2. Types of Driver’s Licenses

Instructional Permit A temporary driver’s license for many drivers who meet the requirements (explained below)

• First driver’s license for many drivers
• Driver must be at least 15-and-a-half years old
  • Those under eighteen must:
    • Take an expensive driver’s education course (a typical cost in Dane County is over $400)
    • Pass knowledge, signs, and vision tests
    • Be sponsored by an adult
• Holder of an Instructional Permit must be accompanied by someone riding in the front seat who:
  • Has had a driver’s license for at least two years
  • Currently has a valid non-probationary license
  • Is a qualified instructor, parent, legal guardian, or spouse who is at least 19 or a person other than a parent, legal guardian, or spouse who is at least 21
• An Instructional Permit is valid for one year but it can be renewed

Probationary License: First driver’s license issued to everyone, no matter how old they are:

• After a first driving offense, demerit points received for driving violations are doubled for any subsequent moving violations
• Additional restrictions apply to those age 18 and younger under Wisconsin’s Graduated Driver Licensing system
• A probationary license expires two years from the holder’s next birthday

Regular License: A driver’s license with full driving privileges

Occupational License: A temporary license that may be obtained when a driver otherwise has a suspended or revoked driver’s license

• Restricts where and when the holder can drive
  • A holder can only drive: to and from work; to and from school, college, or university; to and from places to maintain a household, such as a grocery store, pharmacy, laundromat, or gas station; to and from a place of worship; and to and from medical appointments
• Application for an occupational license must include all Wisconsin counties and any other states where the holder needs to drive
• Limited to driving 12 hours per day and no more than 60 hours per week
• Operating a motor vehicle outside the specified times and purposes can result in a citation for operating after a suspension or revocation