In Florida, you can begin driving at age 15 with a learner’s permit, move up to an intermediate license at 16, and hold a full, unrestricted Class E license at 18. The state uses a graduated driver licensing (GDL) system that adds privileges in stages, so what you’re allowed to do behind the wheel depends on which step you’re on.
Age 15: Learner’s Permit
Fifteen is the earliest you can legally drive in Florida, and only with a learner’s permit. Before applying, you have to complete the Driver Education Traffic Safety (DETS) course, a six-hour class that replaced the older four-hour TLSAE course for applicants under 18 as of August 1, 2025. It covers road rules, impaired-driving dangers, and behind-the-wheel instruction.1Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Driver Education Traffic Safety (DETS) A TLSAE certificate finished before that date stays valid for one year.
At the service center you’ll pass a vision and hearing screening and a 50-question Class E knowledge exam on traffic laws and road signs.2Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Licensing Requirements for Teens, Graduated Driver License Laws and Driving Curfews Bring documents proving your identity, Social Security number, and residential address. Because you’re under 18, a parent, legal guardian, or other responsible adult has to sign your application under oath.3Official Internet Site of the Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 322.09 – Application of Minors; Responsibility for Negligence or Misconduct of Minor Minors emancipated by marriage are exempt.
With the permit, you can only drive when a licensed driver at least 21 years old is in the front passenger seat.4Official Internet Site of the Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 322.1615 – Learner’s Driver License For the first three months you’re limited to daylight hours. After that, you can drive until 10 p.m.2Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Licensing Requirements for Teens, Graduated Driver License Laws and Driving Curfews
Age 16: Intermediate License
At 16, you can trade the permit for an intermediate Class E driver’s license and drive without a supervising adult. To qualify, you must have held your learner’s permit for at least 12 months (or until you turn 18, whichever comes first) with no moving-violation convictions during that time. One moving violation is allowed if the court withheld adjudication.2Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Licensing Requirements for Teens, Graduated Driver License Laws and Driving Curfews
A parent, guardian, or responsible adult over 21 also has to certify that you completed at least 50 hours of supervised driving, at least 10 of them at night. Then you take the Class E driving skills test.
Even with the intermediate license, a curfew still applies at 16: no driving between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. You can drive during those hours only if you’re going to or from work, or if a licensed driver 21 or older is riding with you.2Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Licensing Requirements for Teens, Graduated Driver License Laws and Driving Curfews
Age 17: Curfew Shifts Later
At 17, the curfew narrows. You can’t drive between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., with the same exceptions for work travel and for having a licensed driver 21 or older in the car.2Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Licensing Requirements for Teens, Graduated Driver License Laws and Driving Curfews Everything else about your license stays the same.
Age 18: Full License
On your 18th birthday, the graduated restrictions end. The curfews lift and the age-based limitations disappear. Your intermediate license converts to a standard, unrestricted Class E license with no additional driving test, because the one you took at 16 still counts.
If you picked up a moving violation while holding your learner’s permit, the one-year waiting period for the intermediate license resets from the date of that conviction, or runs until you turn 18, whichever comes first.5Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Teen Drivers So a ticket at 15 can delay your intermediate license, but it won’t push things past your 18th birthday.
First-Time Drivers 18 and Older
Not everyone goes through the GDL system. If you’re 18 or older and have never held a license, there’s no learner’s permit waiting period and no curfew. You still complete the four-hour Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education (TLSAE) course for adults, pass the vision and hearing screening, pass the Class E knowledge exam, and pass the driving skills test.2Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Licensing Requirements for Teens, Graduated Driver License Laws and Driving Curfews You bring the same identity, Social Security, and residency documents, and no parent has to sign. A teenager spends at least a year on a learner’s permit before testing; an adult can finish the course, pass both exams, and leave with a full Class E license in far less time.
What the Adult Who Signs Takes On
The parent, guardian, or responsible adult who signs a minor’s application takes on legal responsibility, not just paperwork. Under Florida law, any negligence or willful misconduct by the minor while driving on a public road is imputed to the signer, who is jointly and severally liable for damages the minor causes. An injured party can pursue the full amount from either the minor or the signing adult.3Official Internet Site of the Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 322.09 – Application of Minors; Responsibility for Negligence or Misconduct of Minor That exposure lasts until the minor turns 18. Because minors can’t register a vehicle in their own name, the parent who owns the car and carries the insurance policy is usually the one on the hook, so liability coverage is worth reviewing before a teen starts driving.