Getting Your Washington Teen Licensed Before 18: The Family Guide

Before you sign up: the course is the price of a license under 18

Washington ties the under 18 license to driver training. DOL's teen application page states that a driver training course must be completed before a license can be issued to someone younger than 18, and RCW 46.20.075 lists passing driver education among the conditions for the intermediate license.

A teen can opt out, but only by waiting. Without enrolling, the permit becomes available at 15 and a half, yet no license can be issued until 18, and from then on the adult route applies.

Here is how the timing plays out. If your teen turns 15 in March and starts class that spring, the permit can be in hand the same month, and a license at 16 is realistic. A teen who skips the course and gets a permit at 15 and a half still waits until 18.

Before you sign up: district program or private school

Two kinds of provider qualify. School districts run traffic safety education programs that OSPI (Washington's K-12 education office) approves under WAC 392-153 and chapter 28A.220 RCW. Commercial driver training schools are licensed by DOL under chapter 46.82 RCW. Either satisfies the requirement.

Call the high school before you shop around. Some districts still offer the course and it is often cheaper, though many have stopped. Otherwise search DOL's training schools and testing locations tool, and send any question about whether a particular course counts to [email protected].

Before you sign up: why a fully online course will not work

DOL's October 2026 list puts two formats squarely in the not-approved column: self-paced online programs and parent-taught programs. WAC 308-108-150 also rules out open enrollment and self-paced teaching in the under 18 course.

Change may come. DOL's implementation plan for ESSB 5583 mentions a pilot of an instructor-led, self-paced online program for areas with few driving schools, and ESHB 1878 encourages schools to add online pieces to the classroom portion once DOL certifies them. Until DOL actually announces approved online options, treat any fully online course marketed to Washington teens as not approved and choose from the approved list.

During the course: what the hours look like

The school rules (WAC 308-108-150, plus 308-108-160 for in-car time) say classroom teaching runs at least 30 hours and is led by an instructor, with the whole class on the same lesson. No course can wrap up in fewer than 30 calendar days.

A typical day holds one or two hours of class, and a student may drive with the instructor for an hour at most. ESHB 1878, the 2025 law now found in RCW 46.20.1191, left the 30 and 6 hour standard alone. It does let a school stretch to four hours of driving in a day for a student facing hardship, for example a family that lives a long way from any school.

Parents have a part too. Each course includes a parent, guardian or employer night lasting at least an hour, and that session can be credited toward the 30 hours of class.

• 30 or more classroom hours
• 6 or more driving hours, or 5 driving hours plus at least 4 simulator hours
• 1 or more hours observing from inside the car
• A final written exam and a final driving exam
• Up to 6 classroom hours of make-up time

While your teen holds the permit

The permit opens at 15 for an enrolled student and at 15 and a half for everyone else. It is good for a year and may be renewed twice. After that, a fresh permit means retaking the knowledge test unless your teen is in a driver training course.

Every practice drive needs the permit in the car and a licensed driver with at least 5 years of experience beside your teen, according to DOL's permit page. Phones and other mobile devices are off limits while driving, except to call 911.

Through the practice months: logging 50 hours

On its teen page, DOL wants 40 daytime hours plus 10 nighttime hours. RCW 46.20.075 states the same total as at least 50 hours with 10 at night, and requires the supervising adult to be 21 or older with three or more years of valid licensing behind them.

Because the permit page asks for 5 years of experience, the simplest approach is to pick supervisors who clear both bars. Then the question of which rule governs never comes up.

Two free DOL documents help. The Parent's Supervised Driving Program, offered in English and in Spanish, lays out what to practice across those hours. The Safe-Driving Agreement (form 661401A) is a written family contract covering phones, passengers and curfew.

On test day: the two exams and the fees

The knowledge test has 40 multiple choice questions and a pass takes 32 correct. The drive test is scored out of 100 and needs 80. Many training schools give both, and testing fees differ from place to place.

The examiner will ask to see liability insurance for whatever car your teen tests in, so keep the card in the glovebox. DOL's October 2026 fee table: permit $35 (one year), permit renewal $25, first license $111 if you choose six years and $131 if you choose eight. School tuition is separate. The $35 permit fee reflects a $10 increase from January 1, 2026, under ESHB 1878, and that extra money funds the state's Driver Education Account.

Parents who apply online alongside their teen handle consent and confirm the practice hours through the online form itself. A parent who cannot appear at the office signs the Parental Authorization Affidavit, DOL form 520-003, in front of a notary.

After you pass: the intermediate license year

Everyone under 18 starts on an intermediate license. In the first six months, no passengers under 20 unless they are immediate family. In months seven through twelve, the cap rises to three non-family passengers younger than 20.

The overnight window from 1 to 5 in the morning is closed to intermediate drivers, with exceptions: a licensed adult of 25 or more in the car, or a trip for the school, religious or work purposes RCW 46.20.075 names. Phones and other wireless devices stay untouched while driving, even hands-free, unless your teen is reporting an emergency.

• The passenger and night limits end after a year of driving without problems
• Penalties for other violations apply until 18
• Immediate family covers a spouse, child, stepchild, and siblings by birth or marriage

If something goes wrong: tickets and crashes

A first ticket for a restriction or a rule of the road, or certain crashes, triggers a DOL warning letter to the teen and the parent. A second violation means suspension for six months or until 18, whichever comes first. A third means suspension until 18.

One violation also changes the calendar: the passenger and nighttime limits then stay in force until 18 instead of dropping off after a year.

If you move here: transferring training and licenses

Training from another state counts when it matches Washington's 30 classroom and 6 driving hours. Send the completion certificate to [email protected] and DOL decides whether it qualifies. Time already served on an out-of-state permit counts toward the six month hold.

Permits themselves do not transfer. If your teen is at least 15 and a half, they take the Washington knowledge test and get a new permit here; if younger, they enroll in an approved course.

A 16 or 17 year old with a valid license from another state books an appointment and brings identity documents, the current license, and evidence of at least six months of permit driving. A parent signs in person or provides a notarized Parental Authorization Affidavit.

Insurance: call before the first drive

The family policy usually needs to cover a permit driver, but each insurer handles it differently, so ask whether your teen must be listed before the first lesson in your car.

Once the intermediate license arrives, expect either to add your teen to your policy or to buy a separate one. Insurers here are under no legal obligation to give a teen training discount. Shop around and ask each one directly: do you reward a finished course, or a good report card?

Later on: adding a motorcycle endorsement

A two-wheel endorsement is open to teens who are at least 16 and already hold a driver license. Anyone under 18 also needs an approved two-wheel safety course behind them, plus a parent or guardian's signed consent at a licensing office.

The knowledge and riding tests happen at an approved motorcycle training school, ideally inside the course itself. Give the school about three business days to report results before you apply. Those results stay valid for 365 days.