Maryland Driver Licensing Law

Obtaining a Maryland Learner's Permit

The following is required of applicants for a Maryland Learner's Permit:

• Applicants must be at least 15 years and nine months old
• If under 16, applicants must provide a completed Learner's Permit School Attendance Certification form
• A passing vision screening and knowledge test
• Applicants under 18 must have the signature of a parent or legal guardian

Sixty hours of practice driving is required under the supervision of someone who is at least 21 years old and has held a valid driver's license for at least three years. Ten of the 60 practice hours must be accumulated at night. While the permit is valid for two years, it must be held for at least nine months before becoming eligible for a provisional license.

Obtaining a Provisional License

Once drivers have turned 16 ½ years old and have held a Learner's Permit for nine months, they will become eligible for a Provisional License. Additionally, the Provisional License requires the driver to have successfully completed a Maryland MVA licensed and approved standardized driver education course, as well as a completed Practice Skills Log documenting their 60 hours of supervised practice driving.

Until turning 18, Provisional License holders are prohibited from driving between 12AM and 5AM unless accompanied by a licensed driver age 21 or older with three years of driving experience. Driving to or from work, an official school activity, a volunteer program, or to or from an athletic event or related to a training session is also permitted.

During the first five months of the provisional period, holders are prohibited from having passengers under the age of 18, not including immediate family members, without the supervision of a qualified driver.

The Provisional License will automatically convert to a full driver's license status on the driver's 18th birthday if all of the requirements have been successfully met.

Drivers under age eighteen (18) face serious penalties for repeated violations and offenses. Penalties for repeated violations can include:

• Mandatory completion of a driver improvement program
• The retaking of all law and driving skills tests
• License suspension for an accumulation of excessive points within a 12-month period, for repeated convictions or PBJ's during the provisional period or for a conviction on an offense classified as high risk driving
• Revocation of your driver's license