Getting Your Teen's Colorado Instruction Permit

Before you apply: which class, and when

Through the end of 2026, age at application drives the rule. A 15 year old who has not yet reached 15 and a half needs the full 30 hour class. Between 15 and a half and 16, the 4 hour driver awareness program is an acceptable alternative. From 16 on, the permit requires no class.

Applications dated January 1, 2027 or later fall under HB24-1021. Every 15, 16 and 17 year old then takes the 30 hour class, and the 4 hour program survives only as an in person choice for 18 to 20 year olds. Since certificates expire 6 months after the class ends, schedule it near the appointment.

An example: a teen who turns 15 and a half in September 2026 can apply that fall with only the 4 hour program. If the family waits until February 2027, the teen needs the 30 hour class instead.

• Under 15 and a half: the 30 hour class
• 15 and a half up to 16: either class until 2027
• 16 and 17: no class until 2027, then 30 hours
• 18 to 20: no class until 2027, then 30 hours or 4 in person

Before you apply: picking how to test

Questions come from the Colorado Driver Handbook and cover signs, impaired driving, road rules and safety. Testing options are the paid @Home online exam, a state office exam offered in Spanish and English, or a third party provider.

There is no cap on total attempts, only a limit of two in one day, and each one costs the state's $11.50 plus whatever the tester charges. Offices stop starting written tests half an hour before they close, so pick an early slot. The DMV website and the myColorado app both carry practice quizzes.

Before you apply: the DR 2460 signer

Anyone under 18 needs an adult to sign the DR 2460 and accept financial responsibility for the teen's driving. The handbook's list runs from parents and stepparents to legal guardians, grandparents holding power of attorney, a spouse over 18, or any responsible adult. The DMV adds its own condition: the signer is 21 or over and carries a valid Colorado license, or active military ID together with a valid license from another state.

If the signer will not be at the appointment, get the form notarized beforehand. Signers can back out later using form DR 2464, which cancels the permit.

Before you apply: documents

Your teen needs an identity document like a birth certificate or passport; a school ID on its own falls short. Applicants younger than 21 also show two proofs of address. A parent's address works if that parent comes along and is named on the paperwork, and a parent's current Colorado license can serve as one of the two.

If your teen has no government issued ID, the application can still go ahead: you attend with your own ID plus certified guardianship paperwork, and you sign an identity affidavit right there at the counter. A power of attorney will not do, and anything not in English needs a full English translation.

• Proof of identity
• Two address documents
• Class certificate (ages 15 to 16)
• The DR 2460 (under 18)
• Proof of passing, for home testers

After you pass: driving on the permit

Each drive requires a passenger aged at least 21, sitting up front, licensed in Colorado or holding a military ID with a current license from elsewhere. Teens then keep the permit a full year before upgrading; adults face no waiting period.

The permit runs three years or until age 21, whichever arrives first. Any points earned on it travel with your teen to the license.

If you are moving to Colorado with a permit

Newcomers under 21 holding a permit from another state apply inside 30 days of the move, and the months already logged on that permit still count. Fifteen year olds arriving with a valid permit are spared the written exam, though the Colorado class rules still bind them.

At 18 to 21, an out of state permit holder just purchases a Colorado permit, with no written test and no class, until 2027. From January 1, 2027, newcomers with permits must meet the new requirements.