How many practice hours do you need in Connecticut?
In Connecticut, a learner driver must log 40 hours of supervised driving practice before applying for a license.
Connecticut learner permit requirements
- Minimum permit age: 16
- Supervised practice required: 40 hours total, no night minimum set
- Permit hold period: 4–6 months
- License eligibility age: 16 years 4 months
- How hours are certified: Certificate of 40 hours of behind-the-wheel training signed by the instructor or parent. DriveMint fills in the R-229 and Instruction Log from your logged drives (see every state form).
Connecticut requires 40 hours of behind-the-wheel practice. The permit hold period is 4 months with a commercial driving school course, or 6 months with home training. Connecticut does not set a separate night-hours minimum, but night practice is still strongly recommended.
When can you drive with a permit in Connecticut?
Connecticut puts no curfew on the youth learner's permit: you can practice at any hour with a qualified trainer. The 11 p.m.–5 a.m. limit starts with the license and lasts until you turn 18.
With a driving instructor or a licensed driver 20+ who has held a license 4+ years. Only a parent or guardian may ride along.
Allowed, with that same trainer.
Alone. Passengers limited to parents, an instructor, or one experienced driver 20+; immediate family added after 6 months.
Only for work, school, or religious activities, or a medical necessity.
Alone.
Still only for work, school, religion, or a medical necessity. The curfew lasts until 18.
- The permit must be held 180 days with home training, or 120 days with a driving school or high school course.
- Volunteer firefighters and EMTs responding to an emergency, and drivers in a Safe Ride program, are exempt from the passenger and curfew limits.
- Breaking a passenger or curfew rule means a 30-day license suspension the first time, and 6 months or until 18 the second time.
Connecticut sets no night-hours minimum, but practice at night anyway: the permit allows it at any hour, and in December sunset is before 4:30 p.m.
Checked against Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 14-36 and 14-36g in October 2026. Limits after the road test are under restrictions for new drivers.
Requirements change and have exceptions. Always confirm the current rules with the Connecticut DMV before applying.
Connecticut's graduated licensing stages
Drive only with a driving instructor or a licensed driver 20+ with 4 years' experience; complete 40 hours of practice plus the 8-hour safe-driving course.
Passenger limits for the first 12 months; 11 p.m.–5 a.m. curfew until 18.
Teen restrictions are removed.
Driving restrictions for new Connecticut drivers
Permit holders have no curfew. License holders who are 16 or 17 can't drive between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. until they turn 18, except for work, school, or religious activities, a medical necessity, or as a volunteer firefighter or EMT responding to an emergency.
For the first 6 months with a license, the only passengers allowed are parents or a guardian, a driving instructor, or one licensed driver 20+ with 4 years' experience; for the next 6 months, immediate family is allowed too. Permit holders may carry only a parent or guardian besides the trainer.
Drivers under 18 may not use any mobile device, handheld or hands-free, while driving.
Log every Connecticut practice hour automatically
DriveMint tracks each supervised drive, separates day and night hours, and generates a PDF you can print or show at the DMV. Prove all 40 hours without a paper logbook falling apart in the glove box.
New to DriveMint? Watch the one-minute video guides, from setup to a signed log.
Connecticut driving practice FAQs
How many driving hours do you need in Connecticut?+
Connecticut requires 40 hours of supervised driving practice before a teen can apply for a license. Connecticut does not set a night-hours minimum within that total.
What time can you drive with a permit in Connecticut?+
A Connecticut youth instruction permit has no hours limit. You can drive at any time of day or night as long as you're with a licensed driving instructor or a licensed driver 20 or older who has held a license for at least four years without a suspension. Once you have a license, 16- and 17-year-olds can't drive from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. until their 18th birthday, except for work, school, or religious activities, or a medical necessity.
Does Connecticut require night driving hours?+
Connecticut does not set a separate night-hours minimum within its 40-hour requirement, but night practice is strongly recommended before the 11 p.m. curfew takes effect.
How long is Connecticut's permit hold period?+
4 months if you train at a commercial driving school, or 6 months if a parent or guardian provides the training.
Requirements in other states
Compare practice hours in all 50 states side by side, or read what actually counts as a night driving hour.