How licensing works in Texas
Texas uses a graduated system for drivers under 18. You start with a learner license (also called an instruction permit), move to a provisional license, and get a full license at 18.
| Stage | Minimum age | Main rules |
|---|---|---|
| Learner license | 15, with driver education | Supervisor 21+ with one year of experience beside you. Hold six months. 30 hours of supervised driving, 10 at night. Expires at 18 |
| Provisional license | 16 | No driving midnight–5 a.m. (except work, school or emergencies). One non-family passenger under 21. No phone use. Expires at 18 |
| Full license | 18 | Adult rules apply |
Driver education
Applicants under 25 must complete a driver education course. Teens must finish the classroom portion before getting a learner license. Everyone must complete Impact Texas Drivers (ITD) before the driving exam.
Your supervising driver
The person beside you must be at least 21, have at least one year of driving experience, and must not be intoxicated, asleep or distracted. Their job is to help you learn.
The Texas knowledge exam
You need a grade of 70% or better to pass any Texas knowledge exam. New car drivers take the Class C exam. It covers Texas traffic laws, safe driving and road signs from the Texas Driver Handbook.
- The exam is given at a driver license office.
- Students who complete certain approved driver education courses can take the knowledge exam through their course instead.
- You also take a vision test at the office. If glasses or contacts help you see, you may have to wear them when driving.
The driving exam
Examiners grade four skills: control, observation, positioning and signaling. You fail if more than 30 points are deducted. You will do a quick stop at about 20 mph and back up about 60 feet in a straight line.
Rules specific to Texas
Phones
Drivers under 18 may not use any wireless device while driving, including hands-free, except in an emergency. Texting while driving is banned for all drivers, and hand-held phone use is banned for everyone in school crossing zones and on public school property.
Alcohol
Drivers under 21 face license action for any detectable amount of alcohol. Drivers 21 and over face administrative license revocation at 0.08 or more. Refusing a breath or blood test can also cost you your license. Minors convicted of a first alcohol offense get a 30-day suspension, community service and an alcohol awareness course. A second offense brings a 60-day suspension.
School buses
Stop for a school bus with alternately flashing red lights. Do not pass until the bus moves, the driver waves you on, or the lights stop. You do not have to stop if you are on a different road, or on a controlled-access highway where the bus is in a loading zone that people cannot cross from.
On an ordinary two-way road, traffic in both directions stops for a school bus with flashing red lights.
- School bus with red lights flashing
- Car behind the bus: stop
- Oncoming car: stop
Move over or slow down
When an emergency vehicle is stopped with its lights on, leave the lane nearest to it if the road has two or more lanes going your way. If you cannot, slow to 20 mph below the posted limit. On roads posted under 25 mph, slow to less than 5 mph.
Move over a lane, or slow down well below the limit, for stopped vehicles with flashing lights.
- Stopped emergency vehicle
- Your car moving to the far lane
- Lane next to the vehicle: leave it empty
Repeat offenses
Four or more convictions in 12 months, or seven or more in 24 months, can lead to action against your license. Drivers under 18 with two or more convictions in 12 months may have to attend a hearing.
Test tips
- Learn the key numbers: 15, 21, six months, 30 hours, 10 at night, midnight to 5 a.m., one passenger, 70%, 20 mph below.
- Know which phone rules apply to everyone and which apply only to drivers under 18.
- Study road signs by shape and color.
- Read every option before you choose.
Next: the general rules of the road
This guide covers what is special about Texas. The knowledge exam also covers right-of-way, turns, passing, parking and road signs. Study those in our national US driving study guide, then take the full practice tests.