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PermitPath Learner’s permits, state by state
Rankings

PermitPath Ease Score

The easiest — and hardest — states to get licensed

We scored all 50 states on the three things that decide how fast a teen gets behind the wheel: how young you can start, how many practice hours you must log, and how long you wait on the permit. Arkansas cruises in at #1; Maryland brings up the rear at #50.

All 50 states, ranked

Score is out of 100 — higher means an easier road. Tap any state for its full guide.

  1. #1 Arkansas Age 14 · no hour log · 6 months violation-free Fast Lane 83
  2. #2 Alaska Age 14 · 40 hours · 6 months Fast Lane 63
  3. #3 Nebraska Age 15 · 50 hours · no set wait Fast Lane 60
  4. #4 Wyoming Age 15 · 50 hours · 10 days Fast Lane 59
  5. #5 New Hampshire Age 15½ · 40 hours · no set wait Fast Lane 58
  6. #6 Iowa Age 14 · 20 hours · 12 months Fast Lane 56
  7. #7 Texas Age 15 · 30 hours · 6 months Fast Lane 53
  8. #8 Idaho Age 14½ · 50 hours · 6 months Fast Lane 51
  9. #9 Mississippi Age 15 · no hour log · 12 months Fast Lane 51
  10. #10 Montana Age 14½ · 50 hours · 6 months Fast Lane 51
  11. #11 South Dakota Age 14 · 50 hours · 275 days Cruise Control 49
  12. #12 Michigan Age 14 years, 8 months · 50 hours · 6 months on Level 1 Cruise Control 48
  13. #13 Missouri Age 15 · 40 hours · 182 days Cruise Control 48
  14. #14 South Carolina Age 15 · 40 hours · 180 days Cruise Control 48
  15. #15 Utah Age 15 · 40 hours · 6 months Cruise Control 48
  16. #16 Arizona Age 15½ · 30 hours · 6 months Cruise Control 45
  17. #17 Wisconsin Age 15½ · 30 hours · 6 months Cruise Control 45
  18. #18 Alabama Age 15 · 50 hours · 6 months Cruise Control 43
  19. #19 Indiana Age 15 · 50 hours · 180 days Cruise Control 43
  20. #20 Louisiana Age 15 · 50 hours · 180 days Cruise Control 43
  21. #21 Minnesota Age 15 · 50 hours · 6 months Steady Traffic 43
  22. #22 New Mexico Age 15 · 50 hours · 6 months Steady Traffic 43
  23. #23 Oregon Age 15 · 50 hours with an approved driver education course · 6 months Steady Traffic 43
  24. #24 Tennessee Age 15 · 50 hours · 180 days Steady Traffic 43
  25. #25 Washington Age 15 · 50 hours · 6 months Steady Traffic 43
  26. #26 West Virginia Age 15 · 50 hours · 180 days Steady Traffic 43
  27. #27 Kansas Age 14 · 25 hours before a restricted license at 15; 50 total hours · 12 months Steady Traffic 41
  28. #28 North Dakota Age 14 · 50 hours (for applicants under 16) · 12 months or until age 16, whichever comes first Steady Traffic 41
  29. #29 Connecticut Age 16 · 40 hours · 120 days with commercial driver training, or 180 days with home training Steady Traffic 39
  30. #30 California Age 15½ · 50 hours · 6 months Steady Traffic 36
  31. #31 Hawaii Age 15½ · 50 hours · 180 days Steady Traffic 36
  32. #32 Nevada Age 15½ · 50 hours · 6 months Steady Traffic 36
  33. #33 Ohio Age 15½ · 50 hours · 6 months Steady Traffic 36
  34. #34 Illinois Age 15 · 50 hours · 9 months Steady Traffic 34
  35. #35 Maine Age 15 · 70 hours · 6 months Steady Traffic 33
  36. #36 Massachusetts Age 16 · 40 hours (30 if the teen completes an approved skills development program) · 6 months School Zone 33
  37. #37 Oklahoma Age 15½ · 55 hours · 6 months School Zone 33
  38. #38 Vermont Age 15 · 40 hours · 12 months School Zone 31
  39. #39 Georgia Age 15 · 40 hours · 12 months and 1 day School Zone 30
  40. #40 North Carolina Age 15 · 60 hours · 9 months School Zone 29
  41. #41 Virginia Age 15½ · 45 hours · 9 months School Zone 29
  42. #42 Delaware Age 16 · 50 hours · 6 months of supervised driving before unsupervised driving is allowed School Zone 28
  43. #43 New Jersey Age 16 · 50 hours · 6 months of supervised practice School Zone 28
  44. #44 New York Age 16 · 50 hours · 6 months School Zone 28
  45. #45 Rhode Island Age 16 · 50 hours · 6 months School Zone 28
  46. #46 Colorado Age 15 · 50 hours · 12 months The Long Haul 26
  47. #47 Florida Age 15 · 50 hours · 12 months The Long Haul 26
  48. #48 Kentucky Age 16 · 60 hours · 180 days The Long Haul 23
  49. #49 Pennsylvania Age 16 · 65 hours · 6 months The Long Haul 20
  50. #50 Maryland Age 15 years, 9 months · 60 hours · 9 months The Long Haul 18

How the Ease Score works

Each state’s typical teen path is scored on three statutory factors, normalized to 0–100 (higher = easier) and weighted: starting age (30%) — how young you can get the permit; practice hours (35%) — the required supervised log; and waiting time (35%) — the minimum permit holding period. Where a state offers multiple paths we score the common one: Oregon’s 50-hour with-driver-ed path, South Dakota’s 275-day statutory default, and Connecticut’s 120-day commercial-training track. Arkansas and Mississippi have no statewide hour log; Nebraska has no minimum holding period; and New Hampshire famously issues no permit at all.

The Ease Score is an editorial index for comparison fun — it measures how quick the process is, not whether a state’s rules are good policy, and it is not advice. Requirements are summarized as of June 2026; always confirm with your state’s licensing agency.