How many practice hours do you need in North Dakota?
In North Dakota, a learner driver must log 50 hours of supervised driving practice before applying for a license.
North Dakota learner permit requirements
- Minimum permit age: 14
- Supervised practice required: 50 hours total, no night minimum set
- Permit hold period: 12 months (under 16)
- License eligibility age: 16
- How hours are certified: 50-hour supervised driving log certified by a parent or guardian. DriveMint fills in the Supervised Driving Log from your logged drives (see every state form).
North Dakota requires applicants under 16 to complete "a minimum of 50 hours of supervised practice driving in variable conditions." The NDDOT driving log names five conditions you must each practice in — rural areas, urban areas, gravel/dirt roads, night driving and winter driving — but sets no hour minimum for any one of them, so there is no fixed night-hours figure. Applicants 14 or 15 must hold the permit 12 months or until they turn 16, whichever comes first, and never less than 6 months; applicants 16 or 17 must hold it 6 months.
When can you drive with a permit in North Dakota?
North Dakota puts no time limit on an instruction permit. You can practice at any hour as long as a licensed driver 18 or older with at least three years of experience sits beside you.
With a licensed driver 18+ with 3 years' experience beside you; no one else in the front seat.
Allowed, with that same supervisor.
Alone, in a family member's vehicle.
Only with a parent, guardian, or someone 18+ in the front seat, or directly to or from work, school, or religious activities.
Alone.
Alone. North Dakota sets no time limit on the regular license.
- The night limit for restricted licenses starts at sunset only when sunset is after 9 p.m., as it is in North Dakota's long summer evenings.
- Night driving is one of the five conditions North Dakota's 50-hour log asks you to practice, so plan some permit drives after dark.
- Drivers under 18 can't talk, text, or read messages on a phone while driving, except to get emergency help.
In December, sunset in North Dakota comes before 5 p.m. in most of the state, so after-dark practice doesn't have to run late.
Checked against N.D.C.C. §§ 39-06-04 and 39-06-17 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 North Dakota DOT before applying.
North Dakota's graduated licensing stages
Complete driver ed; drive with a licensed adult 18+ who has 3 years' experience; log 50 hours across rural, urban, gravel, night and winter driving.
Family vehicles only; no driving from 9 p.m. (or sunset, if later) to 5 a.m. without an adult 18+, except for work, school, or religious activities.
Issued after the permit hold period and road test.
Driving restrictions for new North Dakota drivers
Instruction permit holders have no time limit. Restricted license holders can't drive from 9 p.m. or sunset, whichever is later, until 5 a.m., unless a parent, guardian, or someone 18+ is in the front seat, or they're driving directly to or from work, an official school activity, or a religious activity.
Restricted license holders may carry no more passengers than the vehicle is built for. Permit holders may have no one but the supervisor in the front seat.
Drivers under 18 may not use a wireless device while driving.
Log every North Dakota 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 50 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.
North Dakota driving practice FAQs
How many driving hours do you need in North Dakota?+
North Dakota requires 50 hours of supervised driving practice before a teen can apply for a license. North Dakota does not set a night-hours minimum within that total.
What time can you drive with a permit in North Dakota?+
A North Dakota class D instruction permit has no hours limit, so you can drive at night as long as the supervising driver is licensed, at least 18, has at least three years of driving experience, and sits in the seat beside you. No one else may sit in the front seat. The time limit applies to the restricted license that teens can get at 15: restricted license holders can't drive from 9 p.m. or sunset, whichever is later, until 5 a.m., unless a parent, guardian, or someone 18 or older is in the front seat, or they're driving directly to or from work, an official school activity, or a religious activity.
How long must a North Dakota teen hold a permit?+
If you're 14 or 15, 12 months or until you turn 16 — whichever comes first — but never less than 6 months. If you're 16 or 17, 6 months.
How many night hours does North Dakota require?+
North Dakota does not set a night-hours number. The requirement is 50 hours of supervised practice driving "in variable conditions," and NDDOT's log asks you to practice in five of them — rural, urban, gravel or dirt roads, night driving and winter driving — with no minimum for any single condition. Night driving is required as a category; the widely repeated "10 hours at night" figure does not appear in NDDOT's own materials.
Requirements in other states
Compare practice hours in all 50 states side by side, or read what actually counts as a night driving hour.