How to Upgrade Your Permit to a License in Colorado

To upgrade your permit to a license in Colorado, you need to clear any required holding period for your age, finish the driver education and 50-hour driving log that apply to you, pass a road test at a state-approved third-party driving school, and then take your results to a scheduled DMV appointment to be issued the license.¹ How much of that list applies to you depends mostly on whether you are under 18.

How Long You Must Hold the Permit First

If you are under 18, you have to hold your instruction permit for a full 12 months or until your 18th birthday, whichever comes first, before you can test for a license.¹ There is no waiver for being an experienced driver from another state or for completing extra coursework. The clock has to run.

If you are 18 or older, there is no minimum holding period. You can take the driving skills test as soon as you have the permit in hand.² Adults 21 and older face the same no-wait rule, with no affidavit paperwork required at the appointment.

Training and Driving Hours You Need Before Testing

Adults 18 and older are not required to submit a driving log or complete driver education before upgrading. Minors have several prerequisites, and the DMV will turn you away if any of them is short.

Driver education depends on how old you were when you got your permit. Between 15 and 15½, you need a 30-hour driver education course. Between 15½ and 17, you need either a 4-hour driver awareness program or the full 30-hour course.³ If you intend to be licensed between ages 16 and 16½, you also need at least six hours of behind-the-wheel training with an instructor at an approved driving school.⁴ A rural exemption exists if no approved school operates within 30 miles of your home; it substitutes 12 parent-directed hours and raises your total log requirement to 62 hours.¹

Every minor also has to submit a completed Drive Time Log Sheet (Form DR 2324) showing at least 50 hours of supervised driving, with at least 10 of those hours at night.⁵ The log has to be printed, signed by a parent, guardian, or other responsible adult at least 21 years old, and brought to the appointment. Digital tracking in the state’s Road Ready app is fine, but you still have to print the log. Short totals or a missing signature will end the appointment.

Passing the Road Test at an Approved Driving School

Colorado DMV offices do not administer driving skills tests. The road test is handled by a state-approved third-party driving school, and you schedule and pay the school directly.⁶ Fees are set by each provider. The DMV website lists approved schools by county.

Bring a vehicle with current registration and insurance and working safety equipment, including turn signals, brake lights, and mirrors. The examiner evaluates turns, lane changes, stops, and general traffic awareness. If you fail, you can retake the test on a different day with a different instructor; only one attempt per day is allowed, and the school will typically charge a retake fee.

Booking the DMV Appointment and What to Bring

Once you have passed the road test, schedule a permit-to-license upgrade appointment through the Colorado DMV’s online scheduling portal. Walk-ins are not accepted for this service.⁷

Gather these before the appointment:

Your valid, unexpired Colorado permit.
Proof you passed the driving skills test, issued by the third-party school.
If you are under 18: the printed, signed Drive Time Log (Form DR 2324) showing 50 hours with 10 at night.⁵
If you are under 18: the parent or guardian who signed the Affidavit of Liability (DR 2460) must come with you and bring a valid Colorado license.¹
If your address has changed since your permit was issued: two different documents showing your current Colorado physical address, each dated within the past year. Electronic versions on your phone are accepted.
If your name has changed since your permit was issued: legal documentation of the change.

Because identity and Social Security number were verified when the permit was issued, you generally will not need to re-prove them. Any name or address change since then does need supporting documents.

Vision Screening and Fees at the Counter

A DMV technician will run a quick in-office eye screening. Colorado requires a minimum visual acuity of 20/40 in one or both eyes.⁸ Wear your glasses or contacts if you need them. If you cannot meet the 20/40 standard in the office, the DMV may ask for a confidential eye examination report (Form DR 2402) from an optometrist or ophthalmologist.

As of mid-2025, the minor driver’s license fee is $32.00, and a standard non-REAL ID adult license is $34.00.⁹¹⁰ Check the current fee page before you go.

Leaving the Office

When the technician finishes processing the application and takes payment, your permit is invalidated right then. You walk out with a temporary paper license that is valid for driving. The permanent card is mailed to your address within 30 days.¹

Restrictions That Follow a Minor License

If you are licensed before turning 18, Colorado’s graduated licensing rules continue to limit when and with whom you can drive during the first year of licensure.¹

Passenger limits run on a tiered schedule. For the first six months, only passengers 21 or older may ride with you. From months seven through twelve, you may carry one passenger under 21. After one year, or when you turn 18 (whichever is sooner), passenger limits lift. Siblings are exempt throughout, and you may carry under-21 passengers during a medical emergency.

A nighttime curfew also applies for the first year: no driving between midnight and 5:00 a.m. unless you are with a parent or legal guardian, traveling to or from work or a school-authorized activity with a signed statement, responding to a medical emergency, or an emancipated minor.

Breaking either restriction is a class A traffic infraction and can delay when the restrictions lift.¹¹

1
Colorado Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Colorado Permits and First-Time Driver License
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Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Adult Permit
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Colorado Department of Transportation. FAQs and Resources
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Justia Law. Colorado Code Title 42 – 42-2-104 – Licenses Issued
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Colorado Department of Revenue. Drive Time Log Sheet DR 2324
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Colorado Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Driver Education School Locations
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Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle – Appointment Scheduling Information
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Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. FAQ – Driver License
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Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Colorado DMV Announces New Fee Schedules for June 30, 2025 and July 1, 2025
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Colorado Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. State DMV Fees
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Justia Law. Colorado Code Title 42 – 42-2-106 – Instruction Permits and Temporary Licenses