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DMV permit test · Colorado

Colorado DMV permit practice test

As of October 26, 2026, Colorado law requires every applicant for a driver’s or minor driver’s license to be examined on eyesight, highway signs, knowledge of Colorado traffic laws and an actual driving demonstration.

Colorado law allows the Division of Motor Vehicles to issue an instruction permit to a minor 15 or older who has completed a driver education course approved by the department (per dmv.colorado.gov, checked on Oct 26, 2026).

Updated Oct 26, 2026Rules checked against dmv.colorado.govHow we check
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Colorado permit test at a glance

Minimum permit age
15source, Oct 26, 2026
Permit held before the road test
12 monthssource, Oct 26, 2026
Supervised practice
50 hourssource, Oct 26, 2026

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Free Colorado practice test: 10 questions

OneTryPass wrote these questions from the Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 42 (Vehicles and Traffic). Pick an answer to see if you got it; each explanation names the part of the handbook it comes from.

  1. Getting your permit

    Question 1. What is the youngest age at which a Colorado minor can get an instruction permit after completing approved driver education?

    Show answer

    Answer: B. 15

    Colorado issues an instruction permit to a minor 15 or older who has completed a driver education course approved by the Division of Motor Vehicles and applies with an adult’s affidavit of liability.

    From Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 42 (Vehicles and Traffic) · § 42-2-106(1)(a) Instruction permits

  2. Getting your permit

    Question 2. Before a Colorado driver under 18 can get a license, what must they have done with the instruction permit?

    Show answer

    Answer: D. Held it 12 months and logged at least 50 hours, 10 of them at night

    Colorado law requires a minor to hold the permit at least 12 months and turn in a signed log of at least 50 hours of driving, with at least 10 hours at night.

    From Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 42 (Vehicles and Traffic) · § 42-2-104(4)(a) Licenses issued - denied

  3. Getting your permit

    Question 3. A Colorado 16-year-old got a license last month. How many passengers under 21 who are not family may ride along?

    Show answer

    Answer: A. None, unless an exception applies, such as a parent riding along

    For the first six months with a license, a Colorado minor may not carry any passenger under 21 who is not immediate family. The limit does not apply with a parent or guardian in the car, or an adult 21 or older who has held a license for at least a year.

    From Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 42 (Vehicles and Traffic) · § 42-4-116(1) Restrictions for minor drivers

  4. Getting your permit

    Question 4. During their first year with a license, when may Colorado drivers under 18 not drive, unless an exception applies?

    Show answer

    Answer: C. Midnight to 5 a.m.

    Until they have held a license for one year, Colorado minors may not drive from midnight to 5 a.m. Exceptions include a parent in the car, school or work trips backed by a signed statement, and medical emergencies.

    From Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 42 (Vehicles and Traffic) · § 42-4-116(2) Restrictions for minor drivers

  5. Right of way

    Question 5. On a Colorado highway posted at 55 mph, a tow truck is stopped on the shoulder with yellow lights flashing, and you cannot change lanes. What speed does state law presume is safe as you pass?

    Show answer

    Answer: B. 35 mph

    When you cannot move a lane away, Colorado presumes 20 mph below the limit is safe on roads posted 45 mph or more, so 35 mph here. On roads posted under 45 mph, the presumed safe speed is 25 mph or less.

    From Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 42 (Vehicles and Traffic) · § 42-4-705(2) Approaching stationary emergency, towing or utility vehicles

  6. Right of way

    Question 6. A school bus stops ahead with its red signal lights flashing. Where must Colorado drivers stop?

    Show answer

    Answer: C. At least 20 feet before reaching the bus

    Colorado drivers meeting or overtaking a stopped school bus from either direction stop at least 20 feet before reaching it when its signal lights are on, and wait until the lights stop.

    From Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 42 (Vehicles and Traffic) · § 42-4-1903(1) School buses - stops - passing

  7. Alcohol and drugs

    Question 7. A 19-year-old drives in Colorado with a breath alcohol level of 0.03. What is true?

    Show answer

    Answer: A. It is a traffic infraction, because Colorado sets a 0.02 to 0.05 range for drivers under 21

    Colorado makes it a class A traffic infraction for a driver under 21 to have a breath alcohol level of at least 0.02 but not more than 0.05, measured at the time of driving or within two hours after.

    From Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 42 (Vehicles and Traffic) · § 42-4-1301(2)(d) Driving under the influence - under twenty-one

  8. Parking

    Question 8. In Colorado, how close to a fire hydrant may you stand or park?

    Show answer

    Answer: D. 15 feet

    Colorado bans standing or parking within 15 feet of a fire hydrant. Crosswalks at intersections need 20 feet and stop signs 30 feet.

    From Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 42 (Vehicles and Traffic) · § 42-4-1204(2) Stopping, standing, or parking prohibited

  9. Speed and following distance

    Question 9. Where no other limit is posted, what speed does Colorado law set as lawful in a residence district?

    Show answer

    Answer: B. 30 mph

    Colorado’s default limits are 30 mph in a residence district and 25 mph in a business district. Cities and towns may adopt their own absolute limits by ordinance.

    From Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 42 (Vehicles and Traffic) · § 42-4-1101(2) Speed limits

  10. Railroad crossings

    Question 10. You must stop at a Colorado railroad crossing that has no stop line. Where do you stop?

    Show answer

    Answer: C. 15 to 50 feet from the nearest rail

    Without a marked stop line, Colorado drivers stop at least 15 feet and no more than 50 feet from the nearest rail. If you cannot see trains from there, stop at the nearest point that gives a clear view.

    From Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 42 (Vehicles and Traffic) · § 42-4-706(1) Obedience to railroad signal

Colorado permit test questions people ask

How old do you have to be to get an instruction permit in Colorado?

Fifteen, once you have completed a driver education course approved by the Division of Motor Vehicles. Under HB 24-1021, applications filed on or after January 1, 2027 need a 30-hour course, which may be taken online.

Anyone under 18 also needs an adult to sign an affidavit of liability, and no one under 16 can hold a minor driver’s license.

Sources: § 42-2-106 Instruction permits · § 42-2-108 Application of minors · § 42-2-104 Licenses issued

What limits apply to newly licensed Colorado drivers under 18?

For six months, no passengers under 21 outside the family; for the next six, no more than one. Throughout the first year, no driving from midnight to 5 a.m. unless a listed exception applies, such as a parent in the car or a trip to work with a signed note from the employer.

Only one passenger may ride up front, and back-seat riders may not outnumber the belts. Hand-held calls, texting and watching video behind the wheel have been illegal for every Colorado driver since January 1, 2025.

Sources: § 42-4-116 Restrictions for minor drivers · § 42-2-105.5 Restrictions on minor drivers under eighteen · § 42-4-239 Use of a mobile electronic device

Every Colorado rule we checked

Each line is one rule from an official Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles page, with the date we read it.

Knowledge test
Colorado law requires every applicant for a driver’s or minor driver’s license to be examined on eyesight, highway signs, knowledge of Colorado traffic laws and an actual driving demonstration. source, Oct 26, 2026
Minimum age
Colorado law allows the Division of Motor Vehicles to issue an instruction permit to a minor 15 or older who has completed a driver education course approved by the department. source, Oct 26, 2026
Colorado’s HB 24-1021 rewrite of the permit law, including the 30-hour driver education course for minors, applies to permit and license applications submitted on or after January 1, 2027. source, Oct 26, 2026
Colorado law bars the Division of Motor Vehicles from issuing a minor driver’s license to anyone under 16. source, Oct 26, 2026
Permit rules
A Colorado driver under 18 must hold an instruction permit at least 12 months and submit a log of at least 50 hours of driving, 10 of them at night, before getting a license. source, Oct 26, 2026
A Colorado applicant younger than 16½ also needs 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training with a driving instructor, or 12 hours with a parent, guardian or alternate supervisor when no driving school operates within 30 miles. source, Oct 26, 2026
A newly licensed Colorado driver under 18 may carry no passenger under 21 outside the immediate family for six months, and no more than one such passenger until the license is a year old. source, Oct 26, 2026
Colorado drivers under 18 may not drive between midnight and 5 a.m. during their first year with a license, unless an exception applies, such as riding with a parent or with an adult 21 or older licensed for at least a year. source, Oct 26, 2026
In a car driven by a Colorado driver under 18, only one passenger may sit in the front seat and back-seat passengers may not outnumber the seat belts. source, Oct 26, 2026
Since January 1, 2025, Colorado law bars every driver from hand-held phone calls and from texting or watching video while driving, with a $75 fine for a first offense. source, Oct 26, 2026
A Colorado instruction permit expires three years after it is issued. source, Oct 26, 2026
What to bring
A Colorado permit or license application from anyone under 18 must come with an affidavit of liability signed by a parent, stepparent, guardian or another responsible adult who accepts that obligation. source, Oct 26, 2026

The full Colorado pack

The free questions above are a sample. The pack is the whole question bank, practiced the way the app below shows.

Inside the Colorado pack: study sessions that bring missed questions back, timed full practice tests and a readiness score.

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Full Colorado practice pack

$14.951 year of access · no subscription

  • Every practice question in the Colorado bank, not just these 10
  • Study sessions that bring missed questions back
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OneTryPass is not affiliated with the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles. The official Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 42 (Vehicles and Traffic) is free at dmv.colorado.gov.

Colorado permit test FAQ

Are these the real Colorado DMV test questions?

No. OneTryPass writes its own practice questions from the rules in the Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 42 (Vehicles and Traffic), and each question names the part of the handbook it comes from so you can check the rule.

Is OneTryPass affiliated with the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles?

No. OneTryPass is an independent practice site and is not part of the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles. The Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 42 (Vehicles and Traffic) is free at dmv.colorado.gov.

Where this information comes from

Every rule on this page comes from the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles' own website or handbook. OneTryPass reads the page, writes the rule in plain English and records the date. A rule that passes its re-check date leaves this page on its own until it is read again.

How often each kind of rule is read again: knowledge test, 120 days; minimum age, 365 days; permit rules, 365 days; what to bring, 180 days.

Something wrong on this page? Tell us at [email protected] and include the link to the official page that changed.