Michigan teen driving laws: permits, curfew, and passenger rules
A Michigan teenager cannot buy their way past driver education. Under Graduated Driver Licensing the classroom comes before the counter: two segments of instruction from a state-certified provider, three license levels, and a logbook a parent signs. The handbook notes that Michigan was the first state to require teens under 18 to take driver education, back in 1955, and the structure still shows it — Segment 1 opens at 14 years and 8 months, and a full unrestricted license is not reachable before 17. This article is for the teen and for the adult in the passenger seat: what each segment demands, what the log has to show, which restrictions bind at Level 2, and what a parent can do about the pace.
Two segments, three levels, and the age each one opens
Michigan's GDL pairs two blocks of driver education with three licensing statuses. Segment 1 can be enrolled in at 14 years and 8 months. The Level 1 Learner's License follows at 14 years and 9 months. Segment 2 comes after three consecutive months at Level 1 and a logged 30 hours. Level 2 Intermediate arrives at 16, and Level 3 Full at 17. GDL ends at 18 no matter where a teen has reached, and the handbook notes the requirement is waived for a teen who has held a valid license from another state for more than a year.
Segment 1: 24 hours in a classroom, six behind the wheel, four watching
The department publishes Segment 1 as a set of minimums with pacing rules attached. Classroom instruction totals at least 24 hours, capped at no more than two hours a day, spread over three or more weeks. At least four of those classroom hours must come before any behind-the-wheel training starts. Behind-the-wheel instruction is at least six hours, with at least three of the six completed before classroom instruction ends and only one hour of practice allowed per day; any remaining behind-the-wheel hours must be finished no later than three weeks after the classroom ends. On top of that sits a minimum of four hours of observation time in a vehicle with other students and an instructor.
The course ends in a state exam, and a score of at least 70 percent is required to pass Segment 1. There is also an option that sits outside the required sequence: a Parent Driving Permit, issued by the driver education provider once the parent or guardian authorizes it, lets a teen practice under the supervision of their licensed parent or guardian only, and only while the teen is enrolled in and attending the Segment 1 course. It is not required.
Choosing a provider, and the courses that do not count
Instruction has to come from a state-certified, independently owned driver education provider, and the department warns that not every course a search engine returns is approved. It singles out courses available only online: those may be a useful study aid, but the SOS says they do not meet the requirements for instruction, testing, behind-the-wheel training and supervised practice needed for a Michigan license. Approved providers meet the administrative and curriculum requirements of the Driver Education Provider and Instructor Act. Program fees are set by the provider, not by the department, so the SOS advises checking several and comparing rates.
Teens with disabilities enrolling in driver education may be entitled to accommodations, including appropriate auxiliary aids and services, at no cost — as long as the disability does not prevent them from driving safely, and unless providing those aids would fundamentally alter the nature of the program or result in an undue burden. The department encourages parents and providers to work the accommodation out together, and its Driver Education and Testing Section takes questions when a business will not cooperate.
Level 1: the office visit a parent has to attend
After passing the Segment 1 state exam, the teen and their parent or guardian go together to a Secretary of State office. There the teen passes a vision test, meets the health standards, presents the Segment 1 Certificate of Completion along with proof of a valid Social Security number or a letter of ineligibility, legal presence, identity and Michigan residency, and has a photograph taken. The SOS lists a licensing fee of $25 for this step; check the current amount on its under-18 new-driver page, which carries the figure. Families pre-apply when scheduling the visit.
The Level 1 card must be carried whenever the teen drives, and it comes with a strict definition of who may sit beside them: a licensed parent, a licensed guardian, or a designated licensed adult aged 21 or older. The handbook puts that adult in the front seat next to the driver, and requires the designated adult to carry a signed letter of authorization from the parent or guardian. Whoever supervises must hold a valid, unexpired driver's license. Under Kelsey's Law a Level 1 driver may not use a cell phone while driving, except in an emergency.
The log: 30 hours to reach Segment 2, 50 to reach the road test
One driving log carries two thresholds. To start Segment 2, the teen must show at least 30 hours of supervised driving including at least two hours at night, and must have held the Level 1 license for at least three consecutive months. To take the driving skills test, the log must show at least 50 hours including at least 10 hours at night. The Supervised Driving Guide, handed to parents when the Level 1 license is issued, contains a sample log; the handbook says families may also build their own based on it, or use the free RoadReady mobile app.
The nighttime half of that requirement has one statutory exception. MCL 257.310e provides that the nighttime hours requirement does not apply to a person who has been issued a graduated driver license permitting daylight driving only, as provided in R 257.3 of the Michigan Administrative Code. Only a licensed parent, guardian or designated driver aged 21 or older may coach the hours in the first place.
Segment 2: six hours, two hours a day, about three days
Segment 2 is the last block of required classroom instruction, and it is short. The minimum is six hours of classroom time, classes are limited to two hours per day, and the SOS says most Segment 2 courses last about three days. Providers may offer more than the six-hour minimum. As with Segment 1, the segment closes with a state exam, and a score of at least 70 percent is required to pass.
The teen road test: five conditions before anyone books it
The SOS lists what a teen must have done before a driving skills test can happen: be at least 15 years old and accompanied by a parent or guardian; have successfully completed Segment 2; have held the Level 1 license for six consecutive months; have completed the minimum 50 hours of supervised driving including 10 at night; and have had no convictions, civil infractions, license suspensions or at-fault crashes during the 90-day period immediately preceding the test and the Level 2 application. Both the parent or guardian and the teen must be present on the day.
What gets handed to the examiner is specific: proof of valid vehicle insurance and registration, the Level 1 license, the Segment 2 Certificate of Completion, and the logbook signed by the parent or guardian documenting at least 50 hours with 10 at night. The exam has three parts — a vehicle inspection, a basic controls test and an on-the-road drive — and failing any one of them ends the appointment; a new one has to be scheduled, and only one skills test is allowed in a 24-hour period.
Level 2 arrives by itself — nobody goes back to the counter
Michigan advances a teen to Level 2 automatically once the conditions are met, with no Secretary of State visit needed. The SOS states the trigger: the teen turns 16, has gone 90 days without a conviction, and the Segment 2 pass is reported. To hold the status they must also have passed the skills test, have held Level 1 for at least six months, and have had no violations, at-fault crashes or suspensions on the record in the 90 days preceding the application — the handbook adds that third limb. The handbook adds a wrinkle worth checking: teens issued a photo license hard card at Level 1 advance without returning, while those holding a paper Level 1 license must visit an office with their documents.
The Level 2 restrictions, limb by limb
Two restrictions do the work, and each has its own list of exceptions. The first is a curfew: no driving between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. It does not apply if the teen is accompanied by a parent, guardian, or a licensed driver aged 21 or older designated by the parent or guardian, or if the teen is operating the vehicle in the course of employment, going to or from employment, or going to or from an authorized activity.
The second caps passengers: no more than one passenger in the vehicle under the age of 21. That one does not apply if the teen is accompanied by a parent, guardian or a licensed driver aged 21 or older designated by the parent or guardian; if the additional passengers under 21 are members of the teen's immediate family; or if the teen is driving in the course of employment, to or from employment, or to or from an authorized activity. Alongside these, Kelsey's Law bars cell phone use except in emergencies, and seat belts are required for everyone in the front seat and for everyone under 16 anywhere in the vehicle.
"Authorized activity" is not left to interpretation. MCL 257.310e defines it as a school or a school-sanctioned event or activity, with school including a public, private or home school; a sporting or extracurricular event or activity that is not school-sanctioned but is part of an official sports league or association or an official extracurricular club, or is paid for as a service by a business specializing in those events or activities or in training for them; a class or program of vocational instruction offered by a college, community college, nonprofit association, unit of government or a business specializing in vocational training; an event or activity sponsored by a federally tax-exempt religious organization; and transporting someone in need of immediate emergency care or personal protection to a health care professional, hospital, police station, domestic violence shelter or public safety location.
What restarts the clock, and who finds out
MCL 257.310e provides that the provisional periods are expanded or extended if any of four things is recorded on the licensee's driving record during them: a moving violation resulting in a conviction, civil infraction determination or probate court disposition; an accident for which the official police report indicates a moving violation on the licensee's part; a license suspension for a reason other than a mental or physical disability; or a violation of the Level 1 or Level 2 restrictions themselves. The statute then sets the reset: Level 1 extends until 90 consecutive clean days or age 18, whichever comes first, and Level 2 until 12 consecutive clean months or age 18, whichever comes first.
Nobody has to guess whether it happened. The statute requires notice by first-class mail to the licensee's last known address when a period is expanded or extended, and it directs the Secretary of State, once a teen is determined responsible for violating those restrictions, to send written notification of any conviction or moving violation to a designated parent or guardian. Violating the Level 1 or Level 2 restrictions is itself a civil infraction, and the handbook notes that Kelsey's Law violators could face a civil infraction with fines, community service, or both. The card also has to be in the teen's immediate possession whenever they drive and shown on a police officer's demand.
Level 3 at 17, and the parent's hand on the throttle
Level 3 requires three things: being at least 17, having held Level 2 for a minimum of six months, and having gone 12 consecutive months without a violation or an at-fault crash — the handbook widens that last one to a moving violation, an at-fault crash, a license suspension, or a violation of any of the GDL restrictions. It is issued automatically at no fee when the requirements are met and parental authorization was granted, and it carries no GDL restrictions. Michigan's general cell phone prohibition still applies to Level 3 drivers, with exceptions for emergencies and a few non-emergency situations set out in MCL 257.602b.
Parents keep two levers to the end. The SOS says a parent or legal guardian can hold a teen at their current licensing level, GDL 1 or GDL 2, or cancel the teen's GDL license outright, at any time before the 18th birthday — done by scheduling a visit to a Secretary of State office. The handbook also notes that parents or guardians may request to delay advancing a teen to Level 3 if they feel the teen is not yet ready.
Turning 18 with a Level 1 card is not the same as turning 18 with a Level 2
GDL ends at 18 for everyone, but the landing differs. A Level 1 license expires at 18, and a teen who never got past it has to follow the procedures for applicants aged 18 and older — the adult permit-and-road-test path. A teen holding a valid Level 2 or Level 3 license is automatically issued an operator's license before the 18th birthday, mailed to the address on file, in a vertical format with "Under 21" printed on it and expiring on the 21st birthday. Either way, the probationary period follows: every newly licensed Michigan driver spends a minimum of three years on probation while the department watches the record.
Michigan licensing — frequently asked questions
Can my parents stop me from moving up a level?
Yes. The SOS states that a parent or legal guardian may hold a teen at their current licensing level, GDL 1 or GDL 2, or cancel the teen's GDL license, at any time before the 18th birthday, by scheduling a visit to a Secretary of State office. Separately, the handbook notes that Level 3 is issued automatically when the requirements are met and parental authorization was granted, and that parents or guardians may request to delay that advancement.
Does the 10 p.m. curfew apply on the drive home from work?
No. MCL 257.310e exempts a Level 2 driver who is operating the vehicle in the course of employment or while going to or from employment, and the same exemption covers going to or from an authorized activity. The curfew also does not apply when a parent, guardian, or a licensed driver aged 21 or older designated by the parent or guardian is in the car. Outside those limbs, the 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. window is closed.
My younger siblings ride with me every day. Does that break the passenger rule?
Not on its own. The Level 2 cap is no more than one passenger under 21, but MCL 257.310e says the cap does not apply when the additional passengers under 21 are members of the driver's immediate family. It also does not apply when a parent, guardian or designated licensed driver aged 21 or older is in the vehicle, or when the driving is in the course of employment, to or from employment, or to or from an authorized activity.
Do I still owe 10 night hours if my license says daylight driving only?
MCL 257.310e says the nighttime hours requirement does not apply to a person who has been issued a graduated driver license that permits daylight driving only, as provided in R 257.3 of the Michigan Administrative Code. The 50-hour total and the parent or guardian certification still stand — it is the nighttime portion the statute carves out.
Can I take a driver education course entirely online in Michigan?
The SOS warns against it. It says courses available only online may be a useful study aid, but that they do not meet the requirements for instruction, testing, behind-the-wheel training and supervised practice needed to obtain a Michigan driver's license. Approved instruction comes from state-certified, independently owned providers that meet the requirements of the Driver Education Provider and Instructor Act, and the department maintains the list of certified providers.
What happens if I get a ticket a month before I would have reached Level 3?
The statute extends the period rather than pausing it. MCL 257.310e provides that a Level 2 provisional period is extended until the licensee completes 12 consecutive months without a moving violation, a suspension, or a restricted-period violation, or until age 18, whichever comes first. Notice of the extension is sent by first-class mail to the last known address, and if you are determined responsible for violating a Level 1 or Level 2 restriction, the Secretary of State also notifies a designated parent or guardian in writing of any conviction or moving violation.
Official sources
- Michigan Secretary of State — new drivers (under 18) and Graduated Driver Licensing
- MCL 257.310e — Graduated licensing, Michigan Vehicle Code (Act 300 of 1949)
- What Every Driver Must Know, October 2025 edition — Chapter 1, Graduated Driver Licensing
- Michigan Secretary of State — license and ID information, including fees
Checked against official state sources on August 19, 2026.