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Can You Drive at Night with a Permit?
Short Answer: Yes, With a Supervisor
In every US state, learner’s permit holders can drive at night as long as a licensed supervising driver is in the car. You’re not banned from nighttime driving on a permit. In fact, most states require you to log night driving hours before you can get your license.
The restrictions come after you get your provisional license. That’s when most states impose a curfew — no unsupervised driving between certain hours.
Permit vs Provisional: The Difference
With a learner’s permit: You can drive at any time of day or night, as long as your supervisor is with you. No curfew applies to permit holders in most states because you always have a licensed adult present.
With a provisional/intermediate license: Most states restrict unsupervised driving during late-night hours. This is the curfew. Common curfew windows: 11 PM to 5 AM, midnight to 6 AM, or 10 PM to 5 AM.
How Late Can a Permit Driver Drive?
As late as you want, in most states. The curfew doesn’t apply to you until you upgrade to a provisional license. While you’re on a learner’s permit, you can drive at 11 PM, midnight, or 2 AM — as long as your supervisor is in the passenger seat.
A few states have time-of-day restrictions even for learner’s permits:
- North Carolina: Level 1 permit holders can only drive between 5 AM and 9 PM for the first 6 months
- Other states vary — check your specific state’s rules
Night Driving Hours Are Required
Most states require 10-15 hours of nighttime driving before you can take your road test. These hours need to be logged in your driving record. Night is typically defined as sunset to sunrise, though some states use fixed times like 10 PM to 6 AM.
| Night Hours Required | States |
|---|---|
| 15 hours | Louisiana, Minnesota, New York, Virginia |
| 10 hours | Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Texas, and 20+ more |
| 6 hours | Georgia |
| 5 hours | Connecticut |
| 2 hours | Iowa |
| 0 hours | Massachusetts, Oregon, Arkansas, Mississippi |
What Counts as Night Driving?
It depends on your state. Most use sunset to sunrise — the actual sunset time for your location on that day. A few states use fixed clock times. New York uses “sunset or 9 PM, whichever comes later.”
This means the same 7 PM drive counts as night in December (sunset around 4:45 PM) but not in June (sunset around 8:30 PM).
Tips for Night Driving Practice
Start early in your permit period. Don’t save night hours for the last month. One 30-minute drive after dinner each week is enough to finish 10 night hours in about 5 months.
Winter is easier for night hours. The sun sets earlier, so you can practice “at night” at 5:30 PM instead of 9 PM.
Moda detects night driving automatically using your GPS location and actual sunset times. You don’t look anything up. The app tags each session as day or night and keeps a running total toward your state’s requirement.