In the United States, driver's licenses are issued by each individual state, territory, and the District of Columbia. Drivers are normally required to obtain a license from their state of residence. All states within the United States mutually recognizes licenses from other states for various purposes pertaining to identification and driving status, they are also recognized in Canada for similar purposes. There are also licenses for motorcycle use.
Generally, a minimum age of 15 is required to apply for a non-commercial driver license, and 18 for commercial licenses which drivers must have to operate vehicles that are too heavy for a non-commercial licensed driver (such as buses, trucks, and tractor-trailers) or vehicles with at least 16 passengers (including the driver) or containing hazardous materials that require placards. A state may also suspend an individual's driving privilege within its borders for traffic violations. Many states share a common system of license classes, with some exceptions, e.g. commercial license classes are standardized by federal regulation at . Many driving permits and ID cards display small digits next to each data field. This is required by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators' design standard and has been adopted by many US states. The AAMVA provides a standard for the design of driving permits and identification cards issued by its member jurisdictions, which include all 50 US states, the District of Columbia, and Canadian territories and provinces. The newest card design standard released is the 2025 AAMVA DL/ID Card Design Standard (CDS). The AAMVA standard generally follows part 1 and part 2 of ISO/IEC 18013-1 (ISO compliant driving license). The ISO standard in turn specifies requirements for a card that is aligned with the UN Conventions on Road Traffic, namely the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic and the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic.
According to the United States Department of Transportation, as of 2023, there are approximately 233 million licensed drivers in the United States (out of the total United States population of 332 million people). Driver's licenses are the primary method of identification in the United States as there is no official national identification card in the United States; no federal agency with nationwide jurisdiction is authorized to directly issue a national identity document to all U.S. citizens for mandatory regular use.
History
As the number of motor vehicles in the United States reached tens of thousands, states and their local governments began to exercise their power to authorize and regulate vehicles and drivers. In 1901, New York became the first state to register automobiles. By 1918 all states required license plates; states were slower to require licenses for drivers. Only 39 states issued them by 1935 and few required a test, despite widespread concern about incompetent drivers. Early motorists were taught to drive by automobile salesmen, family and friends, or organizations like the YMCA. By the 1930s, many high schools offered driver education.
Massachusetts and Missouri were the first states to require a driver's license in 1903, but there was no test associated with the license. In 1908, Henry Ford launched the Model T, the first affordable automobile for many middle-class Americans (in 1919, when Michigan started issuing driver licenses, Ford got his first one at age 56). The same year the Model T debuted, Rhode Island became the first state to require both a license and a driver's exam (Massachusetts instituted a chauffeur exam in 1907 and started requiring tests for all other drivers in 1920). Maryland's driver's licenses did not feature photographs until the 1980s.
Decline in licensing among juveniles Since the 1990s, young people have generally been less likely to start driving as teenagers than in previous decades. In 2018, 61% of 18-year-olds and 25% of 16-year-olds in the US had drivers licenses, a decline from 80% and 46%, respectively, in 1983. This continued a trend that had been observed in 2004, when the Los Angeles Times reported that 43% of US 15-to-17-year-olds had drivers licenses in 2002, compared to 52% in 1982.
Potential explanations for this decline include lower enthusiasm for driving, caused by environmental and road safety concerns; financial issues, such as the costs of driver's education and insurance premiums; stricter standards for granting licenses; and the rising popularity of ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft.
Standard and special licenses
Unrestricted licenses are driver licenses that most US drivers have to drive. Various states differ on what class they utilize to distinguish between a typical driver license and special licenses, such as restricted, chauffeur, or motorcycle licenses. For instance, Tennessee designates Class D as a regular driver license, while Class M is a motorcycle license and Class H is a hardship license (see below). Hardship licenses for minors are driver licenses that are restricted to drivers between 14 and 15 (sometimes up to 18) years old who need to drive to and from home and school due to serious hardships, e.g. the driver's family has financial or medical problems, or the driver needs to get to work or school and has no other practical way of getting to work or school. A hardship license for minors is distinct from hardship licenses granted for drivers with revoked or suspended licenses. The table below includes states that provide hardship licenses for minors. Provisional licenses are functionally the same as a driver license, but are typically issued to new drivers under the age of 18, i.e. 14 to 17 years old. Almost all states have some form of a graduated licensing provision. The actual restrictions and the length of time a new driver must adhere to them vary widely by state. Restrictions frequently include: A curfew, after which night driving is not permitted (unless 18 years of age, or if the individual has completed an online course) without an adult present (typically 11pm, as in Pennsylvania and Michigan, or 12am, as in Wisconsin). Some states (e.g. North Carolina) have curfews as early as 9pm. Some states such as New York provide exceptions for special situations, such as driving home from work or school functions, picking up family members, or for medical appointments, while others such as Massachusetts do not. Restrictions on the number of passengers under a specific age present in the vehicle. For example, in California, minors may not transport people under age 20 for the first 12 months of licensure unless said passengers are family members (brother, sister, cousin, niece, nephew, or anyone who is 21 or had their license for 1 year or longer, etc.). Chauffeur licenses are practically the same as a passenger car license, but also allow the holder to drive a taxi, limousine, or other livery vehicle for hire. In the US, chauffeur licenses are not considered a special driver's license (such as a commercial driver's license), and many states do not require an additional road test for a passenger car license to convert to a chauffeur license. Some states may require a short written exam on taxi-specific driving laws or a background check and require the driver to be at least 18 years of age. This type of license is typically, though not universally, called "Class E". Some states add an endorsement to a regular license, while others require no special permission at the state level to drive a taxi or limousine. Florida once issued chauffeur licenses through its Class D licenses, a designation that was discontinued in 2006. Regardless of whether and how the state handles chauffeur licensing, a permit or license must always be obtained from the city, town, or county where the driver will be operating. Motorcycle licenses covers motorcycles only, frequently combined with a regular driver license. In some states this does not include some types of mopeds, scooters, or motorized bicycles, but with a wide variety of different state-by-state definitions for these vehicles. A common but not universal criterion is an engine displacement of or less, but also wheel size, type of transmission, and more are sometimes used in the legal codes to distinguish mopeds and scooters from motorcycles. These vehicles sometimes do not require a motorcycle license, or in some states any license at all, as well as in some states avoiding insurance and registration requirements, such as US states Arkansas, Texas, Washington, and Utah, which do not require any motorcycle endorsement for off-highway use under 60 mph. Some US states differentiate between low and full powered motorcycles for the purposes of licensing. Some states require an additional motorcycle license to operate a sidecar rig. Enhanced licenses are issued to US citizens in Washington, Vermont, Michigan, Minnesota, and New York, and establish nationality in addition to driving privileges. An EDL is a WHTI compliant document, acceptable for re-entering the US via land and sea crossings from Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean. A US passport, birth certificate, or another document proving citizenship is required to apply for this type of license. Motorcycle and commercial driver licenses (see above and below) usually can also be issued as enhanced. Handicap permits are issued to persons who meet the proper guidelines for requiring handicap driving and parking access. They are granted special access to improve their quality of life as a driver. In certain states, namely Texas, a handicapped person's driver license can be revoked based on their disability.
Some states also have additional classifications. Nevada, for example, has a separate license category for drivers who only operate mopeds, while some more northerly states have separate categories for snowmobiles and ATVs. South Carolina and Georgia have non-commercial versions of every commercial class license for agricultural purposes.
Commercial driver's licenses (CDL)
Drivers of large and heavy vehicles (i.e. trucks, buses, and tractor-trailers) or a vehicle of any size with at least 16 passengers (including the driver) or hazardous materials must have a commercial driver's license, commonly abbreviated as CDL. The minimum age for a commercial driver's license is generally 18 years old, but federal law requires commercial drivers to be at least 21 years of age to operate a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce. An unrestricted driver's license is a prerequisite in all states before a commercial driver's license can be issued.
Most recreational and agricultural vehicles such as converted buses, tractor, lawn mowers, or full size (greater than campers, including fire trucks are exempt from CDL regulations. However, federal law allows states to require a CDL for these vehicles. Some states require drivers who operate large and heavy vehicles strictly used for recreational and/or agricultural purposes to upgrade to a special driver's license or add an endorsement to their license usually by passing a written test, road test, or both. For example, in California, recreational vehicles require the driver to possess a "non-commercial" license (to distinguish from commercial driver licenses) to drive (Non-Commercial Class B) or tow (Non-Commercial Class A) a motorhome between 40 and 45 feet. In New York, recreational vehicles that exceed 26,000 lbs (11,794 kg) GVWR requires an R endorsement on a driver's license.