Virginia requires 45 hours of supervised driving, including at least 15 hours after sunset, before a teen can get a driver's license. Fifteen night hours out of 45 is one of the highest night shares in the country. Virginia also requires driver education for anyone under 18, a parent or guardian to attend a 90-minute parent-teen driving session, and the learner's permit to be held for nine months. In many Virginia jurisdictions, drivers under 18 receive their license at a juvenile court ceremony rather than over a counter.
Virginia supervised driving requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Virginia |
|---|---|
| Total supervised hours | 45 hours |
| Night hours | 15 hours after sunset (of the 45) — a third of the total |
| Professional / instructor hours | Driver education is required for drivers under 18, including behind-the-wheel instruction. A parent or guardian must also attend a 90-minute parent-teen driving session. |
| Minimum permit age | 15 years 6 months (learner's permit) |
| Permit holding period | 9 months on the learner's permit before the license |
| Permit validity | Check the expiration on the learner's permit — Virginia permits are time-limited and renewable |
| Who may supervise | A licensed parent or guardian, or a licensed adult 21 or older acting with the parent's permission, in the front passenger seat |
| Official log form | Virginia requires certification of the 45 hours (15 after sunset) signed by a parent or guardian — the log is included in the Virginia Parent/Teen Driving Guide |
| Certification method | Parent or guardian signs the certification of supervised driving |
| State app or program | None. Virginia does not publish an official hour-logging app. |
Who can supervise practice driving in Virginia
Virginia builds the parent into the process more deliberately than most states, which is the point of the parent-teen session.
- A licensed parent or guardian, or a licensed adult 21 or older acting with the parent's permission, in the front passenger seat.
- A licensed driving instructor qualifies during course sessions.
- A parent has to attend the 90-minute parent-teen driving session. It is a requirement, not a suggestion, and missing it holds up the license regardless of hours.
Night hours, and what "night" means here
Virginia asks for 15 of the 45 hours after sunset — a third of the total, and one of the steepest night shares anywhere. Because the standard is "after sunset" rather than a vague "night," you can look up the exact time for any date and know whether a drive counted. In Richmond and Northern Virginia, sunset lands around 4:55 PM in December and after 8:35 PM in June, so the winter half of the permit period is where these hours are cheap. Virginia night driving worth practicing on purpose: I-95 and the Beltway at night with heavy truck volume and fast merges, unlit two-lanes in the Piedmont and Shenandoah Valley with deer, and mountain roads where curves arrive faster than the headlights show them.
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.
- Fifteen night hours is thirty evening drives. Start them in the first month of the permit, not the last — the nine-month period is long enough that a spring finish means very late sunsets.
How to actually get to 45 hours
Forty-five hours over the nine-month permit period is a bit over an hour a week — comfortable on paper. The 15-hour night share is what needs planning, especially if the permit period starts in spring. The efficient sequence is: get the parent-teen session and driver education scheduled early, bank night hours through the fall and winter, and use daylight weekends for the rest.
Official Virginia resources
- Virginia DMV — Teen Drivers — learner's permit, driver education, the parent-teen session, and licensing steps
- Virginia Driver's Manual — the handbook the knowledge test is drawn from
Tracking your hours
Virginia's certification asks for both the total and the after-sunset share, so the record needs to keep them apart from the first drive.
PermitReady is a free iPhone and iPad app that does two things: practice questions for the Virginia DMV 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 Virginia's certification of supervised driving. 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 Virginia require?
45 hours, including at least 15 after sunset, before a driver's license. A parent or guardian certifies the total.
How many night hours does Virginia require?
15 of the 45, which is a third of the total and one of the highest night shares in the country. Virginia measures night as time after sunset, which is a specific and lookup-able standard.
Do parents have to attend a class in Virginia?
Yes. A parent or guardian must attend a 90-minute parent-teen driving session as part of the teen licensing process. Missing it delays the license regardless of how many hours are logged.
How long do you have to hold a Virginia learner's permit?
Nine months for drivers under 18.
Does Virginia have an official driving log form?
Virginia requires certification of the 45 hours signed by a parent or guardian, and a log is included in the Virginia Parent/Teen Driving Guide. Get the current version from the DMV.
Also for Virginia
Virginia permit test practice · Supervised driving hours log · Printable log templates · Supervised driving hours by state
Verification and disclaimers
Requirements verified August 2026 against Virginia DMV, Teen Drivers. Requirements change, and the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles can revise them without much notice — always confirm the current rules with the Virginia Department 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 Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles or any government agency.