Understanding Alabama's Graduated Driver License Rules

Last updated 2026-08-01

Who the GDL restrictions actually apply to

Alabama's Graduated Driver License restrictions target 15-, 16-, and 17-year-old drivers specifically -- but not all of them equally. The curfew and passenger rules apply once you're 16 or 17 and have held your license less than six months; once you clear that six-month mark (or turn 18, whichever comes first), the GDL restrictions no longer apply to you.

There are also flat exemptions regardless of how long you've been licensed: the GDL rules don't apply to anyone 18 or older, to a 16-or-older driver who's married or the head of a household, or to anyone legally relieved of minority status by a court. If none of those apply to you and you're under that six-month mark, the restrictions below are your reality.

The passenger limit

A GDL-restricted driver may not have more than one nonfamily passenger in the vehicle. Parents, guardians, or a supervising licensed driver who's at least 21 don't count against that limit -- it's specifically about how many friends or other non-relatives can be in the car with you at once.

This is one of the more commonly overlooked restrictions, since it's easy to think of GDL rules as purely about curfews. In practice, a carful of friends right after getting your restricted license is one of the fastest ways to end up in violation even if every single person in the car is home well before midnight.

The curfew and its exceptions

The midnight-to-6-a.m. curfew isn't absolute -- Alabama carves out five specific exceptions that let a GDL-restricted driver be on the road during those hours.

Accompanied by a licensee who is 21 years of age or older
Going to or from a job (regular workplace)
Going to or from a school-sponsored event
Going to or from a religious event
Responding to a medical, fire, or law-enforcement emergency

Outside of those five exceptions, a GDL-restricted driver can't be behind the wheel between midnight and 6 a.m. The exceptions are broader than a strict "no driving at night, period" rule, but they're specific enough that "I was just driving around with friends" doesn't qualify under any of them.

What actually enforces this -- and what it costs you

Alabama backs the GDL rules with a real enforcement mechanism, not just an honor system. Driving while operating a handheld communication device while GDL-restricted is itself a violation that results in an extension of your restricted period and/or a suspension of your license -- on top of whatever penalty applies to the underlying phone use.

The state's point system runs in parallel: a GDL-restricted driver who racks up points from other violations (speeding, following too closely, and so on) is still subject to the same point-based suspension schedule as any other driver, and a second moving violation or accumulating four or more points can trigger an automatic 60-day suspension specifically because of the GDL restrictions being in effect.

Graduating out of the restrictions

There's no special ceremony or extra test required to shed the GDL restrictions -- once you've held your license six months without a restriction violation, or you turn 18, the curfew and passenger limit simply stop applying. You don't need to visit an ALEA office or request anything; it's a function of time and a clean record, not a separate application.

That six-month clock is about your regular Driver License, not your original Learner License -- so if you moved from Learner License to Driver License right at the six-month mark on the permit, you're effectively starting a second six-month clock on the GDL restrictions themselves before they lift.

Source

Alabama Driver Manual (Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, November 2024)

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