Georgia requires 40 hours of supervised driving, including at least 6 hours at night, before a teen can move from a Class CP instructional permit to a Class D provisional license. A parent or guardian signs a 40-hour affidavit certifying the hours. Under Joshua's Law, drivers under 17 must also complete an approved driver education course. The permit has to be held for at least 12 months and one day — the "and one day" is literal, and it is the single most common reason Georgia teens get turned away at the counter.
Georgia supervised driving requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Georgia |
|---|---|
| Total supervised hours | 40 hours |
| Night hours | 6 hours at night (of the 40) — one of the lowest night minimums in the country |
| Professional / instructor hours | Joshua's Law requires an approved driver education course for drivers under 17; its behind-the-wheel hours are separate from the 40 |
| Minimum permit age | 15 (Class CP instructional permit) |
| Permit holding period | 12 months and 1 day before the Class D license at 16 |
| Permit validity | Georgia instructional permits are commonly issued for a 2-year term — check the expiration on the card |
| Who may supervise | Licensed driver 21 or older, in the front passenger seat |
| Official log form | Yes — the 40-hour parent/guardian affidavit of supervised driving, signed and submitted with the Class D application. Get the current version from DDS. |
| Certification method | Parent or guardian signs the 40-hour affidavit under oath |
| State app or program | DDS 2 GO handles Georgia license services on a phone, but it does not log practice hours. |
Who can supervise practice driving in Georgia
Georgia's supervision rule is standard. The affidavit is what makes it serious: it is a sworn statement, not a checkbox.
- A licensed driver at least 21 years old in the front passenger seat.
- An approved driver education instructor qualifies during a lesson.
- The parent signs under oath. The 40-hour affidavit is a sworn document. That is the practical reason to keep an actual log rather than estimating — you want the number you sign to be one you can defend.
Night hours, and what "night" means here
Georgia asks for 6 night hours out of the 40, which is one of the lowest night minimums in the country in both absolute and proportional terms. The DDS does not publish a clock definition, so treat night as actual darkness — after sunset and before sunrise. Six hours is about twelve half-hour evening drives, and Georgia's early winter sunsets (around 5:30 PM in Atlanta in December) mean a drive home from practice or a run to the store already counts. Because the bar is low, it is worth exceeding it: rural Georgia two-lanes at night, with no streetlights and deer at the shoulder, are the conditions where the six-hour minimum starts to look thin.
What counts as a loggable hour
- Public-road driving with a qualified supervisor counts. The trip to school, errands, highway miles, practice loops around the neighborhood — it all counts as long as the permit holder is at the wheel and the supervising driver is in the front passenger seat.
- Time parked, idling, or waiting in a drive-through does not count. Log driving time, not trip time.
- Empty parking lots and closed courses generally do not count. The point of the requirement is real traffic.
- Hours before the permit was issued do not count. The permit has to be in hand first.
- The 12-month permit clock runs independently of the hours. You can finish 40 hours in two months and still wait ten more. Plan the road test date off the permit issue date, not off the log.
How to actually get to 40 hours
Forty hours across a 12-month permit period is under an hour a week — the hours are almost never the constraint in Georgia. The constraints are the calendar (12 months and one day) and Joshua's Law driver education, which has to be completed and documented for anyone under 17. Get the course scheduled early in the permit year, keep the log honest, and the rest takes care of itself.
Official Georgia resources
- Georgia DDS — Teen Drivers — the Class CP and Class D steps, Joshua's Law, and the 40-hour affidavit
- Georgia Driver's Manual — the handbook the knowledge test is drawn from
Tracking your hours
Georgia's affidavit asks a parent to swear to a number, so the record behind it matters more here than in states that just ask for a checkbox.
PermitReady is a free iPhone and iPad app that does two things: practice questions for the Georgia DDS permit test, and a supervised driving hours log. Each drive is one entry — date, duration, and condition tags including night, highway, rain, and heavy traffic — with a running total at the top so you always know how far you have left to go. Entries can be backdated, so a log you started late can still be complete. It works offline, and there is no account to create: nothing is uploaded, and the log lives on the phone.
Honest limits: PermitReady does not detect drives automatically, does not use GPS, is iPhone and iPad only, and does not generate a signed state affidavit. It is a record you copy from when you fill in Georgia's 40-hour affidavit. If you would rather have automatic drive detection or an Android app, RoadReady has both — we compare them directly in PermitReady vs RoadReady. There is also a full write-up of the driving log and a set of printable paper templates if you would rather keep it on paper.
Frequently asked questions
How many supervised driving hours does Georgia require?
40 hours, including at least 6 at night, before a Class D provisional license. A parent or guardian signs a sworn 40-hour affidavit certifying the total.
How many night hours does Georgia require?
6 of the 40, which is one of the lowest night minimums in the country. Treat night as actual darkness between sunset and sunrise.
How long do you have to hold a Georgia learner's permit?
12 months and one day. The extra day is literal and is checked at the counter, so schedule the license appointment for at least 366 days after the permit issue date.
Does Georgia have an official driving log form?
Georgia requires a 40-hour parent or guardian affidavit of supervised driving, submitted with the Class D application. Download the current version from DDS.
What is Joshua's Law?
Georgia's requirement that drivers under 17 complete an approved driver education course before getting a Class D license. It is in addition to the 40 supervised hours, not instead of them.
Also for Georgia
Georgia permit test practice · Supervised driving hours log · Printable log templates · Supervised driving hours by state
Verification and disclaimers
Requirements verified August 2026 against Georgia Department of Driver Services, Teen Drivers. Requirements change, and the Georgia Department of Driver Services can revise them without much notice — always confirm the current rules with the Georgia Department of Driver Services before your road test.
PermitReady's driving hours log is a personal tracking tool. It is not a state form and has not been approved or endorsed by any state licensing agency. Check with your state's DMV, RMV, DPS, BMV, or equivalent agency for which log format they require, and use their official state form if one is mandated.
RoadReady® is a registered trademark of Safe Roads Alliance, Inc. PermitReady is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Safe Roads Alliance, Inc.
PermitReady is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by the Georgia Department of Driver Services or any government agency.