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Chapter 3 INTERMEDIATE LICENSES FOR DRIVERSUNDER 18—GRADUATED LICENSE PROCEDURESDrivers under 18 years old are required to go throughgraduated steps of driving experience to gain full, unrestrictedDriver License status. The graduated Driver License steps aredesigned to incrementally teach young drivers how to drive byrequiring minimum levels of driving experience and a safedriving history record before allowing teenage drivers toreceive a “full-fledged” Class D driver license. Motor vehiclecrashes are the major cause of death for young people betweenthe ages of 15 and 20. By requiring more supervised practice,the State of Tennessee hopes to save lives and prevent tragicinjuries.immediate 180 days preceding your application. You must have verification from a parent, legal guardianor licensed driving instructor stating you have fifty hours(ten hours at night) of driving experience. Certification ofdriving experience must be made on the official form (SF1256) provided by the Department of Safety. This form isavailable at all DL Stations or may be downloaded fromour web site. This form must be signed by either a parent,legal guardian or licensed driving instructor. Driver and passengers must wear a seat belt.Second Level - Intermediate Unrestricted LicenseTo move from the Intermediate Restricted to the UnrestrictedLicense, you must be 17 years old and meet the followingconditions: You must have held an Intermediate Restricted License forone (1) year. You cannot have accumulated more than six points onyour driving record. You cannot have had a traffic accident that was your fault. You cannot have 2 seat belt violations. Driver and passengers must wear a seat belt. No additional tests are required.There are four steps to becoming a full, unrestricted DriverLicense holder:1. Learner Permit2. Intermediate Restricted License3. Intermediate Unrestricted License4. Regular Driver License.The above four steps are part of the Graduated Driver LicenseProgram. A license issued under the first three steps will have“GDL” printed in the bottom left corner. See page 15 forpictures of graduated licences.Learner PermitFinal Level - Regular Driver LicenseYou may obtain a Class D regular driver license when you are18 years of age, or when you graduate from high school orreceive a GED, whichever is sooner. The word “Intermediate”will be removed from your license when you move to theRegular Driver License. However, the license will still includethe “Under 21” indicators. You must be 15 yearsold and pass thestandard written andvisual exams. You must hold alearner permit for 180days in order to move tothe IntermediateRestricted License step. You may drive a car onlywhen accompanied by alicense driver 21 years or older who is ridingin the front seat of the vehicle. You may not drive between the hours of 10 P.M. and 6A.M. Driver and passengers must wear a seat belt.Hardships may be issued at age fourteen and will alwaysexpire on the driver’s sixteenth birthday. Hardshipsautomatically serve as a Learner Permit (PD) once the holderturns fifteen (15) years of age.If driver did not have the Hardship License for the minimumof 180 days by the time the Hardship expires on the sixteenthbirthday, the driver will have to be re-issued the learner permit.This permit must be carried for the remainder of time tocomplete the required 180 days before the issuance of anIntermediate Restricted is allowed. The Hardship licensecannot be renewed.Intermediate LicenseThere are two Intermediate License levels for drivers under 18years of age. The first level is the Intermediate RestrictedLicense and the second level is the Intermediate UnrestrictedLicense.New Residents Under 18If you are fifteen years old and have a valid permit from thestate you used to live in, then a Tennessee learner permit is theonly thing that you will qualify to have issued. You must holda valid permit for a total of 180 days and turn sixteen years oldbefore being eligible for the Intermediate Restricted LicenseClass D. The length of time that you held the permit yourprevious state may be included in the 180-day period as longas you can provide a certified driving record from yourFirst Level - Intermediate Restricted License You must be sixteen (16) years old and pass the drivingtest. You must have held a learner permit for 180 days. You cannot have tickets for driving offenses that add up tomore than six (6) points on your driving record during the14
Examples of the license documents issued under the Graduated Driver License (GDL) Program are shown below.Learner PermitIntermediate RestrictedFront of PD CardFront of IR CardBack of PD CardBack of IR CardIntermediate UnrestrictedNote: No RestrictionCard issued with thislevel. No drivingrestriction applied atthis level.15
Chapter 3 INTERMEDIATE LICENSES FOR DRIVERSUNDER 18—GRADUATED LICENSE PROCEDURESprevious state. The certified driving record must be issuedwithin the 30 days immediately preceding the date of theTennessee application. This certified driving record mustshow no violations or accidents on the record. If there areany violations on the previous state record you will be requiredto retain the Tennessee Learner Permit until your drivingrecord can be reviewed by the Department of Safety’s DriverImprovement Section to see if the record complies withTennessee’s “less than 6 points” requirement.for 60 days 180 days total) and2. That there are no violations or accidents on the drivingrecord. If there are any violations on the record, alearner permit only may be issued until the previous staterecord can be reviewed and evaluated by the Departmentof Safety’s Driver Improvement Section. It must complywith Tennessee’s “less than 6 points” requirement.Regardless of the length of time a license is held in theprevious state, a Tennessee Intermediate Restricted licensemust be held for a full year before qualifying for theIntermediate Unrestricted license.If the applicant is 16 years old and holds a valid license(regular, provisional, probationary, graduated, etc.) from aprevious state (issued at least 90 days before applying for aTennessee license), the application will be for an IntermediateRestricted license. After graduating from high school or after receiving aGED before age 18 a regular Class D operator’s licensemay be issued as described on page 1 (Chapter 1).If the applicant had an out-of-state license for LESS than 90days, an Intermediate Restricted License can only be issuedif a clear driving record from the previous state is provided.The driving record must confirm:1. That a valid learner permit and/or license class has beenheld for a combined period of at least 180 days. (e.g. Georgia permit held for 120 days Georgia license heldRestriction Cards for Learner Permit andIntermediate License HoldersA driver with a learner permit will be given a “RestrictionCard” to carry along with the permit that explains therestrictions of driving with the permit. The Restriction CardUnsafe driving incidents or violations that could result in the suspension or automatic downgrade of license level under TheGDL Program are outlined in the following table:GDL PenaltiesIncident(a) Six or more pointson driving recordAfter PD IssuedRequires the applicant to continueto hold the learner permit for anadditional time period until they areable to maintain a record with lessthan 6 points for 180 consecutivedays(b) Contributing to theoccurrence of anaccidentN/A(c) Conviction of a2nd Seatbelt violationN/A(d) Conviction of a2nd Moving violation(e) Forged letter ofparental approval(f) Contributing to theoccurrence of a fatalaccidentN/AN/AMust maintain a Learner Permitonly until teen reaches the age of18(Table: 3.1)After IntermediateRestricted IssuedAdds 90 days to the minimum 1year teen required to holdIntermediate Restricted (Total 1year & 3 months)Adds 90 days to the minimum 1year teen required to holdIntermediate Restricted(Total 1 year & 3 months)N/A Adds 90 days to the minimum1 year teen required to holdIntermediate Restricted (Total 1year & 3 months)Requires completion of a certifieddriver education courseRevocation of IntermediateRestricted and Re-issuance of aLearner Permit only until teenreaches the age of 18Revocation of IntermediateRestricted and Re-issuance of aLearner Permit only until teenreaches the age of 1816After IntermediateUnrestricted IssuedIf any of the violations listed in (a),(b), (c) or (d) occurred during thetime the teen had an IntermediateRestricted license, but the DOS didnot receive notice from the courtuntil after we had already issuedthe teen an IntermediateUnrestricted license, the penaltiesin the preceding column will stillapply. The teen will be “droppedback” to an Intermediate Restrictedlicense for 90 days.If DOS notified after IntermediateUnrestricted issued, teen’sIntermediate privileges will stillbe revoked and a Learner Permitre-issued until the 18th birthday.Revocation of IntermediateUnrestricted and Re-issuance of aLearner Permit only until teenreaches the age of 18
Chapter 3 INTERMEDIATE LICENSES FOR DRIVERSUNDER 18—GRADUATED LICENSE PROCEDURESalso explains the requirements for advancing to theIntermediate Restricted level of the Class D license. Anexample of the PD Restriction Card is shown on page 15.“I do hereby authorizeto sign for a driver license for .”Signed: Both levels of the Intermediate License (Restricted andUnrestricted) show the license class as Class D and havethe words Intermediate Driver License displayed in theyellow header bar on the front of the license. A driver with the first level Intermediate Restricted(IR) Class D will be given a “restriction card” tocarry along with the license that explains therestrictions of driving with the IR. The RestrictionCard also explains the requirements for advancing tothe Intermediate Unrestricted level of the Class Dlicense. An example of the IR Restriction Card isshown on page 15.A driver with the second level Intermediate Unrestricted(IU) Class D does not have any restrictions on driving.Therefore there is no restriction card for this licenselevel.(Notary certificate)Proof of School Attendance/ProgressApplicants under the age of 18 must prove they are eitherenrolled in or have already graduated from high school.Acceptable proof of this status must be provided to theexaminer in one of the following methods:1. If the applicant has graduated, the applicant must bringthe original high school diploma or G.E.D. certificatewhen applying (no photo copies).2. If still enrolled in a Tennessee school, the applicant mustask the school to complete a Certificate ofCompulsory School Attendance (Form SF1010). Theapplicant must take the original, completed form tothe driver license station. This form is only valid for 30days from the date of signing by the school official.Additional Documentation Requirements forMinorsNOTE: During the traditional summer vacation months, aproperly completed SF1010 form signed within the last 30days of the school year will be accepted throughout thesummer until 30 days after the start of the following schoolyear (e.g. a form signed in May is accepted through Aug/Sept,approximately).In addition to the documentation requirements described inChapter 2 (Proof of Identity, TN Residency, Social SecurityNumber and U.S Citizenship / Lawful Permanent Resident) allapplicants under the age of eighteen (18) must also meet therequirements described in this section.Minor/Teenage Affidavits3. If the applicant is enrolled in school outside of Tennessee(or in an approved private or church school in Tennesseewithout access to the SF1010 forms), the applicant mustprovide a statement from the school principal orheadmaster on official school letterhead specificallyconfirming that the applicant is not truant and ismaking satisfactory progress in their school.Applicants under eighteen years old must have an adult sign aMinor/Teenage Affidavit and Cancellation form, available atall driver license stations. This form confirms that the adultsigning the form joins in the application for the license andwill be responsible for the actions of the minor driver. Thisincludes assuming financial responsibility for the minor driver.It must be signed by a parent, a step-parent living at the sameaddress as the applicant, legal guardian, or a grandparentauthorized by the parent, step-parent or guardian. Grade cards or school transcripts are not acceptable asproof of compliance with this law. Due to the variousgrading scales, evaluation of excused / unexcusedabsences and other factors that differ from school systemto school system. the Driver License personnel are notauthorized to interpret the information in thesedocuments. It is the responsibility of the school systemor Department of Education to confirm the applicant’seligibility. It is the responsibility of the applicant toprovide satisfactory documentation of this requirement.4. If the applicant is being Home Schooled, thedocumentation required is: A letter from the Superintendent’s Office in thecounty/city of the applicant’s legal residence, confirmingthat the parent has registered their “intent to homeschool” with the County/City School System.If adults cannot accompany the minor to the driver licensestation to sign the form, it may be completed ahead of timeand signed before a notary public.If a grandparent is assuming financial responsibility for theyouth, the grandparent must bring a notarized statementauthorizing this, signed by the parent, a step-parent, custodianor guardian, as appropriate. The statement is not on adepartment form, but should be in the following generalformat: If a minor applies for an additional class of license (suchas motorcycle), the parents or legal guardian will berequired to sign a second teenage affidavit for thatlicense type.17
Chapter 3 INTERMEDIATE LICENSES FOR DRIVERSUNDER 18—GRADUATED LICENSE PROCEDURES Verification of Home School Enrollment (Departmentof Safety Form SF-1193) signed and completed by theparent or legal guardian of the applicant affirming theattendance and satisfactory progress of the applicant inthe home school courses.5. The Tennessee Department of Education does NOTrecognize the completion of Internet or “correspondenceschool” courses and documentation from these sourcesis NOT acceptable to the Department of Safety asmeeting the requirements for licensing of minors the learner permit until his/her record has less than 6points for a full 180 consecutive days.After the record is clear for 180 consecutive days (i.e.,less than 6 points), the driver may move to the next level,an Intermediate Restricted License.4. What are the restrictions for an Intermediate RestrictedLicense?A. Those with an intermediate license can only have one otherpassenger in the vehicleUNLESS: One or more of the passengers is age 21 or older and hasa valid, unrestricted license; OR The passengers are brothers and sisters, step-brothers orstep-sisters, adopted or fostered children residing in thesame house as the driver and going to and from schoolAND the Intermediate License holder has in theirpossession written permission from their parent orguardian to transport their siblings.If a student fifteen years old or older drops out of school, theschool is required to notify the Department of Safety whichsuspends the student’s driving privileges. The first time astudent drops out, he or she may regain the privilege to driveby returning to school and making satisfactory academicprogress. However, there is no second chance. The secondtime a student drops out, he or she must wait to turn 18 yearsold before being eligible to apply for a license again.If a person who dropped out returns to school, the appropriateschool official can certify the student has returned bycompleting a different section of the Certificate of CompulsorySchool Attendance. The official will give the student a pinkcopy of the form to take with them to a driver license station.The student will be required to pay a 20 reinstatement fee, inaddition to the appropriate application and license fees. Otherfees may be added as well, depending on the individual’shistory.B. Those with an Intermediate Restricted License areprohibited from driving between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6a.m UNLESS they meet one of the following circumstances:: They are accompanied by a parent or guardian; They are accompanied by a licensed driver 21 or olderwho has been designated by the parent or guardian. Thisdesignation must be in writing and be in the possession ofthe teen driver; They are driving to or from a specifically identifiedschool sponsored activity or event and have in theirpossession written permission from a parent or guardianto do this; They are driving to or from work and have in theirpossession written permission from a parent or guardianidentifying the place of employment and authorizing thedriver to go to and from work; OR They are driving to or from hunting or fishing between 4a.m. and 6 a.m. and have in their possession a validhunting or fishing license.Teen Driver FAQs1. What is the Graduated Driver License law?The graduated driver licensing system places certainrestrictions on teens under the age of 18 who have learnerpermits and driver licenses.2. What are the restrictions for those with learnerpermits?Anyone under the age of 18 who has a learner permit isprohibited from driving between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6a.m. When driving, permit holders must have a licensed driverage 21 or older in the vehicle with them in the front seat.5. What would happen to an Intermediate RestrictedLicense holder caught with a forged or fake letterregarding permission to drive outside of the allowed hours?A driver with an Intermediate Restricted License who isconvicted of having a forged or fraudulent letter or statement willhave his/her Intermediate Restricted License revoked and will bereissued a learner permit until he/she reaches the age of 18.6. What will an Intermediate license look like?You may view examples of these licenses on page 15.7. How long must an Intermediate Restricted License beheld?Teens must hold their Intermediate Restricted License for aminimum of one year. After one year, an unrestrictedIntermediate license may be applied for. There is a 23. How long must I have a learner permit before applyingfor an Intermediate Restricted license? Anyone under the age of 18 must have their learnerpermit for a minimum of six months before applying foran intermediate restricted license. The minimum age for applying for an intermediaterestricted license is 16. If someone with a learner permit has driving offensesadding up to 6 or more points on their driving recordduring the 180 days before applying for the IntermediateRestricted license, the applicant has to continue to hold18
Chapter 3 INTERMEDIATE LICENSES FOR DRIVERSUNDER 18—GRADUATED LICENSE PROCEDURESapplication fee. The word “Intermediate” will still be on thelicense, but the restrictions will be lifted.NOTE: At age 18, a driver could apply for a regularunrestricted license without the word “Intermediate” printed onit. There is an 8 duplicate fee unless the driver chooses tokeep the license with the word “Intermediate” on it until thatlicense is at the end of its five-year renewal cycle.HOWEVER: If a teen driver (1) has received six or morepoints (the equivalent of two minor traffic citations) on theirIntermediate Restricted License, (2) has contributed to a trafficcrash, or (3) has been convicted of a second seatbelt violation,he/she will have to wait an additional 90 days to apply for anUnrestricted Intermediate License. This means he/she isrequired to hold the Intermediate Restricted License for a totalof 15 months.8. Are there any teens not required to complete the steps inthe Graduated Driver License program?The Graduated Driver License requirements do not apply toanyone age 18 and older OR anyone under the age of 18 whohas graduated high school or received their GED.ALSO: If the teen driver gets a second moving violation whileholding the Intermediate Restricted Driver License, anapproved Driver Education class MUST BE COMPLETEDbefore receiving an Intermediate Unrestricted Driver License.GDL At-a-Glance ReviewTable: 3.2PDRequirements:At least 6 monthsLevel 1At least 12 monthsLevel 2Until age 18Level 3LEARNER PERMITCLASS GULAR CLASS D Must be 16 years old Held a valid PD for 6months Certification of 50 hoursbehind-the-wheelexperience, including 10hours at night Cannot have: six or more points ondriving record during the180 days immediatelypreceding application Driving Test At least 17 years old Held a valid RestrictedIntermediate for 1 year Cannot have: six or more points ondriving record have been at fault in atraffic crash have been convicted of a2nd seatbelt violation Must be at least 18 years ofage Optional: can apply for aduplicate of license without‘the word “Intermediate”on’ the faceMust be 15 years oldVision ExamKnowledge TestSF 1010 Form (Proof ofCompulsory School Attendanceand Satisfactory Progress) Parent or Legal guardianmust sign Teenage Affidavitof Financial Responsibility Birth Certificate* Social Security Number ** Proof of citizenship or lawfulpermanent Resident[these would add a 90 day waitingperiod to the 1 yr IntermediateRestricted duration]Fees: 10.50, any age under18 years old.Age 16 24.50Age 17 21.00Age 18 Eligible for regulardriver licenseAge 17 2.00Age 18 Eligible for regulardriver license ( 8duplicate fee if hadIntermediatelicense) 8.00 or 12.00, regularduplicate fee dependingupon if 1st or subsequentduplicateIssued for:12 monthsuntil age 21Same expiration date @ age 21Same expiration date @ age 21Restrictions: Must have licensed driverage 21 or older in front seat Cannot drive between 10:00PM - 6:00 AM Seatbelts mandatory for allpassengers age 4 thru 17(or child restraint device ifunder age 4) Only one passenger Cannot drive between11:00 PM - 6:00 AM Seatbelts mandatory of allpassengers age 4 thru 17(or child restraint device ifunder age 4) Seatbelts mandatory for allpassengers age 4 thru 17(or child restraint device ifunder age 4) No additional restrictions,however, license still states“Intermediate” prominentlyon the face of the license No restrictions and licenselooks like regular “Under21 license”* See Chapter 2, page 11 for information on acceptable forms of identification** See Chapter 2, page 9-10 for more information in SSN requirements19
Number and U.S Citizenship / Lawful Permanent Resident) all applicants under the age of eighteen (18) must also meet the requirements described in this section. Minor/Teenage Affidavits Applicants under eighteen years old must have an adult sign a Minor/Teenage Affidavit and Can
