Indiana requires 50 hours of supervised driving, including at least 10 hours at night, before a teen can get a probationary driver's license. The rule people get wrong here is who counts as a supervisor: Indiana requires a licensed driver at least 25 years old, a spouse at least 21, or a certified driving instructor. A parent or guardian certifies the hours. Teens who complete an approved driver education course can apply for a license earlier — at 16 years and 180 days instead of 16 years and 270 days.
Indiana supervised driving requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Indiana |
|---|---|
| Total supervised hours | 50 hours |
| Night hours | 10 hours at night (of the 50) |
| Professional / instructor hours | Driver education is optional but shortens the wait — a license at 16 years 180 days with an approved course, versus 16 years 270 days without |
| Minimum permit age | 15 with enrollment in an approved driver education course; 16 without |
| Permit holding period | 180 days on the learner's permit |
| Permit validity | Indiana learner's permits are commonly issued for a 2-year term — check the expiration on the card |
| Who may supervise | Licensed driver at least 25 years old, a spouse at least 21, or a certified driving instructor — in the front passenger seat |
| Official log form | No standalone statewide log PDF. A parent or guardian certifies the 50 hours when the probationary license is applied for. |
| Certification method | Parent or guardian attests to the 50 hours at the BMV branch |
| State app or program | The myBMV app handles Indiana license services but does not log practice hours. |
Who can supervise practice driving in Indiana
Indiana's age-25 rule is the detail worth reading twice, because hours driven with the wrong supervisor are hours you cannot honestly certify.
- A licensed driver at least 25 years old, seated in the front passenger seat, or
- a spouse who is at least 21 and licensed, or
- a certified driving instructor during a lesson.
- A 23-year-old older sibling does not qualify. Indiana and Delaware are the two states where this catches families out most often.
Night hours, and what "night" means here
Ten of the 50 hours have to be at night. The BMV does not publish a rigid clock definition, so treat night as actual darkness — after sunset, before sunrise. Indiana's time zone situation makes this genuinely different depending on where you live: most of the state is Eastern, which pushes summer sunset past 9 PM, while the northwest corner near Chicago and the southwest corner near Evansville are Central. Either way, October through February is the efficient window, with full darkness by around 6 PM. Get some night hours on unlit county roads, not just on lit stretches of US 31 or I-465.
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.
- Note who supervised each drive. With a 25-and-over requirement, a log that records the supervising adult is the one that holds up if anyone asks.
How to actually get to 50 hours
Fifty hours across the 180-day permit period is about two hours a week. Indiana families who take driver education often find the behind-the-wheel course hours give them a confident start, but those instructor hours are separate from the 50 — do not double-count them. The most reliable pattern is a standing weekday drive plus one longer weekend session that includes highway merging, which is the piece most new Indiana drivers are shakiest on given how much of the state is interstate.
Official Indiana resources
- Indiana BMV — First License or Permit — permit and probationary license requirements, ages, and waiting periods
- Indiana Driver's Manual — the handbook the knowledge exam is written from
Tracking your hours
Indiana does not hand you a log form, so the record is yours to build — and because the supervising-driver rule is stricter than most states', it is worth recording more than just the hours.
PermitReady is a free iPhone and iPad app that does two things: practice questions for the Indiana BMV 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 the BMV's certification at the branch. 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 Indiana require?
50 hours, including at least 10 at night, before a probationary driver's license. A parent or guardian certifies the total at the BMV.
How old does the supervising driver have to be in Indiana?
25. Indiana requires a licensed driver at least 25 years old, a spouse at least 21, or a certified driving instructor. This is stricter than the 21 most states use.
How long do you have to hold an Indiana learner's permit?
180 days. With an approved driver education course a teen can apply for a probationary license at 16 years and 180 days; without one the wait runs to 16 years and 270 days.
How many night hours does Indiana require?
10 of the 50. Treat night as actual darkness between sunset and sunrise. October through February is the efficient window in Indiana, with darkness by around 6 PM.
Does Indiana have an official driving log form?
No standalone statewide log PDF is published. A parent or guardian certifies the 50 hours at the BMV branch, so keep a dated record you can stand behind.
Also for Indiana
Indiana permit test practice · Supervised driving hours log · Printable log templates · Supervised driving hours by state
Verification and disclaimers
Requirements verified August 2026 against Indiana BMV, First License or Permit. Requirements change, and the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles can revise them without much notice — always confirm the current rules with the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles 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 Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles or any government agency.