Alabama Driver Licensing Law

Obtaining an Alabama Learner's License

You must be at least 15 years old to apply for a learner's license. In order to be eligible, you must have never been licensed to operate a vehicle or be a new resident of Alabama who has been licensed in another state, but your driver's license has been expired for longer than six months.

In order to apply for an original learner's license, you must:

  • Visit the local Driver License Center
  • Bring proof of identity, age, and Alabama residency
  • Applicants younger than 19 must bring proof of graduation or school enrollment
  • Bring your Social Security card or U.S. birth certificate
  • Have the correct fee ($5 testing fee and 23.50 license fee), payable in cash only
  • If you are 15, you'll need proof of enrollment in Drivers' Ed.

At the driving center, an eye screening and knowledge test are given. If these tests are passed, a learner's permit, valid for four years and renewable once, will be issued. When gaining driving experience, you must be accompanied by an adult 21 years or older, and this person must sit beside you.

Obtaining a Temporary Instruction License

For those under age 18 but over 16, a six-month waiting period and at least 30 hours of supervised behind the wheel experience, with a learner's permit, is required prior to being issued a temporary instruction license. At age 17, drivers who have had their temporary license for six months can apply for an unrestricted stage III license. Also, a temporary license holder may drive unsupervised.

The following restrictions must be followed by drivers using a temporary instruction license:

  • No driving between the hours of 12 AM and 6 AM is allowed unless going to or from work, a school or religious event, or an emergency, unless accompanied by a parent or guardian
  • Parental consent is required for driving without supervision once the 30 hours of hands-on driving experience is completed. The 30-hour provisional period must be certified by a parent, guardian, or licensed instructor on the graduated driver license form
  • Drivers may only have one passenger other than an immediate family member in the vehicle
  • Standard driving suspensions apply
  • The temporary license is valid for four years
  • You may not use a cell phone or any other handheld device while behind the wheel

Violations of any of these restrictions will result in an extension of restrictions for six months or until the driver reaches 18 years of age.

Obtaining an Unrestricted License

Once you are 18 years old, it's possible to obtain a full, unrestricted license. A temporary instruction license may be changed to a regular, non-commercial driver's license, considering the following:

  • A temporary instruction license has been held for at least six months
  • There have been no convicted violations of the vehicle code
  • There have been no accidents with partial or full responsibility
  • The driver's license road test has been successfully passed
  • A driver training course approved by the Alabama State Department of Education has been successfully been completed

Need more information on state laws? Learn more about the laws where you live.

Note: Our attorneys are licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, and Virginia. This information is not intended to solicit clients for matters outside of the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia, although if you are injured in an accident, we have relationships with other personal injury attorneys and lawyers throughout the United States.