How to Fill Out the Pennsylvania DL-180C: 65 Hours, Signature, and Witness

The Pennsylvania DL-180C form is the Parent or Guardian Certification a parent or legal guardian signs to confirm that a minor has completed the supervised practice driving PennDOT requires before the road skills test. Without a properly completed and witnessed DL-180C, PennDOT will not let your teen take the exam.¹ The form itself is one page and asks for very little information. The work is in what your signature certifies.

What Your Signature Certifies

When you sign the DL-180C, you are swearing to three things:¹

Your teen has completed at least 65 hours of supervised behind-the-wheel practice with a licensed driver who is 21 or older.
Of those 65 hours, at least 10 were at night and at least 5 were in poor weather (rain, snow, fog, or similar conditions).
Your teen has printed or viewed the distracted-driving educational materials on PennDOT’s website.

These requirements come from 75 Pa.C.S. § 1505, which also requires the minor to have held a learner’s permit for at least six months before the skills test.² The six months and the 65 hours run at the same time, so practice can begin as soon as the permit is issued.³

One boundary worth noting: if the application is for a Class M motorcycle permit rather than a standard junior license, the nighttime and weather hours don’t apply. A PennDOT-approved motorcycle safety course substitutes and counts toward the 65-hour total.¹ Also, don’t confuse the DL-180C with the DL-180TD. The DL-180TD is the parental consent form signed when the minor first applies for the learner’s permit. The DL-180C is signed later, before the skills test.

Tracking the 65 Hours

PennDOT does not require you to submit a driving log with the DL-180C, but keeping one is the only reliable way to know when your teen has met the threshold. A notebook or spreadsheet that records the date, start and end times, conditions, and the supervising driver’s name is enough.

Every session must be supervised by a licensed driver at least 21 years old.¹ The supervisor does not have to be the parent. Any licensed adult 21 or older qualifies, and hours logged with a professional driving instructor count too, though professional instruction isn’t required.

Plan the nighttime and weather hours on purpose. Ten hours after dark and five hours in bad weather rarely accumulate on their own, especially over a summer permit period. Fold them in from the start rather than scrambling at the end of the six-month wait.

Filling In the Form

You can download the current DL-180C directly from PennDOT’s website as a PDF.¹ The form asks for only two pieces of identifying information about the minor:

The minor’s full legal name, printed exactly as it appears on the learner’s permit.
The learner’s permit number (the driver number issued when PennDOT processed the permit).

The form does not ask for a Social Security number, date of birth, or the parent’s driver’s license number. Everything else on the page is the certification language you read and then sign. Before signing, make sure your teen has actually viewed the distracted-driving materials on PennDOT’s website. The form includes a separate line where the parent certifies that step, and it’s easy to overlook because it sits apart from the 65-hour language.

Getting the Signature Witnessed

You cannot sign the DL-180C at the kitchen table and hand it over. The signature must be witnessed by one of five categories of people:¹

A PennDOT driver license examiner
A notary public
An end-of-course skill test teacher
A certified third-party examiner
A motorcycle safety instructor (for Class M applicants)

Notarization is only required if the parent or guardian will not be at the Driver License Center when the teen takes the skills test.¹ If you plan to accompany your teen on test day, sign the form in front of the examiner and skip the notary. If you can’t be there, visit a notary beforehand. The notary will verify your identity, watch you sign, and apply the seal. The underlying rule is 75 Pa.C.S. § 1507, which requires the signature to be verified before a person authorized to administer oaths or an authorized PennDOT employee.⁴

Bringing the Form to the Skills Test

You submit the DL-180C at a PennDOT Driver License Center or an authorized third-party testing site when your teen arrives for the road skills test. Third-party examiners are certified by PennDOT and give the same test, though they set their own fees.⁵

To schedule at a PennDOT location, use the online scheduling tool. You’ll need the teen’s driver number, date of birth, and the last four digits of their Social Security number to log in.⁶ Bring the original signed DL-180C to the appointment. If it was notarized in advance, the examiner will check that the seal is in place and the fields are complete. If the parent is there in person, the examiner witnesses the signature on the spot.

PennDOT’s combined fee for the initial permit and a four-year license is $45.50.⁷ Once the examiner accepts the DL-180C and the teen passes the road test, PennDOT issues the junior driver’s license.

Mistakes That Delay the Process

Most DL-180C problems are avoidable. A few recur:

Arriving without the form. PennDOT will not let the teen test without a completed DL-180C, and if the parent isn’t present and the form isn’t notarized, the appointment is wasted.
A wrong permit number. Check the number on the form against the actual permit card. A single transposed digit can cause a rejection at the counter.
Missing the distracted-driving certification. Review the materials on PennDOT’s website before signing so the separate certification line is truthful.
Testing too early. Even if the 65 hours are logged in four months, PennDOT won’t schedule the skills test until six full months after the learner’s permit issue date.²
Grabbing the wrong form. The DL-180TD is for the learner’s permit application. The DL-180C is for the skills test. They serve different purposes at different stages.

1
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Parent or Guardian Certification Form DL-180C
2
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Statutes Title 75 Pa.C.S.A. Vehicles 1505
3
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Young Driver
4
Pennsylvania General Assembly. 75 Pennsylvania Code 1507 – Application for Driver’s License or Learner’s Permit by Minor
5
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Third-Party Non-Commercial Driver’s License Skills Testing Services
6
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Schedule a Driver’s Test
7
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Payments and Fees