Several states allow you to drive at 14, but always with a supervising adult or under tight restrictions. Six states issue a standard learner’s permit at exactly 14: Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, North Dakota, and South Dakota.1Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Graduated Licensing Laws Three more states set the minimum just above 14: Idaho and Montana at 14 years and 6 months, and Michigan at 14 years and 9 months. Nebraska and Oklahoma offer specialized permits around age 14 for school or farm driving. In none of these places does a 14-year-old receive a full driver’s license.
The Six States That Issue Learner’s Permits at 14
Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, North Dakota, and South Dakota all issue learner’s permits at age 14.1Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Graduated Licensing Laws A learner’s permit at this age lets you drive only when a supervising licensed adult is in the passenger seat. There is no solo driving at this stage, no running errands alone, no driving friends to school.
Alaska requires the supervising driver to be at least 21 and to hold at least one year of driving experience, and that person must sit in the front passenger seat.2Alaska DMV. Instruction Permit Kansas also requires the supervising adult to be 21 or older.3Kansas Department of Revenue. Graduated Driver License Requirements for Teen Drivers The supervising adult is legally responsible for the teen’s driving during supervised sessions.
The permit is the first stage of a Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) program. After the permit comes an intermediate or restricted license with limits on nighttime driving, passengers, and sometimes location, and only after that comes a full license. Kansas, for example, requires a full year on the learner’s permit before moving to the next stage.3Kansas Department of Revenue. Graduated Driver License Requirements for Teen Drivers4Iowa Department of Transportation. Intermediate License5South Dakota Legislature. Codified Law 32-12-12 So a 14-year-old in these states is looking at roughly two years of supervised driving before earning any independence behind the wheel.
States That Allow Driving Just After 14
Idaho and Montana both issue permits starting at 14 years and 6 months.1Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Graduated Licensing Laws Montana additionally requires anyone applying before age 15 to be enrolled in or have completed a driver education course.
Michigan allows a Level 1 learner’s permit at 14 years and 9 months.6Michigan Legislature. MCL 257-310e The same supervised-driving rules apply: a parent, guardian, or other designated licensed adult must be in the car.
Specialized Permits in Nebraska and Oklahoma
Two states carve out early driving privileges for a narrower purpose rather than general practice behind the wheel.
Nebraska School Permits
Nebraska issues a school permit beginning at 14 years and 2 months. To qualify, the applicant must live outside a city of 5,000 people or attend a school outside one.7Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles. School Permit (SCP) The teen must also hold a learner’s permit for at least two months before the school permit is issued.8FindLaw. Nebraska Revised Statutes Chapter 60 Motor Vehicles 60-4,124 Driving is limited to school-related travel. This is not a weekend-trip license.
Oklahoma Farm Permits
Oklahoma began issuing farm driving permits in November 2023 for teens aged 14 through 16 who live or work on a farm in the state.9Oklahoma.gov. Farm Driving Permit The permit covers a standard passenger car or light truck (any Class D vehicle), but travel is limited to direct routes between home, work, and school.10Oklahoma House of Representatives. Farm Driving Permit Signed Into Law Using the permit to drive somewhere else, even in the same town, is a violation.
What a 14-Year-Old Is Actually Allowed to Do
Every path to driving at 14 keeps the teen under supervision or inside a narrow purpose. At the standard learner’s permit stage, there is no unsupervised driving at all. A licensed adult must be in the passenger seat during every trip. States commonly require that adult to be at least 21.
Advancing to independent driving takes time. Most states require the teen to hold the permit for 6 to 12 months before applying for the next stage, and about half the states require 50 supervised practice hours logged with a licensed adult, with another 10 states requiring 40 hours.11NHTSA. The Role of Supervised Driving in a Graduated Driver Licensing Program One state requires 100 hours. Parents typically certify these hours themselves.
Even after advancing past the permit stage, restrictions continue. Nighttime curfews commonly run from 11 p.m. or midnight to 5 or 6 a.m.12NHTSA. GDL Intermediate License Nighttime Restrictions5South Dakota Legislature. Codified Law 32-12-123Kansas Department of Revenue. Graduated Driver License Requirements for Teen Drivers
Violating any of these restrictions can suspend the permit or push back eligibility for a full license.
What You Need to Apply
Requirements are broadly similar across the states that issue early permits. You will need proof of identity and age, usually a birth certificate or passport. You will need proof of residency and a Social Security number. A parent or guardian must sign the application, and many states require that parent to appear in person at the DMV.
Most states require some form of driver education, either before the permit is issued or shortly after. Classroom-only online courses can run under $100. Programs that include the required behind-the-wheel instruction typically cost several hundred dollars, though some school districts offer the course free or at reduced cost. Before the permit is issued, applicants must pass a written knowledge test covering traffic signs, right-of-way rules, and basic driving laws, plus a vision screening. DMV permit fees themselves are usually under $50, and some states charge nothing for a minor’s permit.
Driving a 14-Year-Old’s Permit in Another State
A permit from one state does not automatically work everywhere. Some states honor out-of-state permits but apply their own rules, including their own minimum age. If the state you are visiting requires drivers to be at least 16, a 14-year-old’s permit from home may not be recognized at all. Where visiting permits are honored, the general rule is that you follow whichever restrictions are stricter — your home state’s or the host state’s. Call the DMV of any state you plan to drive through before the trip.
What Parents Should Know Before Signing
Signing a minor’s permit application is not a formality. In many states, that signature makes the parent financially responsible for damage the child causes while driving. If a 14-year-old permit holder causes an accident, the injured party can pursue the parent, not just the teen.
Separate legal theories can extend parental exposure. Under the “family purpose” doctrine, a parent who provides a vehicle for family use can be held liable when a minor causes an accident while using it. Negligent entrustment applies when a parent lets a teen drive despite knowing the teen poses a particular risk, such as after repeated violations. These liability rules generally run until the child turns 18.
Insurance costs rise sharply once a teen is on the policy. Industry estimates put the annual increase at roughly $2,700 or more when a 16-year-old is added to an existing policy. The increase is typically smaller for a 14-year-old with a learner’s permit, since the teen cannot drive unsupervised, but some insurers require notification as soon as a permit-eligible teen lives in the household. Call your insurer before the written test. Many major insurers also offer a good-student discount for teens maintaining a B average or better, which can take some of the edge off the premium increase.