What are the requirements to get a Colorado Driver’s License if under the age of 18?
In order to get your Colorado Drivers License, you must be at least 16 years of age, must have held your permit for at least one full year, and must have 50 hours of driving time documented by the person who signed the affidavit of liability and guardianship. Please keep in mind that 10 of those 50 hours must include night.
What are the requirements to get a Colorado Driver’s License if 18 years of age or older?
You must take the written B.O.S.T. test to get your Colorado Learners Permit. After which you must pass a Behind the Wheel test to get your License. See our calendar for here for drive test availability.
When can my student get their Colorado Driving Learner’s Permit and what courses do they need?
If you are less than 15 years and 6 months the State of Colorado requires you to:
- Be at least 14 years and 6 months of age or older on the day he or she begins a Driver Education Course
- Must attend and complete a State approved 30-hour Driver Education Course or complete an approved online course.
- See our classroom options here
NOTE: In order to get the license at 16 before 16.5 you will be required to complete 6 hours of BTW training with a State certified, professional organization if you are living within a 50 mile radius of a driving school, in addition to completing 50 hours of behind the wheel practice with a parent/guardian. To find out if you are in the radius, please contact your local DMV. See certified lessons availability here.
If you are 15 years and 6 months but less than 16 years of age the State of Colorado requires that you:
- Attend and complete an approved Pre-Qualifying 4-hour Driver Awareness Program
- OR complete a State approved 30-hour Driver Education Course
- See our classroom options here
Does my student have to take a written test to get their Colorado Driver’s License?
The only written test that your student takes is the Colorado Learners Permit test.
Who is my student allowed to drive with now that they have their permit?
Anyone over 21 with a valid Colorado license. For the approved hours there must be at least one person who signed the Affidavit of Liability and Guardianship or Affidavit of Completion in the car while the student is driving. As far as passengers are concerned, that is up to the people who signed the Affidavit of Completion to decide.
How long must I have my Instruction Permit before I can take my driving test?
If you are 18 years of age or older, you can take the driving test on the same day you get your permit. If you are under the age of 18, you must have held your permit for one full year, and have your 50 hours of logged drive time in order to take your driving test for your license. See here for drive test availability.
Are there any laws for minors (under 18 years of age) that have just received their Colorado Driver’s License?
Yes:
- No cell phone use
- You cannot have any passengers under the age of 21 in the car until you have had a drivers license for at least 6 months unless accompanied by a Licensed driver over the age of 21. (Excluding siblings or emergency situations)
- You cannot have more than one passenger under the age of 21 until you have had a drivers’ license for at least one year unless accompanied by a Licensed driver over the age of 21. (Excluding siblings or emergency situations)
- All passengers you drive with must wear safety belts and only one may ride in the front seat.
- You cannot drive between midnight and 5:00am until you have had your drivers’ license for at least one year unless accompanied by a Licensed driver over the age of 21.
Exceptions to driving between midnight and 5:00am:
- Driving to school or school-authorized activity and the school does not provide transportation. For this a signed statement from the school is required.
- Driving to or from work. For this a signed statement from the employer is required.
- Any Medical Emergency.
- The driver is an emancipated minor.
Please see the Colorado Driving Handbook for additional details on laws and driving restrictions.
How far in advance do I need to cancel my Drive test without penalty with CDI?
You must reschedule with more than 24 hours advanced notice to avoid any fees.
The fee is $35 if: you cancel or reschedule your test with less than 24 hours notice, forget to bring your permit to your test, show up more than 10 minutes late, don’t show for your test, or are ineligible to test for any reason.
What does my child need to bring to their classroom sessions?
They need to bring a pen or pencil, a notebook or paper and a copy of their birth certificate. The birth certificate does not need to be a legal copy. A photocopy will be collected for our records and is needed for proof of age in order to prove the student is eligble to take the class. The lunch break is 30 minutes. We suggest that students bring a lunch. However, lunch can be purchased locally.
Does the behind-the-wheel training provided by CDI count as part of my teen’s drive-log experience?
Yes!
When should we schedule our behind the wheel lessons?
We can start scheduling behind the wheel lessons as soon as the student has their permit. Please keep in mind that we ask for at least 5-10 hours of practice in between each lesson. We can however, start the basic lesson with no experience. Normally, we book the first lesson (basic lesson) and the second lesson (city lesson) within 3-4 weeks of each other, with at least 10 hours total time before the City lesson. We ask that the student wait until just before testing for a license to take the last freeway lesson. It’s a peace of mind for the parents as we look for bad habits and check basic skills. We give a practice test to each student, and weather permitting, an “OFF ROAD RECOVERY” is practiced. This is the most common of all emergency procedures, and one of the deadliest accidents when not recovered correctly. Our lessons are booked out 2-3 weeks during the winter months and 3-4 weeks during the summer months so please schedule ahead.
How far in advance do I need to cancel my behind the wheel lesson without penalty?
You must reschedule with more than 24 hours advanced notice to avoid any fees.
The fee is $50 if: you cancel or reschedule your lesson with less than 24 hours notice, forget to bring your permit or your license to your lesson, show up more than 15 minutes late to your lesson, don’t show, are ineligible to drive for any reason. Fees must be paid before another lesson can be scheduled or to receive a certificate of completion.
What does my child need to bring with them to their Behind the Wheel lesson?
They MUST bring their permit or driver’s license or we cannot proceed with the lesson and will have to reschedule for another time and a $50 no-show fee will be applied to the students account.
What is a B.O.S.T. test?
B.O.S.T. stands for Basic Operating Skills Test. Actually; there are two kinds of B.O.S.T. tests that you can take:
The first is a written B.O.S.T. test. Once you pass it, it allows you to get a Colorado Learners Permit. You can take this test through the Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)
The second is a behind-the-wheel B.O.S.T. test. Once you pass it, this test allows you to get a Colorado Drivers license. You can take this through the Colorado DMV by appointment or through a third party tester. To take the test through the DMV, you must provide your own vehicle with proof of registration and insurance. Or, you can take the test with CDI (a State certified third party tester) in one of our company cars. The cost of this test is $70 for non-students or $50 if your are a student that has taken classes through Colorado Driving Institute. You may schedule an appointment online or call our office.
Why do parents/students prefer taking the Behind-the-Wheel BOST Test with CDI?
- It’s convenient.
- Parents/Students are more comfortable taking the test with a CDI instructor; some have taken lessons from the instructor that will be providing the test.
- Another sibling took their Test with CDI.
- Referrals from friends and family.