Texas (TX) — graduated driver licensing: night, passenger and solo-driving rules
For Texas (TX), intermediate minimum age is 16; mandatory holding period (state statute) is at least six months; statute is Sec. 521.204; nighttime restriction is midnight-5 a.m. secondary enforcement; passenger restriction is no more than 1 passenger younger than 21 secondary enforcement; night restriction lifted is age 18; passenger restriction lifted is age 18; exceptions and footnotes is Footnote 68: In Texas, people who are 15 or older but under 18 must satisfactorily complete and pass the classroom phase of an approved driver education course to be issued a permit. | Footnote 69: In Texas, the minimum license age is 18 for applicants who have not completed driver education, recorded from its source on 2026-10-07.
- State
- TX verified
- State name
- Texas our reading
- Learner minimum age
- 15
- Mandatory holding period (IIHS table)
- 6 months verified
- Mandatory holding period (state statute)
- at least six months verified
- Statute
- Sec. 521.204 verified
- Supervised driving hours
- 30 hours, 10 of which must be at night verified
- Intermediate minimum age
- 16
- Nighttime restriction
- midnight-5 a.m. secondary enforcement verified
- Passenger restriction
- no more than 1 passenger younger than 21 secondary enforcement verified
- Night restriction lifted
- age 18 verified
- Passenger restriction lifted
- age 18 verified
- Exceptions and footnotes
- Footnote 68: In Texas, people who are 15 or older but under 18 must satisfactorily complete and pass the classroom phase of an approved driver education course to be issued a permit. | Footnote 69: In Texas, the minimum license age is 18 for applicants who have not completed driver education. our reading
Values marked our reading are our classification of what the source says — the source does not print them in those words. The quote below is the evidence for each one; judge it yourself.
What the source says
State, Learner minimum age, Mandatory holding period (IIHS table), Supervised driving hours, Intermediate minimum age, Nighttime restriction, Passenger restriction, Night restriction lifted and Passenger restriction lifted
The source prints these values inside the passage below but does not name them there. The passage shows where each one appears; what ties them to this record is the position on the page, not anything the passage says.
TX | 15Footnote 68 | 6 months | 30 hours, 10 of which must be at night | 16Footnote 69 | midnight-5 a.m. secondary enforcement | no more than 1 passenger younger than 21 secondary enforcement | age 18 | age 18
— iihs.org, retrieved 2026-10-07
Where each value comes from
This source states these in separate places, so each value is shown with the passage that states it.
Mandatory holding period (state statute)
The department may not issue a Class A, B, or C driver's license other than a hardship license to an applicant under 18 years of age unless the applicant has held a learner license or hardship license for at least six months preceding the date of the application.
Statute
Sec. 521.204. RESTRICTIONS ON MINOR.
— all from iihs.org, retrieved 2026-10-07
Sources
- iihs.orghttps://www.iihs.org/topics/teenagers/graduated-licensing-laws-table
- tcss.legis.texas.govhttps://tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/TN/htm/TN.521.htm