Special Minor Restricted License - Under 18

Special Minor's Restricted License

A special minor restricted license is an optional step that allows you to drive independently to school or work with some restrictions.

FAQs on work/school driving

HOW DO I GET A SPECIAL MINOR'S RESTRICTED LICENSE (SCHOOL/WORK PERMIT)?

Be at least 14 1/2 years old.
Complete an Iowa-approved driver education course.
Hold a valid instruction permit and a clean driving record for at least six consecutive months immediately before applying for your special minor's restricted license.
Your parent/guardian must download, complete, and sign the Affidavit for Special Minor's Restricted License (form 430021). Your school authorities or primary homeschool instructor (depending on your schooling) must also sign the form. The signatures must be live (no e-signatures or stamps).
Complete a drive test at the DMV if your driver’s education instructor requests it, or if you completed the Parent-Taught Driver’s Education Program.
Once the form is completed, schedule an appointment to bring in the completed form and get your special minor's restricted license issued.
Have your parent or guardian complete a Parental Consent for Special Minor’s Restricted License (form 430022). You must carry this completed form with you in the vehicle. Present it to law enforcement when requested.

Resources

Affidavit for Special Minor's Restricted License  (form 430021)
Parental Consent for Special Minor’s Restricted License (form 430022) Student must carry this completed form with them when they drive.
Schedule an appointment

WHAT CAN I DO WITH THIS LICENSE?

This license allows you to drive without adult supervision in the hour before and after the beginning and ending of the following:

Drive from your home to your school(s) of enrollment for class or school sponsored activities using the most direct and accessible route. Public school students are limited to driving within the school district of enrollment and accredited nonpublic school students and students that are home-schooled are limited to driving within a 25-mile driving distance.
Drive to participate in school-sponsored extracurricular activities using the most direct and accessible route. Activities must be held at a location within a 25-mile driving distance
Drive for work. The driving distance between the origin and destination must be 25 miles or less.
Drive to complete farm work to assist your parents, guardians, or employers in connection with any farm employment or farm-related work using the most direct and accessible route, if you live on or are employed by a farm in Iowa. The driving distance between the origin and destination must be 25 miles or less.
Stop for fuel while on route or at the closest filling station off route.

You may also drive at any time with adult supervision. Adult supervision means your parent, guardian, custodian, an immediate family member at least 21 years of age, a driver education instructor, or a person at least 25 years of age with written permission from your parent, guardian, or custodian. The supervising adult must possess a valid driver’s license.

WHAT CAN'T I DO WITH THIS LICENSE

Use a cell phone, smartphone, tablet, or other electronic communication or entertainment device while driving.
Carry more than one minor passenger who is not a relative when driving without adult supervision. A relative includes your brother, sister, step-brother, step-sister, or any other minor living in your household.
Drop off or pick up passengers at any location other than your school of enrollment for classes or school-sponsored activities.
Drive to participate in school-sponsored extracurricular activities if the activities are not at a location within a 25 mile driving distance.
Carry more passengers than the number of seat belts in your vehicle.
Drive a commercial motor vehicle, a vehicle with more than two axles, a vehicle towing another vehicle, or a motorcycle (unless you have a motorcycle license).
Drop off a sibling at a location you aren’t authorized to drive to.
Drive to a school or school-sponsored activity as a spectator at a school where you are not enrolled.
Drive between homes if you live at more than one residence. A student may drive to and from one residence and approved school classes, school-sponsored extracurricular activities, or approved employment. A student may not drive between residences.

WHAT IF I MESS UP?

Each violation will result in a three month suspension if you:

Get a ticket,
Violate a restriction of the license, or
Cause an accident.

You will receive an official notice by mail which will provide the date when your suspension will begin.

The requirement to maintain a clean driving record for six months before upgrading to the next level will start over after you have reinstated your driving privileges. To reinstate your privileges, you will need to schedule an appointment to come in to the DMV, pay a $20 reinstatement fee, and a $10 duplicate license fee.

You will have to wait an additional three months after your 16th birthday to become eligible to apply for the next level (Intermediate License).

HOW DO I MOVE TO THE NEXT STEP: AN INTERMEDIATE LICENSE?

Learn about the intermediate license.

Frequently asked questions

Questions about Passengers

Can I take my sibling with me to a ball game at my school?

Yes, you can take your siblings (brother, sister, step-siblings, or any minor who lives with you) to a ball game or other school-sponsored event at the school you attend. Everyone needs to have their own seatbelt and be buckled up.

Can I take a friend with me to a ball game at my school?

Yes, you can take one friend who isn’t related to you.

Can I carry my siblings with me between their houses?

No, you can’t drive between houses, no matter if you’re alone or if your siblings are with you. Your siblings can ride with you when you’re driving to places you’re allowed to go, like school, activities, work, or farm work.

Can I carry multiple siblings with me in my car?

Yes, you can drive with multiple siblings or relatives in the car, as long as everyone has their own seatbelt and buckles up. This includes brothers, sisters, step-siblings, or other minors who live with you.

Can I carry both my friend and my sibling in my car?

Yes, you can have your sibling(s) and one friend in the car when you’re driving without an adult. You can have more than one relative in the car but only one friend who isn’t related to you. Everyone needs to have their own seatbelt and be buckled up.

Questions about driving location

Can I drive to an away game where my school is playing? Just to watch?

No, you can’t drive without adult supervision to an away game at another school just to watch. You’re only allowed to drive alone for activities you’re taking part in. You can drive unsupervised to your own school to watch or participate in extracurricular or school-sponsored activities.

Can I drive to watch a ball game in my town where the other high school in town is playing?

No, you can’t drive by yourself to watch a game at a school you don’t attend. You can only drive by yourself to games or events at your own school.

My parents are divorced. Can I drive between their houses?

No, you can’t drive between your parents’ houses. You can drive from one parent’s house to school, activities, work, or farm work and then back to your other parent’s house at the end of the day.

Can I carry my siblings to their school, activities, or work?

Only if their school, activity, or work is at the same time and in the same place you’re allowed to drive to. You can’t drop them off at a separate school or work location.

Can I stop by my grandparents' house after school?

No, you can’t drive to your grandparents' house after school unless you live there, either temporarily or permanently, and your parents have listed their address on the form you carry in the car. You’re allowed to list up to three addresses where you live on that form. However, if you only live at one or two residences, you should leave the space for other address(es) on the form blank. Remember, you can’t drive between those listed places.

Can I drive to activities that are not school-sponsored, like club sports teams or a church group?

No, you’re only allowed to drive by yourself to school or a place run by your school (like the school’s football stadium) for school-sponsored activities.

Can I drive to a non-school-sponsored activity that takes place at my school?

No, you can only drive alone to school-sponsored activities at your school or a place run by your school.

Can I drive to work at a job in another state if it’s less than 25 miles from my home?

We can’t guarantee that another state will honor the driving privileges you have in Iowa. You should check with law enforcement in the other state before driving there by yourself.

If I mow lawns for my job, can I drive from one lawn to the next to mow? Can I haul the lawn mower on a trailer?

Yes, you can drive from one lawn to another if your parent or guardian has approved it on the form you carry in the car and the lawns are within 25 miles of your home. But you cannot pull a trailer.

Can I drive to another house to babysit?

Yes, you can drive to a house to babysit, as long as your parent or guardian has approved it on the form you carry in the car and the house is within 25 miles of your home.

I used to drive over 25 miles to my private high school with my minor school license before the law changed on July 1, 2024. Can I still drive to my school?

Unfortunately, as of July 1, 2024, you can’t drive alone to a private school that’s more than 25 miles from your home. You can only drive to a private school if it’s within 25 miles.

Do I have to carry Parental Consent for Special Minor’s Restricted License (form 430022) in the vehicle with me even if I’m just driving to school?

Why is there a place to list 3 residences on the Parental Consent for Special Minor’s Restricted License (form 430022)? Can I put in my friend’s house?

Questions about Consequences & Suspensions

I got a ticket. What do I need to do after my suspension ends?

After your three-month suspension ends, you need to get your license reinstated before you can drive again. You’ll need to visit a DMV location, pay a $20 reinstatement fee, and get a duplicate license, which costs $10.

The six-month period that you need a clean driving record starts the day you reinstate your license. The three-month period you need to wait before upgrading to an intermediate license starts as soon as you reinstate your license AND you are 16 (these time periods might overlap).

Why can’t I upgrade to an intermediate license when I turn 16?

If you break any rules of your special minor's restrict license, get a ticket for any traffic violation (except parking), or cause an accident, you’ll get a three-month suspension. After the suspension ends and you reinstate your SMRL, the earliest you’ll be able to upgrade is age 16 and 3 months, but it could be later than that if you’ve had more than one violation and also need to have a clean driving record for six months before upgrading.

Driving Times

What times am I allowed to drive?

You can drive by yourself in the hour before and after school, activities, work, or farm work. For example, if school starts at 8 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m., you can drive from 7-8 a.m. and from 3-4 p.m.

Moving to Iowa

My family recently moved to Iowa. Can I transfer my permit that was issued by the state I previously lived in?

Maybe, but here are different rules depending on your situation:

If you’re 14-17 years old and only had an instruction permit in the state you moved from, you’ll need to pass the operator knowledge test, complete an Iowa-approved driver’s education course*, and hold a valid permit for six months with a clean record to get a SMRL. Time with a permit in your previous state can count towards the six months.
If you’re 16 and had an instruction permit and/or intermediate license in your previous state for the last 12 months, you need to have a clean record for the past six months, complete 20 hours of supervised driving (with 2 hours after sunset) and finish an Iowa-approved driver’s education course* to get an intermediate license.
If you’re 17 and want a full license, you need to have held a comparable intermediate license in your previous state for the last 12 months, have a clean record for six months, complete 20 hours of supervised driving (with 2 hours after sunset), and finish an Iowa-approved driver’s education course*.

*You may be able to skip the driver’s education course if you’ve had an intermediate license for 12 months or a combination of an instruction permit and intermediate license for 12 months, with at least six of those months being on the intermediate license; live with a parent or guardian in Iowa; and have no moving violations.

I took driver’s ed in another state. Can I use that to qualify for an Iowa license?

It’s possible, but it can be complicated. An Iowa driver’s education instructor will need to review your out-of-state course to see if it meets Iowa’s requirements. If it does, you’ll get an Iowa driver education certificate. They might also ask you to take a driving test with Iowa DOT driver’s license staff.

If your out-of-state course doesn’t meet Iowa’s requirements, you might still qualify for a driver education waiver if:

You’ve had an intermediate license for 12 months or a combination of an instruction permit and intermediate license for 12 months, with at least six of those months being on the intermediate license.
Live with a parent or guardian in Iowa, and
Have no moving violations.

DMV