Your teen has a permit and you’re counting hours. Here’s the answer: Indiana requires 50 hours of supervised driving, at least 10 of them at night, written on a driving log you hand to the BMV when your teen applies for a license.
That puts Indiana with most of the country. The IIHS graduated licensing table lists about 30 states that set a learner-stage minimum of 50 hours or more, and Indiana’s entry reads “50 hours, 10 of which must be at night.”
The rule to follow
Indiana law requires a permit holder to complete at least 50 hours of supervised driving practice, and at least 10 of those hours must be at night. The practice time goes on a Log of Supervised Driving, which you present at the BMV when you apply for a license, according to the BMV’s driver’s license page. If the permit carries a daylight-only restriction, the 10 night hours drop away. The 50 hours do not.
Why it matters
The log is what the BMV asks to see. A short log or a missing one means your teen isn’t ready to apply, and the date you planned for the license moves.
How it works in practice
- Driver’s ed doesn’t replace the log. The BMV’s driver education page says all new drivers 18 and younger complete the 50-hour log, even after a driver education course.
- A supervising driver rides along. For a driver under 18 that’s a licensed driver training school instructor, a licensed driver at least 25 who is related by blood, marriage or legal status, a licensed spouse at least 21, or a certified driver rehabilitation specialist. At 18 or older, it’s a licensed driver at least 25 or a spouse at least 21.
- Night has no official start time. Indiana Code 9-24-3-2.5 requires 10 night hours and doesn’t say when night begins. The BMV’s Log of Supervised Driving has a DAY column and a NIGHT column and no definition either. Pick a start time, keep to it, and log every drive the same way.
What the practice gets you
A full log means your teen can walk into the BMV and apply without a second trip. It also means 50 real hours behind the wheel, across the roads, weather and times of day your teen will drive on.
Frequently asked questions
Do the 50 hours still apply if my teen took driver’s ed?
Yes. The BMV says all new drivers 18 and younger complete the 50-hour log even after driver education.
How many of the 50 hours must be at night?
At least 10. Indiana law doesn’t define night, so choose a start time and use it for every entry.
Who can supervise the practice hours?
For a driver under 18: a licensed driver training school instructor, a licensed driver at least 25 who is related by blood, marriage or legal status, a licensed spouse at least 21, or a certified driver rehabilitation specialist.
Can I keep the log on an app instead of paper?
The BMV’s form is State Form 54706, and its pages don’t mention apps. We build the Drive Now app, and the BMV accepts the Drive Now app log.
What Drive Now offers
Drive Now is a free app from a working Indiana driving school. It logs every drive by GPS, day and night, in one log. Its night setting is chosen by the school and can change by season.