education Course (DS289)
Nevada Laws Pertaining to Drivers Education Course Curriculum (DS291)

Nevada Residents - Whether you are moving to another state or just visiting, you should be able to drive with a Nevada Instruction Permit as long as you follow the laws of the other state as they pertain to having a licensed driver with you, curfews, etc. Check with law enforcement or state DMV in each area where you will be traveling.  If you are moving permanently, contact your new state's DMV for information on driver education and other requirements to obtain your license.

Military - See Military Licensing - Out-of State Residents Stationed in Nevada 
or Military Licensing - Nevada Residents Stationed in Other States.