Minor Driving Hours Amendments

8
53-3-204
53-3-210.5
1
Minor Driving Hours Amendments
2026 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Wayne A. Harper
House Sponsor: Jill Koford
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill clarifies who can supervise a minor with a learner permit while operating a vehicle.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
defines terms;
clarifies that a stepparent or foster parent can supervise a minor with a learner permit; and
makes technical changes.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
None
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
53-3-204
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2021, Chapter 262
53-3-210.5
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2025, Chapter 242
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section
53-3-204
is amended to read:
53-3-204
. Persons who may not be licensed.
(1)
(a)
The division may not license a person who:
(i)
is younger than 16 years old;
(ii)
if the person is 18 years old or younger, has not completed a course in driver
training approved by the commissioner;
(iii)
if the person is 19 years old or older has not completed:
(A)
a course in driver training approved by the commissioner; or
(B)
the requirements
under
described in
Subsection

53-3-210.5(6)(c)

53-3-210.5(7)(c)
;
(iv)
if the person is a minor as defined in Section
53-3-211
, has not completed the
driving requirement
under
described in
Section
53-3-211
;
(v)
is not a resident of the state, unless the person:
(A)
is issued a temporary CDL under Subsection
53-3-407(2)(b)
prior to
before

July 1, 2015; or
(B)
qualifies for a non
-

domiciled CDL as defined in 49 C.F.R.
Part 383
;
(vi)
if the person is 17 years old or younger, has not held a learner permit issued
under Section
53-3-210.5
or an equivalent by another state or branch of the United
States Armed Forces for six months; or
(vii)
is younger than 18 years old and applying for a CDL under 49 C.F.R.
Part 383
.
(b)
Subsections
(1)(a)(i)
,
(ii)
,
(iii)
,
(iv)
, and
(vi)
do not apply to
a person
an individual
:
(i)
who has been licensed before July 1, 1967; or
(ii)
who is
16 years old or older
making application
applying
for a license who has
been licensed in another state or country.
(2)
The division may not issue a license certificate to
a person
an individual
:
(a)
whose license has been suspended, denied, cancelled, or disqualified during the
period of suspension, denial, cancellation, or disqualification;
(b)
whose privilege has been revoked, except as provided in Section
53-3-225
;
(c)
who has previously been adjudged mentally incompetent and who has not at the time
of application been restored to competency as provided by law;
(d)
who is required
by
under
this chapter to take an examination unless the
person

individual
successfully passes the examination;
(e)
whose driving privileges
have been
are
denied or suspended under:
(i)
Section
80-6-707
by an order of the juvenile court; or
(ii)
Section
53-3-231
; or
(f)
beginning on or after July 1, 2012, who holds an unexpired Utah identification card
issued under
Part 8, Identification Card Act
, unless:
(i)
the Utah identification card is canceled; and
(ii)
if the Utah identification card is in the person's possession, the Utah identification
card is surrendered to the division.
(3)
(a)
Except as provided in Subsection

(3)(c)
(3)(b) or (c)
, the division may not grant
a motorcycle endorsement to
a person
an individual
who:
(i)
has not been granted
does not hold
an original or provisional class D license, a
CDL, or an out-of-state equivalent to an original or provisional class D license or
a CDL;
and
or
(ii)
if the
person
individual
is under 19 years old, has not held a motorcycle learner
permit for two months
unless Subsection
(3)(b)
applies
.
(b)
The division may waive the two

-
month motorcycle learner permit holding period
requirement
under
described in
Subsection
(3)(a)(ii)
if the
person
individual
proves to the satisfaction of the division that the
person
individual
has completed a
motorcycle rider education program that meets the requirements
under
described in
Section
53-3-903
.
(c)
The division may grant a motorcycle endorsement to
a person
an individual
under
19 years old who has not held a motorcycle learner permit for two months if the

person
individual
was issued a motorcycle endorsement
prior to
before
July 1,
2008.
(4)
The division may grant a class D license to
a person
an individual
whose commercial
license is disqualified under
Part 4, Uniform Commercial Driver License Act
, if the
person is not otherwise sanctioned under this chapter.
Section 2. Section
53-3-210.5
is amended to read:
53-3-210.5
. Learner permit.
(1)
As used in this section, "parent" means an individual's parent, stepparent, or foster
parent.
(2)
The division, upon receiving an application for a learner permit, may issue a learner
permit effective for 18 months to an applicant who is at least 15 years old.
(2)
(3)
(a)
The learner permit entitles an applicant that is 18 years old or older to operate
a class D motor vehicle only if
a person
an individual
21 years old or older who is
a licensed driver is occupying a seat beside the applicant.
(b)
The learner permit entitles an applicant that is younger than 18 years old to operate a
class D motor vehicle only if:
(i)
an approved driving instructor is occupying a seat beside the applicant;
(ii)
the applicant's parent or legal guardian, who
must be
is
a licensed driver, is
occupying a seat beside the applicant;
(iii)
a responsible adult who has signed for the applicant under Section
53-3-211
and
who
must be
is
a licensed driver, is occupying a seat beside the applicant; or
(iv)
(A)
a responsible individual 21 years old or older who is not the parent or legal
guardian is occupying a seat beside the applicant
;

and:
(A)
(B)
the
applicant's
parent or legal guardian is not a licensed driver;
and
(B)
(C)
the individual
occupying the seat beside the applicant
described in
Subsection
(3)(b)(iv)(A)
is a licensed driver and
has in the individual's
immediate possession evidence that the individual is authorized by the
applicant's
parent or legal guardian to accompany the applicant while operating
the motor vehicle
; and
.
(C)
the individual occupying the seat beside the applicant is a licensed driver.
(c)
The applicant shall have the learner permit in the applicant's immediate possession
while operating the motor vehicle.
(3)
(4)
The division shall issue a learner permit to an applicant who:
(a)
is at least 15 years old;
(b)
has passed the knowledge test required by the division;
(c)
has passed the physical and mental fitness tests; and
(d)
has submitted a nonrefundable fee for a learner permit
under
described in
Section
53-3-105
.
(4)
(5)
(a)
The division shall supply the learner permit form.
(b)
The form
under
described in
Subsection

(4)(a)

(5)(a)
shall include:
(i)
the applicant's full name, date of birth, sex, Utah residence address, height, weight,
and eye color;
(ii)
the date of issuance and expiration of the permit; and
(iii)
the conditions and restrictions
contained
described
in this section for operating
a class D motor vehicle.
(5)
(6)
An application and fee for a learner permit entitle the applicant to:
(a)
not more than three attempts to pass the knowledge test for a class D license within
one year; and
(b)
a learner permit after
the knowledge test is passed
passing the knowledge test
.
(6)
(7)
(a)
If an applicant has been issued a learner permit under this section or an
equivalent by another state or branch of the United States Armed Forces, the
applicant may be issued an original or provisional class D license from the division
upon:
(i)
except as provided in Subsection
(7)(c)
,
completing a driver education course in
a
:
(A)
a
commercial driver training school licensed under
Part 5, Commercial Driver
Training Schools Act
; or
(B)
a
driver education program approved by the State Board of Education or the
division;
(ii)
passing a knowledge test approved by the division that complies with
the
requirement of

Subsection

(6)(d)
(7)(d)
;
(iii)
passing the skills test approved by the division;
(iv)
reaching 16 years old; and
(v)
paying the nonrefundable fee for an original or provisional class D license
application
under
described in
Section
53-3-105
.
(b)
In addition to the requirements
under
described in
Subsection

(6)(a)
(7)(a)
, an
applicant who is 17 years old or younger
is required to
shall
hold a learner permit
for six months before applying for a provisional class D license.
(c)
An applicant is exempt from the requirement
under
described in
Subsection

(6)(a)(i)

(7)(a)(i)
if the applicant:
(i)
is 19 years old or older;
(ii)
holds a learner permit for three months before applying for an original class D
license; and
(iii)
certifies that the applicant, under the authority of a permit issued under this
chapter, has completed at least 40 hours of driving a motor vehicle, of which at
least 10 hours were completed during night hours after sunset.
(d)
Fifty percent of the test questions included in the knowledge test required under
Subsection

(6)(a)(ii)

(7)(a)(ii)
shall cover the topic of major causes of traffic
related deaths as identified in statistics published by the Highway Safety Office.
Section 3.
Effective Date.
This bill takes effect on
May 6, 2026
.
2-6-26 9:30 AM