Driving Tests

Indiana Driver's License at 16: Driver's Ed, 50 Hours, 2026 Rule

informational·how to guide·Published August 23, 2026

Can I get my Indiana driver's license on my 16th birthday?

Yes, if you finish driver's ed. Since July 1, 2026, HEA 1200 lets the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) issue a license on your 16th birthday. You also need a learner's permit held 180 days, a 50-hour practice log (10 hours at night), a vision screening and a driving test. Without driver's ed, you must be 16 years and 270 days old.

Where these Indiana rules come from

This guide uses the BMV news release of June 3, 2026 on HEA 1200, the BMV driver's license page, the BMV pages on probationary licenses, learner's permits and cards by mail, the BMV driver education page and its FAQs, the BMV birthday chart and the Indiana Driver's Manual (July 2026). The rules are as of 2026. Confirm the rules with the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (in.gov/bmv) before you drive.

What HEA 1200 changed

Governor Braun signed House Enrolled Act 1200 on March 12, 2026. From July 1, 2026, the BMV can issue a driver's license at age 16. The old minimum was 16 years and 90 days.
Only the age changed. You still need every other step: the knowledge exam, a permit held 180 days, driver's ed, a signed supervised driving log, a vision screening and a driving test. Under 18, an adult also signs an agreement of financial liability. HEA 1200 also lets 16-year-olds get a motorcycle endorsement if they meet the requirements.

How old must you be: with or without driver's ed?

You finished a driver education program

You must be at least 16 years old. You can receive the license on your 16th birthday if you have held the permit for 180 days by then.

You did not take driver's ed

You must be at least 16 years and 270 days old (about 16 years and nine months), and you must have held the permit for 180 days.

How long must you hold the permit?

You must hold an Indiana learner's permit for 180 days (about six months) on both routes. To have the license on your 16th birthday, get the permit at least 180 days before that birthday.
At 15, you can get the permit if you are enrolled in an approved behind-the-wheel training course and show a Certificate of Driver Education from the course provider. At 16, you can get it without driver's ed if you pass a vision screening and the knowledge exam. The guide to the Indiana learner's permit has the permit steps. A permit is valid for two years from the issue date.

Earliest license date by 16th birthday (BMV birthday chart)

Earliest license date by 16th birthday (BMV birthday chart)
16th birthday	With driver's ed (age 16)	Without driver's ed (16 years and 270 days)
January 1	On the 16th birthday	Sep 28, at age 16
April 1	On the 16th birthday	Dec 27, at age 16
June 15	On the 16th birthday	Mar 12, at age 16
September 1	On the 16th birthday	May 29, at age 16
December 31	On the 16th birthday	Sep 27, at age 16

What counts as driver's ed in Indiana?

A driver education program is 30 hours of classroom training and six hours of behind-the-wheel training with a BMV-licensed driver training school. Online training can replace the classroom part, but you still must complete the six behind-the-wheel hours. Online driver's ed alone does not give you the license at 16. Ask your school first whether it accepts the online course you choose.

How many practice hours do you need, and what is the log?

Every permit holder who applies for a first license must complete at least 50 hours of supervised driving practice, with at least 10 hours at night. With a daylight-only restriction, you skip the night hours but still log 50 hours.
You write the hours in the Log of Supervised Driving Practice (State Form 54706). Driver's ed does not replace the log. Under 18, a parent or legal guardian signs the log, and your supervisor must be a licensed instructor, a licensed relative (by blood, marriage or legal status) 25 or older, your licensed spouse 21 or older, or a driver rehabilitation specialist recognized by the BMV. A free question on the supervised practice rule tests this.

Steps to your Indiana license at 16

1
Get the permit
Pass the vision screening and the knowledge exam. The knowledge exam has two parts, signs and traffic rules, and you need 80 percent or more on each part. A question on the two knowledge exam parts shows how the scoring works.
2
Finish driver's ed
Complete the classroom (or accepted online) part and the behind-the-wheel part with a BMV-licensed driver training school.
3
Log 50 hours
Record each supervised drive on State Form 54706 until you have 50 hours, with 10 of them at night.
4
Hold the permit 180 days
Wait until the permit is at least 180 days old and you reach the minimum age.
5
Pass the driving test
Take it at a BMV branch, or with a driver training school that takes part in the BMV skills test program. You must pass the knowledge exam first. After a failed test, you wait seven days. After a third failed test on a permit, you wait two months.
6
Apply at a BMV branch
Bring the signed log, proof that you finished driver's ed, and documents that prove your identity, lawful status, Social Security number and Indiana residency. Under 18, a parent, legal guardian or other adult signs an agreement of financial liability and shows ID. You get the permanent card by mail within 14 days if there are no issues.

What changes after you get the license

A license for a driver younger than 21 is called a probationary driver's license. For 180 days you may not drive between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. You also may not drive with passengers unless a licensed instructor, a licensed driver 25 or older, or a spouse 21 or older sits in the front seat. You may still drive your own child, stepchild, sibling or spouse. The probationary license rules guide has the full list.

Key takeaways

Since July 1, 2026, Indiana can issue a license on the 16th birthday if you finished driver's ed.
Without driver's ed, you must be 16 years and 270 days old.
Both routes need the permit held 180 days and a 50-hour practice log with 10 night hours.
Driver's ed means 30 classroom hours (or an accepted online course) plus six hours behind the wheel.
Next step: practice on the free Indiana operator practice test.

Indiana license at 16: common questions

Can a 15-year-old get a driver's license in Indiana?

No. The earliest license age in Indiana is 16, and only after you finish driver's ed. At 15, you can get a learner's permit if you are enrolled in an approved behind-the-wheel course. If you get that permit at least 180 days before your 16th birthday and finish driver's ed, you can get the license on that birthday.

Is driver's ed required to get an Indiana license?

No. Without driver's ed, you can get a license when you are 16 years and 270 days old, about nine months later than with it. You still need a learner's permit held for 180 days, 50 logged practice hours with 10 at night, a vision screening and a driving test.

Can my driving school give me the driving test before I turn 16?

Yes, if the school takes part in the BMV skills test program. A school may test you when you hold a valid learner's permit and have finished the 36 hours of driver's ed. A pass stays valid until your permit expires, and not longer than two years. You get the license only when you reach the age and the 180 days.

What happens if I fail driver's ed?

A grade of 79 percent or below in the classroom part or the behind-the-wheel part is a fail. You must then take the driving test at a BMV branch, not at the school. The license at 16 needs a driver's ed program that you completed successfully. Without one, the minimum age is 16 years and 270 days.

Why do some websites say 16 years and 90 days?

That was the minimum license age with driver's ed before HEA 1200 took effect on July 1, 2026. Some older pages, including one BMV page about the driving test, still show it. The current rule is 16 with driver's ed, or 16 years and 270 days without it. Check the date on any page that you read.