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What Counts as Night Driving in Washington?
Yes, you can drive at night with a Washington learner permit. You need 10 night hours out of 50 total, and there’s no curfew telling you when permit holders have to stop driving.
What “Night” Means in Washington
Washington defines night as sunset to sunrise. Not a fixed time. Not 9 PM or 10 PM. Sunset triggers the window.
Seattle’s sunset schedule is one of the most extreme in the continental US. In late December, sunset hits around 4:20 PM. By late June, it’s not until 9:10 PM, one of the latest summer sunsets in the lower 48. The same 7 PM drive is deep into night hours in December and still full daylight in June. It’s a 4 hour and 50 minute difference between seasons.
That variance matters for logging. If you drive at 7 PM and assume it counts as night hours, you’d be right in winter and wrong in summer. The only accurate way to know is to check the actual sunset time for that day and location.
Curfew Rules
No curfew for Washington permit holders. Any hour is fair game as long as a licensed supervisor who’s 21 or older is in the car. The supervision requirement is what limits the hours — there’s no additional nighttime restriction layered on top.
Getting Your 10 Night Hours Done
10 hours out of 50 is 20% of Washington’s total requirement. It’s the same night share as most states, just on a larger base. Over a 6-month hold period, that’s less than 2 hours of night driving per month.
Washington’s geography creates some natural opportunities. Rain after sunset doubles as night and adverse-weather practice, which is highly relevant for actually driving in Washington. Most permit programs don’t require you to log separate weather conditions, but a rainy 7 PM drive on SR-99 builds more practical skill than a dry noon drive on the same road.
Puget Sound geography also means bridges and water crossings come up regularly. The I-90 floating bridge, the Narrows bridge in Tacoma: these are real roads teens will need to drive confidently. Doing a few night runs across them during the permit period is worth it before you’re driving them alone.
Seattle’s December sunset at 4:20 PM means the after-school drive home is a night drive. You can stack hours without any schedule changes in winter. By July, you’d need to wait until 9 PM, which makes night hours harder to slot.
Start night hours early. If you get a permit in spring, don’t assume you’ll knock out night hours in summer — Seattle summers push sunset almost to 9 PM. Wait for fall.
Washington Permit Requirements
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Total supervised hours | 50 |
| Night hours | 10 |
| Night definition | Sunset to sunrise |
| Minimum permit age | 15 |
| Permit hold period | 6 months |
| Supervisor minimum age | 21 |
| Driver’s ed | Required (must be enrolled) |
| Permit curfew | None |
Practical Tips
November through January is your night-hours window. Seattle’s 4:20 PM December sunset means you’re logging night hours during normal evening activities. This is when to push hard on the night requirement.
Rain counts as conditions practice. Washington doesn’t formally track adverse-weather hours, but logging night drives in rain builds real skill. A 7 PM drive in November rain is two kinds of harder, and both kinds matter.
Bridges and highways deserve specific practice. The I-5 express lanes, the SR-520 bridge, the I-90 interchange — these aren’t places to encounter for the first time as a solo driver. Night runs during the permit period are low-stakes chances to learn them.
Eastern Washington is different. If you’re in Spokane or the Tri-Cities, the terrain and conditions differ from the Seattle metro. Wide highways, less rain, but also fewer street lights outside city limits. Night driving on rural eastern Washington roads has its own specific challenges: unlit roads, longer distances between landmarks.
Knowing exactly when sunset happens requires daily checking, since it shifts a few minutes every day through fall and spring. Paper logs that just record clock time can’t confirm whether a drive qualified. Moda checks real sunset data from your GPS location and marks each session correctly.
For full Washington permit requirements, see our Washington permit hours guide.
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