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New York Beta · Rules

New York junior license rules (under 18)

Teen rules add supervised practice before the test and limits after it, drawn around night driving and young passengers. They lift as you gain experience. New York’s junior rules depend on where you drive: New York City, Long Island or upstate.

Checked Oct 11, 2026 · official sources linked

12 rules · 0 written-test points

Key points, in our words

All the rules, in our words

Tags show the kind of rule and whether it’s a written-test point or matters on the drive test (our tagging). Each rule links to its official source.

  1. New York City junior permit: drive only 5 a.m.–9 p.m., in a dual-brake car, with a parent, guardian, driver-ed teacher or driving-school instructor aged 21+. No driving at all from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

    Law NY Driver’s Manual, ch. 1: Driver Licenses

  2. Long Island (Nassau and Suffolk) junior permit: drive only 5 a.m.–9 p.m., with a parent, guardian, driver-ed teacher, driving-school instructor or an adult the parent names in writing (all 21+). No driving from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

    Law NY Driver’s Manual, ch. 1: Driver Licenses

  3. Upstate (every other county) junior permit: from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. any licensed driver 21+ may supervise; from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. only a parent, guardian, driver-ed teacher or driving-school instructor.

    Law NY Driver’s Manual, ch. 1: Driver Licenses

  4. A junior driver may carry at most one passenger under 21 who isn’t immediate family, unless the supervisor is a parent, guardian, driver-ed teacher or driving-school instructor. With a junior permit, only the supervisor may ride in front, and everyone wears a belt.

    California differs: California’s provisional license bans passengers under 20 (unless a 25+ driver rides along); New York allows one non-family passenger under 21. California rule

    Law NY Driver’s Manual, ch. 1: Driver Licenses

  5. You must hold a junior permit for at least six months, not counting any time it was suspended, before your road test, and bring form MV-262, signed by a parent, certifying 50 practice hours with 15 after sunset.

    DMV process NY Driver’s Manual, ch. 1: Driver Licenses

  6. With a junior license (DJ) you may not drive anywhere in New York City’s five boroughs. A 17-year-old who completes driver education and gets a Class D license may drive there.

    California differs: California’s under-18 rules are the same statewide. New York’s depend on the region, and New York City is closed to junior licenses. California rule

    Law NY Driver’s Manual, ch. 1: Driver Licenses

  7. Long Island junior license: drive alone only straight between home and a job, work-study, college or evening high school classes, driver ed or farm work (no job trips 9 p.m.–5 a.m.); otherwise a parent, guardian or instructor must ride along.

    Law NY Driver’s Manual, ch. 1: Driver Licenses

  8. Upstate junior license: drive alone 5 a.m.–9 p.m. From 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., drive alone only straight between home and work or a school course; any other night driving needs a licensed parent or guardian aboard.

    California differs: California’s provisional curfew is 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. for the first 12 months; New York’s junior curfew starts at 9 p.m. and lasts until you turn 18 or upgrade. California rule

    Law NY Driver’s Manual, ch. 1: Driver Licenses

  9. When driving alone to work or school under the junior rules, carry proof. For work, that’s your employer’s Certificate of Employment (MV-58A); only upstate does the manual also accept a dated, signed employer letter. For school, carry a dated, signed letter from the school or program.

    Law NY Driver’s Manual, ch. 1: Driver Licenses

  10. Finishing a state-approved driver-education course (certificate MV-285) lets a junior driver move up to a senior Class D license at 17; without it, junior limits last until 18.

    DMV process NY Driver’s Manual, ch. 1: Driver Licenses

  11. Junior drivers lose their permit or license for 60 days after one serious violation (3 or more points) or two others; doing it again within six months of getting it back means a 60-day revocation. A texting or cell phone conviction suspends the permit or license for 120 days.

    Law NY Driver’s Manual, ch. 2: How to Keep Your License

  12. Under 18 with a permit or junior license from another state, you must obey New York’s junior rules as well as your home state’s.

    Law NY Driver’s Manual, ch. 1: Driver Licenses

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Sample questions

3 of our 30 practice questions for this chapter, with explanations. The rest are in the app.

Sample question 1/3

Maya, 16, lives in Queens and has a junior learner permit. Her mother, a licensed driver, is about to take her on her first practice drive. What kind of car must Maya practice in?

  1. Any registered, insured car the family owns
  2. A car with an automatic transmission
  3. A car with a backup camera and blind-spot alerts
  4. A car with dual brake controls
Show answer

Answer: D. A car with dual brake controls

In New York City, a junior permit holder may practice only in a car with dual brake controls. The supervisor must be a parent, guardian, driver-ed teacher or driving-school instructor aged 21 or older. An ordinary family car without a second brake won’t do, even with a parent beside her.

NY Driver’s Manual, ch. 1: Driver Licenses

Sample question 2/3 Common mistake

Priya, 16, lives in Rochester and has a junior learner permit. At 2 p.m. on a Saturday, her neighbor, a licensed driver aged 23, offers to supervise a practice drive. Is that allowed?

  1. No; a minor’s supervising driver must be at least 25
  2. Yes; by day any licensed driver 21 or older may supervise
  3. No; only a parent or guardian may supervise a minor
  4. Yes, but only in a car with dual brake controls
Show answer

Answer: B. Yes; by day any licensed driver 21 or older may supervise

Upstate, any licensed driver who is 21 or older may supervise a junior permit holder 5 a.m.–9 p.m., so the 23-year-old neighbor qualifies. The 25-and-older rule for minors is California’s, and dual brakes are required only in New York City.

NY Driver’s Manual, ch. 1: Driver Licenses

Sample question 3/3

Aisha, 16, lives in Suffolk County and has a junior learner permit. At 9:45 p.m., her father, a licensed driver, offers to let her drive the family home from dinner. May she drive?

  1. Yes, because her father is supervising her
  2. Yes, if the car has dual brake controls
  3. Yes, but only on local streets
  4. No; her permit can’t be used after 9 p.m.
Show answer

Answer: D. No; her permit can’t be used after 9 p.m.

On Long Island a junior permit may be used only 5 a.m.–9 p.m., and no supervisor makes a later drive legal, not even a parent. Upstate, by contrast, a parent could supervise at that hour.

NY Driver’s Manual, ch. 1: Driver Licenses

27 more practice questions for this chapterKeep practicing in Roadfeel

Sources

Restated in our own words from the New York State Driver’s Manual (MV-21) and other official pages, mostly dmv.ny.gov. The manual is © NYS DMV with all rights reserved, so we don’t reproduce it; we quote short phrases and link to it.

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