How much does a learner permit cost?
The headline fee is rarely the whole cost, because what it buys you differs: some states charge per attempt, some bundle several into one application.
Every row below carries the agency it came from and the date it was checked. States are missing from this table when we could not confirm the answer from an official source, which we would rather admit than fill in.
| State | Fee | Detail | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $41.25 total, $5 test fee plus $36.25 license fee | Cost for the Stage I learner license for a teen applicant | Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) | 2026-08-28 |
| Alaska | $15 | Cost of the instruction permit, renewal is $5 | Alaska DMV | 2026-08-28 |
| Arizona | $7 application fee for Permit Test @ Home | Charged through a parent or guardian AZ MVD Now account for online testing | Arizona Department of Transportation MVD | 2026-08-28 |
| California | $46 | Original Class C driver license application fee | California DMV | 2026-08-28 |
| Colorado | $20 | Cost of the instruction permit | Colorado DMV | 2026-08-28 |
| Connecticut | $40 testing fee, $19 permit fee | The $40 fee covers vision and knowledge testing in one appointment | Connecticut DMV | 2026-08-28 |
| District of Columbia | $20 learner permit, $10 knowledge test in person or $49.95 virtual | Test proctoring centers charge $39.95 as a third option | DC DMV | 2026-08-28 |
| Florida | $48 original license fee, $10 knowledge retest | Retest fee applies only if the knowledge test must be repeated | Florida DHSMV | 2026-08-28 |
| Hawaii | $5 permit fee, plus $2 for the written test if taken in person | County fee schedule; other Hawaii counties may differ slightly | City and County of Honolulu Department of Customer Services | 2026-08-28 |
| Idaho | $21.50 for the Driver Training Instruction Permit | Paid at a county driver's license office; all permit fees are non refundable. | Idaho Transportation Department, Young Drivers page | 2026-08-27 |
| Illinois | $20 for an original instruction permit | Drops to $5 if the applicant already holds an Illinois license, or $10 if they held one before. | Illinois Compiled Statutes, 625 ILCS 5/6-118 | 2026-08-27 |
| Indiana | $9.00 | Listed as the driver's or motorcycle learner's permit line on the BMV's own fee chart. | Indiana BMV, Fee Chart (revised 1/1/26) | 2026-08-27 |
| Kentucky | $15, or $18 for a REAL ID version | Price listed for the learner's permit itself. | Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, DRIVE learner's permit page | 2026-08-27 |
| Louisiana | $32.25 | Standard Class E license fee under age 70; converting a permit to a license carries no extra charge | Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles | 2026-08-28 |
| Maine | $35 | Class C and motorcycle permit knowledge test fee | Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles | 2026-08-28 |
| Massachusetts | $30 | Learner's permit application fee | Massachusetts RMV | 2026-08-28 |
| Michigan | $25 | Level 1 instruction permit application fee | Michigan Secretary of State | 2026-08-28 |
| Mississippi | $7 for the learner's permit | Permit stays valid for two years from issuance | Mississippi Department of Public Safety | 2026-08-28 |
| Missouri | $5 for the intermediate license | That license is valid for two years under state law | Missouri Revised Statutes | 2026-08-28 |
| Montana | $5 per year of license, until it expires at age 21 | Standard non-commercial driver's license fee set by state law | Montana Code Annotated | 2026-08-28 |
| Nebraska | $13 for the learner's permit | Made up of an $8 permit fee plus a $5 security fee | Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles | 2026-08-28 |
| Nevada | $22.50 license fee plus $25 testing fee | Testing fee covers the written exam and the first skills test try | Nevada DMV | 2026-08-28 |
| New Jersey | $10 examination or student learner permit, $24 initial probationary license | From the MVC license and permit fee table | New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission | 2026-08-28 |
| New Mexico | $10 instructional permit | Provisional license is $18; full license is $18 for 4 years or $34 for 8 years | New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division | 2026-08-28 |
| North Carolina | $25.50 | Charged for both the Level 1 permit and the Level 2 license | NC Division of Motor Vehicles | 2026-08-28 |
| North Dakota | $15 | Permit or license fee; written and road tests are $5 each | North Dakota DOT | 2026-08-28 |
| Oklahoma | $42.50 permit issuance, $4 per failed written test | Issuance fee for the Learner Permit once the written and vision tests are passed | Service Oklahoma | 2026-08-28 |
| Oregon | $30 original instruction permit, valid 2 years | Original application fee for the Class C instruction permit | Oregon DMV | 2026-08-28 |
| Pennsylvania | $45.50 for the initial permit and four year license | Single combined fee covering the learner's permit and the eventual license | PennDOT | 2026-08-28 |
| Rhode Island | $13.50 for the Limited Permit, under age 18 | Includes the state's $3.50 technology surcharge | RI Division of Motor Vehicles | 2026-08-28 |
| South Carolina | $2.00 for the knowledge test | Fee to sit the beginner's permit knowledge test at a branch | SCDMV | 2026-08-28 |
| South Dakota | $38 | Fee for the Instruction Permit | South Dakota Department of Public Safety | 2026-08-28 |
| Tennessee | $10.50 for the Learner Permit | License plus application fee for an under 18 applicant, before a county clerk add on | Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security | 2026-08-28 |
| Utah | $19 learner permit, $39 provisional license | Standard fees for drivers age 20 and under | Utah Driver License Division | 2026-08-28 |
| Vermont | $24 learner permit, $39 junior license | Both figures cover a two year term | Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles | 2026-08-28 |
| Virginia | $3 learner's permit fee | License cost is billed separately based on the term chosen | Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles | 2026-08-28 |
| Washington | $35 permit fee | Cost to apply for the learner permit itself | Washington State Department of Licensing | 2026-08-28 |
| West Virginia | $7.50 per knowledge test attempt | Charged for the Level 1 instruction permit test | West Virginia DMV | 2026-08-28 |
| Wisconsin | $35 instruction permit, $15 skills exam | Knowledge and signs test has no charge | Wisconsin DOT | 2026-08-28 |
| Wyoming | $45 for a Class C license or permit | Renewal is $35 | Wyoming Department of Transportation | 2026-08-28 |
Read what the fee actually covers
Two states can list a similar number and mean completely different things. One might charge a small amount per knowledge test attempt, so a second try costs again. Another might charge a single application fee that covers several attempts and the road test as well, which looks expensive on paper and works out cheaper if you fail once.
That difference is the useful thing on this page. Before you sit the test, find out whether a retake costs money, because it changes how much it is worth doing a few more practice runs first.
The costs that are not on this table
Where a state requires a course before the permit, such as a substance abuse education course or a pre licensing course, that course is usually bought from a private provider and is not an agency fee. Driver education, where it is mandatory for minors, is the largest cost in the whole process in several states and dwarfs the permit fee itself.
Fees also change with legislation more often than test formats do, so treat every figure here as accurate on the date beside it and confirm before you pay.
Find your state for the full picture, or work out how many questions you can miss.
More state by state tables
How old do you have to be to get a learner permit?
The answer spans nearly two years depending on where you live, and the age on its own does not tell you when you can drive alone.
How many supervised driving hours do you need?
Most states want fifty hours logged before you take a road test, and a chunk of it after dark, but the detail varies more than people expect.
Can you take the permit test online?
Online testing spread quickly after 2020 and then partly retreated, so the current picture is genuinely mixed and worth checking rather than assuming.
How many questions is the permit test in each state?
Question counts and pass marks for every confirmed jurisdiction.