Learn to Drive with Montrose Drivers EducAtion

From a student's first permit to their driver's license, Montrose Driving Education is here to help guide families every step of the way. Below is a simple roadmap of Colorado's teen driving process to be permitted at 15 and licensed at 16.

1. Complete a 30-Hour Course

Students must complete a 30-hour course to be eligible to get a learner's permit issued on their 15th birthday. Both online and classroom courses are accepted.

2. Pass the Written Permit Test

All Montrose Driving Education students are eligible to take the written permit test at the drive school when students are within one month of their 15th birthday. 

For those students who are not eligible to permit test on the last day of class or immediately upon completing the online program, please call us at 970-249-8891 or text 970-964-7183 when the student is within one month of their 15th birthday to schedule an appointment. 

Students can choose to take the written permit test directly at the DMV on or after the 15th birthday —either way, students are required to visit the DMV to get the permit issued. 

3. Schedule a DMV Appointment for First-Time Permit

Schedule an appointment from the drop-down menu at www.dmv.colorado.gov/drivereducation to get the permit issued on or after the 15th birthday. 

This appointment is where students will take their photo, pay the DMV fee, turn in the required documents to prove who they are and proof of residency, i.e., birth certificate, social security card, utility bill, bank statement, etc. 

This appointment will become the date the permit is issued and will be the anniversary date of being eligible to upgrade to a driver's license next year.

If you haven't already, please review the Colorado Graduated Driver Licensing Laws (GDL) https://www.codot.gov/safety/colorado-teen-drivers

4. Start Logging 50+ Hours of Driving

Complete the required driving log with a licensed driver 21+ using the Road Ready App or Colorado Form DR 2324. 

Students are required to log 50+ hours of drive time during the year they hold their permit. Ten (10) of those hours need to be at nighttime. Instruction hours in Step 5 can be applied to the student's driving log.

5. Complete the Required Six (6) Hours Behind-the-Wheel (BTW) Instruction

This step is required if students want their license before turning 16 1/2 and live within 30 miles of an approved drive school. Lessons willbe completed at Montrose Driving Education during the year your student holds their permit. 

Students can begin BTW instruction once the student is comfortable driving in busy Montrose traffic. If a student demonstrates they are not road ready at their scheduled appointment, the student will be driving in the parking lot at Cerise Park and won't benefit from the program.  

Please visit www.schedule2drive.com to register for an account. Our school code is 9745. There is a $10 registration fee to create an account and this is paid by every student.  DO NOT procrastinate with this step because drives book fast.

If students attended an in-person class, BTW instruction was paid in advance. Montrose Driving Education online students will receive a $50 loyalty discount off current posted rates. 

6. Schedule a Road Test Appointment

Call Montrose Driving Education at 970-249-8891 to schedule the required Colorado behind-the-wheel road test. To be eligible to test, students under 18 must have held their permit for 12 months or more on test day —  testing before the one-year anniversary is not allowed.

Road tests are conducted at Montrose Driving Education located at 32 N. Selig Avenue.  The DMV discontinued offering road tests at their state-wide locations during Covid.

7. Schedule a DMV Appointment for a First-Time License

Schedule this appointment at www.dmv.colorado.gov/drivereducation from the drop-down menu for at least one (1) hour after the START time of the student's road test appointment. This allows time to drive to the DMV after passing the road test. 

8. Pass the Road Test

Come prepared to your appointment at 32 N. Selig Avenue.  Montrose Driving Education BTW students will receive a discounted rate for the required State road test. BTW students have the option to test in our vehicle at no additional charge as a courtesy. 

If students test in their own vehicle, vehicles need to be street legal with current registration, insurance, front and back license plates attached, working blinkers and brake lights, no big windshield cracks, and the front windows must roll up and down.

9. Upgrade to a License at the DMV

After passing the road test, you will need to process out  through the DMV to officially upgrade from a permit to a license. Students will present their signed drive log, show proof of residency, take a new photo, and of course pay the DMV their fee.

Your student is not licensed until this step is completed. Road tests expire after six (6) months.

10. Fully Licensed

Thank you for choosing Montrose Driving Education! For questions down the road, you know where to find us. We're just a turn signal away!!