Florida DMV Drug and Alcohol Test: Topics, Exam, and Completion

Before Florida issues a first-ever driver license, the applicant has to finish a state-approved Florida DMV drug and alcohol course. For anyone 18 or older, that means the four-hour Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education (TLSAE) program. For teens under 18, a newer six-hour Driver Education Traffic Safety (DETS) course replaced the TLSAE requirement in August 2025. The requirement comes from Florida Statute 322.095, and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) will not process a first-time application until the course completion is on file.¹

Who Has to Take the Course

The rule turns on whether you have ever been licensed anywhere. If you have never held a driver license in any U.S. state or foreign country, you need the course. Age doesn’t change that for adults. A 19-year-old and a 59-year-old first-time applicant face the same four-hour TLSAE requirement.¹

Two exemptions exist. If you already hold a valid license from another state or country, you can transfer it to a Florida Class E license without taking the course. And anyone who completed a Department of Education driver education course under Section 1003.48 has already satisfied the requirement.¹ An out-of-state license that expired long ago, or one from a jurisdiction Florida doesn’t recognize, may not qualify. Check with your local tax collector’s office or an FLHSMV service center before assuming you’re off the hook.

One boundary matters for anyone hoping to use the course to fix a driving record: it can’t. The statute is explicit that completion doesn’t qualify a person for reinstatement of a suspended or revoked license. If you lost your license to a DUI or other serious violation, that’s a separate administrative process, not a TLSAE problem.

Teens under 18 now take the six-hour DETS course instead of the TLSAE.² Adults 18 and older are not affected by that change.

What the Course Covers

The curriculum is set by Section 322.095, and every approved provider teaches the same core material. The heart of it is how alcohol and drugs act on the body: impaired judgment, slower reaction time, and narrowed vision at rising blood alcohol concentration levels.¹

Around that core, the course also covers:

The economic and social costs of impaired driving on families, communities, and the healthcare system
Florida traffic laws, including rules of the road, right-of-way, speed limits, and traffic control devices
Risky driver behaviors such as speeding, running red lights, reckless driving, and using electronic devices behind the wheel
Safety awareness for motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians

The DUI Penalties the Course Teaches

Florida’s legal blood alcohol limit is 0.08 grams per 100 milliliters of blood, or per 210 liters of breath. Driving at or above that number, or while impaired by any substance, triggers criminal DUI charges under Section 316.193.³ Penalties climb with each conviction:

First conviction: $500 to $1,000 fine and up to 6 months in jail
Second conviction: $1,000 to $2,000 fine and up to 9 months in jail
Third conviction within 10 years: third-degree felony, minimum $2,000 fine
Third conviction after 10 years: $2,000 to $5,000 fine and up to 12 months in jail
Fourth or subsequent conviction: third-degree felony, minimum $2,000 fine

Aggravating factors push those numbers higher. If your BAC is 0.15 or higher, or if a passenger under 18 is in the vehicle, the fines and jail maximums jump. A first offense with those factors runs $1,000 to $2,000 and up to 9 months in jail. A second enhanced offense runs $2,000 to $4,000 with up to 12 months in jail.³ A conviction also triggers a separate license revocation on top of the criminal penalties.

The course also teaches Florida’s implied consent rule. By driving on Florida roads, you have already agreed to submit to a breath, blood, or urine test if you’re lawfully arrested for DUI. Refusing the test the first time brings an automatic one-year license suspension. A second or later refusal brings an 18-month suspension.⁴ Those suspensions are administrative, so they take effect before any criminal case is resolved. Refusing doesn’t avoid consequences. It adds them.

Taking the Course and Passing the Exam

The TLSAE runs a minimum of four hours of instructional content, with no more than 30 minutes counted toward breaks.¹ You can take it online or in a classroom through any FLHSMV-approved provider. The FLHSMV publishes the list of approved schools on its website. Two minutes checking that list is worth it, because an unapproved course won’t count and the FLHSMV won’t accept the completion.

The course ends with a 40-question multiple-choice exam. You need at least 32 correct answers, or 80 percent, to pass. Most providers allow a retake after a short review period if you miss the mark. Don’t confuse this exam with the Class E Knowledge Exam you take at a service center for your learner’s permit. That one is a separate 50-question test on traffic signs and driving rules.⁵

Course prices vary by provider and generally fall in the range of roughly $20 to $50, plus a mandatory $3 state assessment fee that every provider collects.¹ Some providers advertise optional add-ons like paper certificates or processing fees. You don’t need a paper certificate. The only proof of completion that counts is the electronic record.

How Your Completion Reaches the FLHSMV

Once you pass, the provider is required to send your completion data electronically to the FLHSMV’s Driver Improvement Certificate Issuance System within five days, and that submission has to be free to you.¹ The FLHSMV doesn’t accept paper certificates for licensing purposes.⁶

Give it 24 to 72 hours for the record to show up in the FLHSMV system. Before you drive to a service center, log in to the FLHSMV online portal and confirm your status reads complete. If you show up before the record posts, staff at the counter can’t override the electronic system, and you’re going home to come back another day.

What Comes After the Course

Finishing the TLSAE (or DETS for teens) is one step, not the whole process. You still need to pass a vision and hearing screening and the 50-question Class E Knowledge Exam at a service center, which also requires an 80 percent score to pass.⁵ Clearing that exam earns you a learner’s license and the right to practice driving with a licensed adult in the car.

Teens then have to hold the learner’s license for at least 12 months, staying free of traffic convictions during that period, before applying for a full Class E license. Adults move faster but still need to pass an on-road driving skills test. Once your TLSAE completion is on file, it stays there. You don’t repeat it, though it won’t help you if your license is later revoked.

1
Florida Senate. Florida Code 322.095 – Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education Program for Driver License Applicants
2
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Driver Education Traffic Safety (DETS) Course Frequently Asked Questions
3
Florida Senate. Florida Code 316.193 – Driving Under the Influence; Penalties
4
Florida Legislature. Florida Code 316.1932 – Tests for Alcohol, Chemical Substances, or Controlled Substances; Implied Consent; Refusal
5
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Licensing Requirements for Teens, Graduated Driver License Laws, and Driving Curfews
6
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Driver Improvement Schools