Alabama Graduated Driver License: Stages I, II and III Explained for Parents and Teens

Last verified August 3, 2026 against the official pages linked below.

Alabama's Graduated Driver License (GDL) law moves a teen through three stages: a Stage I learner license from age 15, a Stage II restricted license from 16 after at least six months in Stage I, and a Stage III unrestricted license at 18 — or at 17 once they have held Stage II for six months, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA). The knowledge exam costs $5, each license costs $36.25 (or $31.25 for a Stage III upgrade when you present the Stage II card), and breaking any restriction extends the restricted period by six months. This guide walks through all three stages the way a family actually experiences them — dates, supervisors, curfew exceptions, forms, and fees — with every claim checked against ALEA's own pages.

How the three stages fit together on a real calendar

A teen who starts at 15 reaches Stage II no earlier than their 16th birthday and an unrestricted Stage III license no earlier than their 17th, because each stage has both an age floor and a minimum holding period — and the later of the two always wins. Here is the timeline for a teen born June 20, 2010, who passes the knowledge test on March 10, 2026:

Two things trip families up on this math. First, the six-month clocks run from the date each license is issued, not from a birthday — a teen who gets the learner license the week they turn 15 will still wait for their 16th birthday to reach Stage II, because the age floor binds. Second, the clocks are not guaranteed: any GDL violation extends the restricted period by six months, or until the licensee turns 18, per ALEA's GDL page.

Stage I: the learner license your teen can get at 15

Stage I is open to anyone age 15 or older who passes a written exam based on the Alabama Driver Manual, and it only permits driving with a qualified supervisor physically in the front passenger seat. ALEA's wording is specific: the teen may drive "when accompanied by a parent, legal guardian or licensed driver who is age 21 or older and occupying the front seat beside the licensee" (alea.gov). A 21-year-old cousin in the back seat does not count, and neither does a 20-year-old sibling anywhere in the car.

To apply, a first-time applicant under 19 needs more paperwork than most parents expect. Per ALEA's document requirements, a 15-year-old must bring a certified U.S. birth certificate (photocopies are rejected), a Social Security card, two proofs of principal residence, and — this surprises many families — an "acceptable school enrollment form or proof of graduation", which Alabama requires of every first-time applicant younger than 19. Teens who are under 18 must then hold Stage I for at least six months before they can apply for Stage II.

The knowledge exam itself is the first real gate, and it is worth treating like a proper test rather than a formality — our guide to passing the permit test covers how to study the state manual efficiently, and free mock exams let your teen rehearse under test conditions before paying the $5 fee.

How hard is Alabama's knowledge test?

Alabama doesn't publish an official statewide knowledge-test pass rate, so the honest answer comes from historical records rather than a press release. Our state-by-state knowledge test pass rate tracker preserves Alabama's test profile from NHTSA's all-jurisdiction study, reported by state informants in 2007–08: a 30-question exam with an 80 percent passing score, delivered by computer with an audio option, offered in 14 languages, taking around 18 minutes, with no mandatory waiting period before a retake. Treat those as NHTSA-era records rather than a guarantee of today's exact paper — ALEA's current pages say only that the exam is based on the Alabama Driver Manual — but they are the best public picture of what the test has looked like, and the 80 percent bar means your teen can only afford to miss a handful of questions.

One cross-state note for families comparing systems: unlike New York, where learner permits carry region-specific rules including bans on certain roads and parkways, Alabama's GDL is a single statewide system run by ALEA — see our breakdown of New York's learner permit restrictions for the contrast.

Stage II: the restricted license and its three hard rules

Stage II is available from age 16, requires passing the road skills exam plus permission from a parent, grandparent, or legal guardian, and comes with exactly three restrictions — a night-driving curfew, a passenger cap, and a device ban. Under-18s must have held Stage I for at least six months first. All three restrictions come verbatim from ALEA's GDL page:

• Curfew: no driving between midnight and 6 a.m., unless one of five exceptions applies (table below).
• Passengers: "Must not have more than one passenger in the vehicle other than parents, legal guardians or family members."
• Devices: "Must not use any handheld communication devices while driving." There is no texting-only carve-out — the ban covers any handheld use.

The curfew is the rule parents ask about most, because it is not absolute. ALEA lists five specific situations in which a Stage II driver may legally be on the road between midnight and 6 a.m.:

Read the work exception carefully: it covers the commute itself, to or from the place of employment — not a detour to a drive-through with friends on the way home. If your teen works a closing shift, they are legal driving straight home at 1 a.m.; they are not legal making social stops en route.

Who signs off the 50 practice hours?

Before the road skills exam, Alabama requires proof of either a driver education course approved by the State Department of Education or 50 hours of supervised practice, certified on ALEA's Graduated Driver License form, the DL-31. ALEA's wording: students without approved driver education must submit a verification form "signed by a parent, grandparent, legal guardian or certified driving instructor verifying that the applicant has COMPLETED a minimum of 50 hours of behind-the-wheel practice" (alea.gov). Note the signer list — a grandparent can certify the hours, but an aunt, older sibling, or family friend cannot, even if they legally supervised some of the driving.

Fifty hours is roughly 30 minutes of practice every other day across the six-month Stage I hold, so families who leave it to the last month struggle. Spreading it across varied conditions — night, rain, highway merges, school-run traffic — is also what actually prepares a teen for the exam and beyond; pairing seat time with a structured theory course keeps the rules-of-the-road knowledge fresh between the permit test and the road test.

Is parallel parking on the Alabama road test?

No — parallel parking does not appear anywhere on ALEA's official road test study guide, which lists 18 skills the examiner may score. What is on the list: a smooth stop from low speed, backing about 50 feet in a straight line while looking over your right shoulder, a three-point turn completed with only one backing movement, stopping and starting on an upgrade with correct wheel positioning against the curb, proper conduct at stop signs and traffic lights, signaling turns at least 100 feet before intersections, lane keeping, passing and merging with blind-spot checks, following distance using the two-second rule, and observing posted speed limits. The guide also warns that an applicant fails outright for being involved in an accident, violating the law, driving recklessly, or failing to cooperate with the examiner.

Your teen takes the test in your own vehicle, and it must pass an equipment check — working lights, horn, brakes, mirrors, seat belts, good tires, and proof of current insurance, per the same study guide. Testing is handled at ALEA Driver License offices, and ALEA has also equipped Probate Judge and License Commissioner offices across the state with testing stations and license equipment, so many families test and complete the paperwork closer to home than they expect. Find locations near you in our test center directory.

What does each stage cost?

A teen who goes through all three stages pays $108.75 in state fees: one $5 exam fee plus three license purchases ($36.25 + $36.25 + $31.25). ALEA's fee schedule notes that checks are not accepted for the test or license fees, so bring another payment method:

There is no separate road-test fee for a regular Class D applicant — the $20 skills-test fee on ALEA's fee page applies to commercial license testing.

What happens if your teen breaks a GDL restriction?

A violation does not merely risk a ticket — it adds time. ALEA states the consequence in one sentence:

Violations of any of the graduated driver license law restrictions will result in the restrictive period being extended by six months or until the licensee reaches age 18.

The practical effect: a teen who was only months away from Stage III picks up at least six more months of curfew, passenger limits, and the handheld-device ban. That is the strongest argument for making sure your teen genuinely knows the five curfew exceptions and the passenger rule, not just the existence of a curfew.

The knowledge exam is the one part of this process your family fully controls, and Alabama's 80-percent historical bar leaves little room for guessing. Drivings' free Alabama permit practice questions drill the same rules-of-the-road and road-sign material the state manual covers, question by question with explanations, so your teen walks into the $5 exam having already answered hundreds like it.

Alabama GDL questions parents actually ask

Can my 20-year-old daughter supervise her sister on a Stage I license?

No — a supervising driver who is not the parent or legal guardian must be a licensed driver age 21 or older, and they must occupy the front seat beside the learner, per ALEA. A 20-year-old sibling does not qualify at any seat position.

Can my teen drive home from work at 1 a.m. on a Stage II license?

Yes — driving "to or from place of employment" is one of ALEA's five explicit exceptions to the midnight-to-6 a.m. curfew. The exception covers the direct commute, so treat social detours on the way home as outside its protection.

How many passengers can a Stage II driver carry?

One passenger, not counting parents, legal guardians, or family members. Three friends from the team after practice is a violation; one friend plus two siblings is not.

Is there parallel parking on the Alabama road test?

No — parallel parking is not among the 18 skills in ALEA's official road test study guide. Expect straight-line backing of about 50 feet, a three-point turn, hill stops, and everyday traffic skills instead.

What does the learner permit cost in total?

$41.25 in state fees — a $5 knowledge-exam fee plus $36.25 for the Stage I license, neither payable by check, per ALEA's fee schedule. ALEA lists the exam fee as a flat $5 and does not publish a separate retake price.

Does a violation reset the GDL clock?

It extends it — ALEA states that violating any GDL restriction extends the restrictive period by six months, or until the licensee reaches age 18. It is an extension of restricted status, not a return to Stage I.

When can a Stage II driver use a phone?

Never handheld while driving — ALEA's restriction bans use of "any handheld communication devices," which covers calls, texts, and navigation held in the hand. Parked safely off the roadway, the restriction no longer applies.

Does Alabama require driver's ed?

No — driver education approved by the State Department of Education is one route, but families can instead certify 50 hours of behind-the-wheel practice on ALEA's DL-31 form, signed by a parent, grandparent, legal guardian, or certified driving instructor.