Pennsylvania Teen Driver Rules: 65 Hours, Curfew and Passenger Limits

Pennsylvania uses a graduated licensing system for drivers under 18. Teens build experience step by step: a learner's permit first, then a junior license with limits on night driving and passengers. The rules come from Act 81 of 2011 and still apply today. Here's what every Philadelphia teen and parent should know.

Before the road test: 65 supervised hours

Drivers under 18 must hold their learner's permit for at least six months and complete at least 65 hours of supervised behind-the-wheel practice before taking the road test.

• At least 10 of those hours must be at night.
• At least 5 hours must be in bad weather.
• A parent or legal guardian certifies the hours on Form DL-180C, which you bring to the road test.
• Your supervising driver must be a licensed driver at least 21, or a parent, guardian or spouse at least 18.

Junior license: the 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew

With a junior license you may not drive between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. There are exceptions for employment and for volunteer or charitable service, but you must carry documentation showing why you need to be on the road.

Passenger limits

• For the first six months, you may carry only one passenger under 18 who isn't an immediate family member.
• After six months, the limit rises to three passengers under 18.
• Immediate family members don't count toward the limit, and the limit doesn't apply when a parent or legal guardian is in the car.
• If you're partly responsible for a reportable crash or convicted of a traffic violation, you go back to the one-passenger limit until you turn 18.
• You can never carry more passengers than there are working seat belts.

How a junior license gets suspended

A junior license is suspended for 90 days if the driver collects six or more points, or is convicted of driving 26 mph or more over the speed limit. In a city with as many speed cameras as Philadelphia, that's a real risk. Slow down, especially on Roosevelt Boulevard and other camera corridors.

When the restrictions end

A junior license automatically becomes a full license at 18. You can get an unrestricted license before 18 if you keep a crash- and conviction-free record for 12 months and complete an approved driver's education course, with a parent's consent. Check PennDOT's teen driver pages for the current forms.

Rafael Driving School specializes in calm, patient lessons for new and nervous teen drivers. Lessons are one-on-one in a dual-control car, and our Beginner Package includes our car for the road test.