North Dakota Permit Practice Hours: 50 Supervised Hours for Under-16 Drivers and Rules at 16+

North Dakota requires 50 supervised practice hours for drivers under 16. Drivers ages 14-15 also need driver's education and must hold the permit for 12 months or until age 16, whichever comes first, but never less than six months. Drivers ages 16-17 must hold the permit for six months or until age 18, whichever comes first, before the road test; NDDOT does not set a separate 50-hour minimum for this age group.

How Many Supervised Driving Hours Does North Dakota Require by Age?

The supervised-driving requirement depends on age. Applicants under 16 must complete 50 supervised hours. Applicants age 16 or older do not have a separate minimum-hour requirement under the current graduated licensing rules.

• Under 16: Complete 50 supervised hours in varied conditions, including rural, urban, gravel/dirt/aggregate roads, night driving, and winter driving.
• Ages 16-17: The age-based permit holding period still applies, but NDDOT does not set a separate 50-hour minimum for this age group.
• 18 and older: No minimum supervised-practice-hour requirement applies.

The supervising driver must hold a valid license for the vehicle class, be at least 18 years old, and have at least three years of driving experience.

If You Turn 16 Before Your Road Test, Do You Still Need the 50 Practice Hours?

NDDOT ties the 50-hour certification to applicants under 16. If you are 16 or older when you take the road test, NDDOT does not list a separate 50-hour minimum, but the age-based permit holding period still applies.

Tracking North Dakota Supervised Driving Hours

For an applicant under 16, the 50 hours should cover the required mix of driving conditions. A paper log or an app such as RoadReady can help track dates, time, and conditions, but the tracking tool is separate from NDDOT's certification requirement.

• Track consistently: Record practice as it happens so the total is easy to verify before the road test.
• Cover varied conditions: Include rural, urban, gravel/dirt/aggregate roads, night, and winter driving rather than treating night driving as a separate fixed 5-10-hour minimum.

Appointment rules, office hours, and testing cutoffs are covered on the dedicated North Dakota appointment pages.

Do North Dakota Driver's Ed Hours Count Toward the 50 Supervised Practice Hours?

No. For an applicant under 16, formal driver education and the 50 supervised practice hours are separate requirements. Driver's education does not replace those supervised hours.

NDDOT Verification of the 50 Supervised Practice Hours

At the road test, the parent or legal guardian of an applicant under 16 must accompany the applicant and certify that the required 50 supervised hours were completed.

A driving log is useful for tracking the hours, but the current NDDOT manual does not make a specific RoadReady or paper log the required certification document. Do not state that an examiner must refuse the road test solely because a particular tracking log is missing.

If the total is uncertain, reconstructing hours later is less reliable than keeping a consistent record from the beginning.

What to Expect If a Parent or Guardian Cannot Certify the 50 Practice Hours

If you are under 16, a parent or legal guardian must make the required 50-hour certification before the road test. If that certification cannot be made, resolve the requirement before testing.

Requirements for an Official NDDOT Driving Log for the 50 Hours

No specific RoadReady or paper log is listed as the required certification document. A log helps you track the hours, but the parent or legal guardian certification is the key NDDOT requirement.

What Must an Under-16 Applicant Certify Before the Road Test?

For the 50-hour requirement itself, the key test-day step is the parent or legal guardian certification for an applicant under 16. The application uses SFN 6763.

Vehicle inspection rules, the full road-test document checklist, fees, and appointment details are covered on their dedicated North Dakota road-test and application pages.