Minnesota requires 50 hours of supervised driving, including at least 15 hours at night, before a teen can apply for a provisional license. The total drops to 40 hours if a parent or guardian completes the state's supplemental parent awareness class — a genuinely worthwhile trade, since the class is short and the discount is 10 hours. The permit has to be held for six months, and drivers under 18 must complete driver education. A parent or guardian certifies the hours.
Minnesota supervised driving requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Minnesota |
|---|---|
| Total supervised hours | 50 hours — or 40 hours if a parent completes the supplemental parent awareness class |
| Night hours | 15 hours at night, in either case |
| Professional / instructor hours | Driver education is required for drivers under 18: classroom instruction plus behind-the-wheel training with an instructor, separate from the supervised hours |
| Minimum permit age | 15 (instruction permit, after completing the classroom portion of driver education) |
| Permit holding period | 6 months on the instruction permit before the provisional license at 16 |
| Permit validity | Minnesota instruction permits are commonly issued for a 2-year term — check the expiration on yours |
| Who may supervise | A licensed driver 21 or older, a certified driving instructor, or a licensed peace officer, in the seat beside the driver |
| Official log form | Minnesota DVS supplies a supervised driving log; the parent or guardian certifies the total when the provisional license is applied for |
| Certification method | Parent or guardian signs the certification of supervised driving |
| State app or program | None. Minnesota does not publish an official hour-logging app. |
Who can supervise practice driving in Minnesota
Minnesota's rule is standard, and the parent awareness class is the piece worth acting on early.
- A licensed driver 21 or older in the seat beside the permit holder.
- A certified driving instructor or licensed peace officer also qualifies.
- The parent awareness class cuts 10 hours. It is a supplemental session for parents and guardians, and completing it reduces the requirement from 50 hours to 40. Take it in month one so the target is set before you start counting.
Night hours, and what "night" means here
Fifteen night hours is one of the highest requirements in the country, and it does not shrink if you take the parent class — the discount comes off the daytime side. The good news is that Minnesota's winter does most of the work: in the Twin Cities, December darkness starts around 4:35 PM, so any drive after school is a night drive from November through February. In June, sunset is close to 9 PM and night hours are nearly impossible to collect at a reasonable hour. Get them in the winter. Worth doing deliberately: icy roads at night, where black ice and glare combine, and rural highways where snow banks narrow the lane and there is no lighting at all.
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.
- Winter is the requirement's real shape. Fifteen night hours in a Minnesota winter takes about a month of ordinary evening driving. Fifteen night hours in a Minnesota summer takes a season.
How to actually get to 50 hours (or 40 with the parent class)
Fifty hours over the six-month permit period is about two hours a week; 40 hours is closer to ninety minutes. Either way the night share is the planning constraint, not the total. The most efficient Minnesota schedule is a permit issued in the fall: the 15 night hours accumulate almost passively through the dark months, and the daytime balance fills in on weekends.
Official Minnesota resources
- Minnesota DVS — Teen Drivers — instruction permit, provisional license, and the supplemental parent awareness class
- Minnesota Driver's Manual — the handbook the knowledge test is drawn from
Tracking your hours
Minnesota's night share is 15 hours whichever total applies to you, so the useful record is one that keeps night and day separate from the first drive.
PermitReady is a free iPhone and iPad app that does two things: practice questions for the Minnesota DVS 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 DVS supervised driving log. 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 Minnesota require?
50 hours, including at least 15 at night. The total drops to 40 hours, still with 15 at night, if a parent or guardian completes the supplemental parent awareness class.
What is the Minnesota parent awareness class?
A supplemental session for parents and guardians of teen drivers. Completing it reduces the supervised driving requirement from 50 hours to 40. Take it early so you know which target you are driving toward.
How many night hours does Minnesota require?
15, which is among the highest in the country, and the number does not change if a parent takes the awareness class. Minnesota's early winter darkness makes November through February the efficient window.
How long do you have to hold a Minnesota instruction permit?
Six months before applying for a provisional license at 16.
Does Minnesota have an official driving log form?
DVS supplies a supervised driving log, and a parent or guardian certifies the total when the provisional license is applied for.
Also for Minnesota
Minnesota permit test practice · Supervised driving hours log · Printable log templates · Supervised driving hours by state
Verification and disclaimers
Requirements verified August 2026 against Minnesota Driver and Vehicle Services, Teen Drivers. Requirements change, and Minnesota Driver and Vehicle Services can revise them without much notice — always confirm the current rules with Minnesota Driver and Vehicle 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 Minnesota Driver and Vehicle Services or any government agency.