Florida DMV Cheat Sheet
A condensed study guide for the FLHSMV written knowledge test — test logistics, plus the Florida-specific rules most likely to differ from what you already know. This isn't a substitute for the official Florida driver's manual, or for practicing the real questions. Looking for the core rules and signs that apply everywhere, not just Florida? Check the general driving theory cheat sheet instead.
50Questions
80%To Pass
$48Fee
- Test length varies: 50 questions on the Class E Knowledge Exam — Florida's own official name for the written knowledge test.
- Fee: Initial license fee (also the fee for an original learner's license, a Class E renewal, or a learner's license renewal). A replacement license or ID card is $25.
- Documents required:
- Primary identification
- Proof of Social Security number
- Two proofs of residential address
- Proof of a completed TLSAE (Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education) course
- If you don't pass: No cap on attempts found in the handbook — each written re-test costs $10, and each driving-skills re-test costs $20, well below the $48 original application fee.
- Online testing: Original and learner's license applications must be done in person. Eligible renewals (U.S. citizens/permanent residents, no suspension) can be completed online at MyDMVPortal.flhsmv.gov.
Florida-Specific Rules
Minor & Provisional Licensing
- Learner's license: minimum age 15, after completing a TLSAE (Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education) course.
- The TLSAE course is required before a first-time applicant can get a learner's license.
- Driver license (beyond the learner's stage): minimum age 16.
- A learner's license must generally be held 12 months, or until the 18th birthday, whichever comes first.
- No moving-violation convictions for 12 months from the learner's license issue date — one violation is allowed if adjudication was withheld.
- Required supervised driving: at least 50 hours, including 10 hours at night.
- The supervised-driving hours must be certified by a parent, guardian, or responsible adult 21 or older.
- First 3 months of a learner's license: daylight-hours driving only.
- After the first 3 months, a learner's license holder may drive until 10 p.m.
- 16-year-old licensed drivers: no driving 11 p.m.–6 a.m., unless working or accompanied by a licensed adult.
- 17-year-old licensed drivers: a shorter curfew, 1 a.m.–5 a.m., same exceptions.
- The Class E Knowledge Exam requires 80% correct to pass.
DUI Laws & Penalties
- Standard adult (21+) BAC threshold: 0.08%.
- A driver under 21 with a BAC of 0.05% or higher (a separate threshold from the 0.02% zero-tolerance suspension trigger) must attend a substance abuse course.
- First DUI conviction: standard fine $500-$1,000 (rising to $1,000-$2,000 if BAC ≥0.15 or a minor was in the vehicle).
- First DUI conviction: 50 hours of community service.
- First DUI conviction: license revocation of at least 180 days.
- First DUI conviction: 12 hours of DUI school (a second conviction requires 21).
- An ignition interlock device becomes mandatory on a first conviction only if BAC was 0.15+ or a minor was in the vehicle.
Speed, Right-of-Way & Legal Rules
- School zone: 20 mph.
- Municipal, business, or residential area: 30 mph.
- Streets and highways (not limited access): 55 mph.
- Limited access highways: 70 mph.
- Where the posted limit is 70 mph, the minimum speed is 50 mph.
- The "basic speed law": never drive faster than is safe for current conditions, even below the posted limit.
- FLHSMV issues both driver licenses and vehicle registrations — one agency, not split like some states.
- As a no-fault insurance state, drivers must carry at least $10,000 PIP and $10,000 PDL coverage.
- A crash needs a law-enforcement report if it involves DUI, death, injury, or a vehicle that must be towed.
- Otherwise, the driver must self-report in writing to FLHSMV within 10 days.
Defensive Driving
- Safety belts are required for the driver, front-seat passengers (any age), and all passengers under 18 — an adult in the rear seat isn't covered by this specific law.
- A child under 4 must be in a safety seat specifically.
- Children ages 4 and 5 may use either a safety seat or a booster seat.
- The driver is charged with a child-restraint violation for any unrestrained passenger under 18.
- Texting while driving is banned for all drivers, as a primary offense.
- Hands-free-only wireless device use is required in posted school crossings and active work zones.
- Outside those zones, adults may still hold a phone for calls — only texting is banned everywhere.
Emergency Vehicles, School Buses & Work Zones
- Move Over law: move over a lane if safe, or slow down significantly if you can't.
- Move Over covers more than police/fire/EMS — sanitation and utility vehicles with flashing lights too.
- Stop for a school bus with flashing red lights from either direction, unless separated by a physical median.
- A painted center turn lane doesn't count as a median — you must still stop.
- Standard minimum fine for illegally passing a stopped school bus: $265.
- Passing on the side where children enter/exit: a higher $465 minimum fine.
- Causing serious injury or death while passing a stopped bus requires, among other penalties, 120 community service hours in a trauma center.
Parking Rules & Technique
- Parallel parking: stay within about 12 inches of the curb.
- Curbs near fire hydrants are often painted yellow to mark the no-parking zone.
- A valid disabled parking permit waives parking fees on any public street, highway, or metered space.
Rules and fees change — always confirm current details with FLHSMV before your exam. Cheat sheet v1.0, last checked 2026-07-17.