Driving Tests

Iowa Intermediate License at 16 and Full License at 17: GDL Rules

informational·how to guide·Published August 18, 2026

When can you get an Iowa intermediate license, and when can you get a full license?

You can get an Iowa intermediate license at 16 or 17 after 12 months on an instruction permit, 20 supervised hours (2 at night), 6 months with no crashes or violations, and driver education. Some teens also need a drive test. You can get a full license at 17 after 12 months on the intermediate license, 10 more supervised hours (2 at night) and 12 clean months.

Where the Iowa intermediate and full license facts come from

The age, hour and clean-record rules come from Iowa Code section 321.180B. Other rules come from Iowa Code 321.178 (driver education), 321.189 (the card), 321.276 (phones) and 805.8A (fines), and from Iowa Administrative Code 761-615 (suspensions). The DMV steps come from the Iowa DOT intermediate license page, the Iowa DOT full license page and other Iowa DOT pages, including the parent guide. This guide is current as of 2026. Confirm the rules with the Iowa DOT (iowadot.gov) before you drive.

How the Iowa graduated driver's license works

Iowa has a graduated driver's license (GDL) system for drivers under 18, with three steps: the instruction permit, the intermediate license and the full license. This guide covers steps two and three. If you still need the permit, read our guide to the Iowa instruction permit.

Iowa intermediate license and full license compared

Iowa intermediate license and full license compared
Rule	Intermediate license	Full license
Age	16 or 17	17
Time before you apply	12 months on an instruction permit	12 months on the intermediate license
Supervised driving	20 hours, 2 of them at night	10 more hours, 2 of them at night
Clean record before you apply	6 months, no crashes or violations	12 months, no crashes or violations
Limits while you hold it	Night hours and passenger limits	No GDL limits

How to get the Iowa intermediate license

1
Hold your permit for 12 months
Hold it for at least 12 months right before you apply, at age 16 or 17. Time on a special minor's restricted license can count toward the 12 months, together with the permit.
2
Finish 20 hours of supervised driving
A parent, guardian or custodian signs a form for your 20 hours, 2 of them after sunset and before sunrise. Your supervisor can be a parent, guardian, custodian, instructor, a person certified by the Iowa DOT, or a person 25 or older with written parent permission. Try our free question on practice before an intermediate license.
3
Finish driver education
Complete Iowa-approved driver education before the license is issued. A school course has at least 30 clock hours in class and at least 6 clock hours of laboratory instruction, 3 of them on the road.
4
Stay clean for 6 months
In the 6 months right before you apply, you need no crashes, no violations and no suspension, revocation or bar.
5
Book a DMV appointment
Schedule an appointment at a DMV location. A parent or guardian gives written consent in person or on form 430018. A new consent is needed each time a permit or license is issued.

Night driving and passenger limits

From 5 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., you may drive alone. From 12:30 a.m. to 5 a.m., a licensed adult supervisor must sit beside you. This can be a parent, guardian or custodian, an immediate family member 21 or older, an instructor, or a person 25 or older with written parent permission.
A waiver lets you drive alone between 12:30 a.m. and 5 a.m. only to and from work and school-related extracurricular activities. Your parent, guardian or custodian completes the waiver (form 431170), and you carry it in the vehicle.
For the first 6 months, you may carry only one unrelated minor passenger, unless a parent or guardian waived this limit when the license was issued. An unrelated minor passenger is under 18 and is not your sibling, your stepsibling or a child who lives in your household. The limit does not apply when an adult supervisor listed for the permit rides with you.
All intermediate drivers must keep the number of passengers at or below the number of seat belts.

Phone use on an Iowa intermediate license

Iowa's hands-free law (Iowa Code 321.276) applies to all drivers, teens included. You must not hold, view or manipulate a phone or other electronic device while you drive, unless the vehicle is stopped off the road. Hands-free or voice-activated use is allowed. The scheduled fine is $100. The Iowa DOT intermediate license page still tells teens not to use a phone while driving.

What happens if you break a rule

You break the night, passenger or seat belt limit

Police can give you a citation under Iowa Code 321.180B. The scheduled fine is $70. The Iowa DOT may also suspend your permit or license.

You are convicted of a moving violation, or you are in a crash

The Iowa DOT can suspend your permit or license or take other remedial action: a safety advisory letter, extra restrictions, a safety consultation, an educational program, a knowledge test or a drive test.

The Iowa DOT suspends your permit or license

The suspension is at least 30 days for the first violation, at least 60 days for the second and at least 90 days for the third or later. You cannot get a temporary restricted license during it. Our guide to Iowa teen driver penalties has more detail.

You had a violation or crash and want the next license

Finish the remedial action first. Then you need 6 clean months before you apply for the intermediate license, or 12 clean months before you apply for the full license.

How to get the Iowa full license

1
Turn 17
The full license is the third and last GDL step.
2
Hold the intermediate license for 12 months
Hold your intermediate license, or a comparable one from another state, for at least 12 months in a row right before you apply.
3
Finish 10 supervised hours
A parent, guardian or custodian signs a form for 10 supervised hours on your intermediate license, 2 of them after sunset and before sunrise. The same adults can supervise as for the permit hours. Try our free question on moving to the full license.
4
Stay clean for 12 months
In the 12 months right before you apply, you need no crashes, no violations and no suspension, revocation or bar.
5
Book a DMV appointment
Schedule an appointment at a DMV location. A parent or guardian gives written consent in person or on form 430018, and you pay the fee.

What your Iowa license card shows

An intermediate license has the words "intermediate license" on the front and a distinctive color bar. On the Iowa DOT restriction list, code Y means intermediate license. The back of the card shows if the 6-month passenger limit applies to you. A license for a person under 18 shows "under eighteen" on the front. At 18, you can get a new card for the rest of its term for a $10 fee. It shows "under twenty-one" until you turn 21.

Key takeaways

Intermediate license at 16 or 17: 12 months on a permit, 20 supervised hours (2 at night), 6 clean months and driver education.
From 12:30 a.m. to 5 a.m. you need a licensed adult beside you, unless the waiver covers your work or school activity trip.
For the first 6 months you may carry one unrelated minor passenger, unless a parent waived the limit.
Full license at 17: 12 months on the intermediate license, 10 more supervised hours (2 at night) and 12 clean months.
Next step: practice on the free Iowa Class C practice test.

Iowa intermediate and full license: common questions

Do I need a drive test for the Iowa intermediate license?

Only in some cases. You need a drive test at the DMV if your driver education instructor asks for it, if you did parent-taught driver education, if you have a medical condition that may affect safe driving, or if a court orders it. Parallel parking is not part of the Iowa drive test.

Do my brothers and sisters count toward the passenger limit?

No. In the first 6 months, the limit is one unrelated minor passenger. Siblings, stepsiblings and children who live in your home do not count toward that limit. You still cannot carry more passengers than the number of seat belts in the vehicle.

Can I drive home from a party after 12:30 a.m. on an intermediate license?

Not alone. The waiver covers only trips to and from work and school-related extracurricular activities. For any other trip between 12:30 a.m. and 5 a.m., a licensed adult from the supervisor list must sit beside you, or you must wait until 5 a.m. A citation for this has a $70 scheduled fine.

I moved to Iowa with an out-of-state permit. What else do I need for the intermediate license?

Yes. Time on a comparable instruction permit from another state counts toward the 12 months for an Iowa intermediate license. With only an out-of-state permit, you must pass the Iowa knowledge test. An Iowa driver education instructor must convert an out-of-state driver education certificate to an Iowa one. You still need the 20 supervised hours.

Do I need a full license at 17, or can I wait until 18?

At 17, you can get a full license if you meet the steps in this guide. The Iowa DOT parent guide says that once you turn 18, you can get a full license without these GDL requirements. Remedial action under the GDL rule also ends when you turn 18.