Massachusetts JOL Restrictions: Passengers, Curfew and Phones
What are the restrictions on a Massachusetts junior operator license (JOL)?
A Massachusetts junior operator license (JOL) holder may not drive from 12:30 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. unless a parent or legal guardian is in the car. For the first 6 months, no passengers under 18 (except immediate family) unless a licensed adult who is 21 or older, with 1 year of driving experience, sits beside you. Under 18, no phone use at all, even hands-free, except to report an emergency.
Where the Massachusetts JOL restrictions come from
The night and passenger limits are in Massachusetts General Laws chapter 90, section 8. The phone ban is in section 8M. The penalty tables come from the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) junior operator violations page. The RMV Junior Operator License requirements page, the RMV hands-free law page and the Massachusetts Driver's Manual (revised April 2026) also support this guide. It is current as of 2026. Confirm the rules with the Massachusetts RMV (mass.gov/rmv) before you drive.
The Massachusetts JOL restrictions at a glance
| Restriction | The rule | Law |
|---|---|---|
| Night | No driving from 12:30 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. unless a parent or legal guardian is with you. | M.G.L. c. 90, s. 8 |
| Passengers | For the first 6 months, no passenger under 18 other than immediate family, unless a qualified adult sits beside you. | M.G.L. c. 90, s. 8 |
| Phones | Under 18, no hand-held or hands-free phone or mobile electronic device while driving. Reporting an emergency is the only exception. | M.G.L. c. 90, s. 8M |
| Other | Carry your JOL whenever you drive. Do not drive a vehicle that needs a commercial driver's license. | M.G.L. c. 90, s. 8 |
The night limit: 12:30 a.m. to 5:00 a.m.
No JOL holder may drive from 12:30 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. unless a parent or legal guardian is with them.
From 12:30 to 1:00 a.m. and from 4:00 to 5:00 a.m., police enforce the limit only after a lawful stop for another offense. It is still illegal then. A night violation counts as driving without a proper license, which the Driver's Manual calls a criminal violation.
The permit stage is different: a permit holder under 18 may not drive from midnight to 5:00 a.m. without a licensed parent or legal guardian who has at least 1 year of driving experience. Test yourself on the JOL night driving restriction.
The passenger limit: first 6 months
For the first 6 months, a JOL holder may not drive with a passenger under 18 other than an immediate family member. The exception in the law: the driver is "also accompanied by another person, duly licensed by his state of residence, who is at least 21 years of age with at least 1 year of driving experience and who is occupying a seat beside the driver."
A 16-year-old friend who is not family cannot ride with you in month two without that adult, as the question about a friend riding with a new junior operator shows. The registrar may exempt an emancipated minor from the passenger and night limits.
Can a passenger ride with you in the first 6 months?
The phone rule: no use at all under 18
Under section 8M, no person under 18 may hold or use a mobile phone, a hands-free mobile phone or a mobile electronic device while driving on a public way. The one exception is to report an emergency: your vehicle is disabled, someone needs medical help, you or a passenger need police, fire or another emergency service, or a disabled vehicle or an accident is on the public way. If you can, pull over safely before you call 911.
You do not count as driving when the vehicle is stopped outside the lanes for cars and bicycles. The question on the under-18 mobile device rule tests this ban.
Suspensions for night and passenger violations
| Offense | Suspension | What else the RMV requires |
|---|---|---|
| First | 60 days | $100 (U.S. dollars) reinstatement fee |
| Second | 180 days | $100 reinstatement fee and the Driver Attitudinal Retraining Course |
| Third or later | 1 year | $100 reinstatement fee, the retraining course, and a new learner's permit and road test |
Penalties: first, second and third violation
The table covers both limits: the law sets the same suspensions for the night limit and the passenger limit, and the RMV lists the same reinstatement steps. Each suspension comes on top of any other penalty for the violation.
Phone offenses also carry fines: $100, 60 days and the retraining course for a first offense; $250 and 180 days for a second; $500 and 1 year for a third or later. The RMV adds a $100 reinstatement fee at each step. Only a third or later phone offense is a surchargeable incident for insurance.
For the full list, read the guide to Massachusetts junior operator penalties.
Does a suspension extend the passenger period?
Yes. Under section 8, the passenger limit is tolled, which means paused, during any suspension or revocation of your JOL. The clock stops while you are suspended. After reinstatement, you finish the rest of the 6 months, unless you have turned 18. A 60-day suspension in month three therefore pushes the end of the passenger limit back by those 60 days.
Do the limits end at 18?
Under the Driver's Manual, the passenger limit ends when you finish the 6-month period or turn 18, whichever comes first. A junior operator is a driver between 16½ and 18.
Suspensions do not end at 18. If you are found responsible for a violation issued before your 18th birthday, your JOL is suspended or revoked. You must serve the suspension to the end, even if you turn 18 first. You get a full license only after you have served it and reached 18.
The ban on all phone use covers drivers under 18. From 18, you may use a phone only in hands-free mode.
Key takeaways
- Night: no driving from 12:30 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. on a JOL unless a parent or legal guardian is with you. The permit limit is different: midnight to 5:00 a.m.
- Passengers: for the first 6 months, no passenger under 18 who is not immediate family, unless a licensed adult who is 21 or older with 1 year of experience sits beside you.
- Phones: under 18, no phone or device use at all, hands-free included. Only reporting an emergency is allowed.
- Suspensions run 60 days, 180 days and 1 year, are mandatory, must be served after 18, and pause the passenger period.
- Next step: practice on the free Massachusetts Class D learner's permit practice test.
Massachusetts JOL restrictions: common questions
Can someone other than my parent ride with me after 12:30 a.m. on a JOL?
No. Between 12:30 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., a JOL holder may drive only when a parent or legal guardian is in the car. An older sibling, a grandparent or another licensed adult does not meet this rule unless that person is your legal guardian. The registrar may exempt an emancipated minor.
Can my little brother ride with me in the first 6 months of my JOL?
Yes. The passenger limit does not count immediate family members, so a brother or sister under 18 may ride with you during the first 6 months. A friend under 18 who is not family may ride only when a licensed adult, at least 21 with 1 year of driving experience, sits beside you.
Can the supervising adult sit in the back seat during my first 6 months?
No. When you carry a passenger under 18 who is not family, the adult must occupy the seat beside you. That adult must be at least 21, have at least 1 year of driving experience and hold a license from his or her state of residence. An adult in the back seat does not meet the rule.
Is a call to 911 allowed on a JOL?
Yes. Reporting an emergency is the only phone use allowed for a driver under 18, for example a crash, a disabled car or a need for medical help. If you can, pull over safely and stop before you call 911. Calls and texts to friends or family stay banned, even in hands-free mode.
Can I drive a commercial vehicle on a JOL?
No. A JOL holder may not drive a vehicle that needs a commercial driver's license. You must also have your JOL with you at all times when you drive.
Can police stop me only for driving at 4:30 a.m. on a JOL?
No, not for the night limit alone. From 12:30 to 1:00 a.m. and from 4:00 to 5:00 a.m., police enforce the night limit only after a lawful stop for another offense. But it is still illegal to drive then without a parent or legal guardian in the car. A night violation counts as driving without a proper license, which the Driver's Manual calls a criminal violation.
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