Idaho DMV Cheat Sheet
A condensed study guide for the Idaho ITD written knowledge test — test logistics, plus the Idaho-specific rules most likely to differ from what you already know. This isn't a substitute for the official Idaho driver's manual, or for practicing the real questions. Looking for the core rules and signs that apply everywhere, not just Idaho? Check the general driving theory cheat sheet instead.
40Questions
85%To Pass
$20 Instruction Permit; $5 knowledge test; $35 4-year Class D license (age 21+)Fee
- Test length varies: Idaho's knowledge test is 40 questions; you can miss up to 6 (34 correct, 85%) and still pass, and the test is computer-adaptive, ending as soon as you reach 34 correct answers.
- Fee: An 8-year Class D license (ages 21-62) costs $60; the skills test totals $35 ($6.50 to the county, up to $28.50 to the skills test examiner); all retest fees match the original test fees.
- Documents required:
- Proof of age and identity
- Social Security number for verification
- Proof of Idaho residency
- Liability signer (parent/guardian) if under 18
- Proof of completed Driver's Training if under 17
- If you don't pass: A failed knowledge or skills test requires waiting 3 days before retesting, and paying the test fee again.
Idaho-Specific Rules
Minor & Provisional Licensing
- A Driver Training Permit (DT) is available 14 1/2 to under 17; it expires 5 days after the 18th birthday, or 6 months after issuance if the holder was 17 1/2 or older when issued.
- An approved DT program requires 30 hours of classroom instruction, 6 hours observing other students, and 6 hours behind the wheel with an instructor.
- A Class D Instruction Permit (17+) is valid one year with an accompanying licensed adult 18+, renewable once without retesting if the prior test was within 12 months.
- The GDL supervised instruction period requires 6 violation-free months, a licensed adult 21+ in the front seat, and 50 hours of supervised driving including 10 at night; a conviction cancels the permit and restarts the clock.
- A driver under 16 may only drive between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. unless a licensed adult 21+ is in the front seat.
- During the first 6 months of licensure, an under-17 driver may carry no more than one non-family passenger under 17.
- Under-18/21 credentials show "Under 18/21 until [date]" and expire five days after the 18th/21st birthday.
- GDL penalties for under-17 drivers: a warning letter for the first conviction, a 30-day absolute suspension for the second, and a 60-day absolute suspension for the third or later.
- The knowledge test is 40 questions, missing up to 6 still passes, and it's computer-adaptive, ending once 34 correct answers are reached.
- The skills test allows 12 or fewer errors; a failed knowledge or skills test means waiting three days to retest and paying the fee again.
Licensing Procedure & Documents
- Idaho's vision standard is 20/40 in at least one eye, with or without corrective lenses.
- A Motorcycle Instruction Permit requires an existing Idaho driver's license; under-21 applicants must also complete an approved Rider Training Course.
- An M Endorsement needs only the knowledge test retaken if an out-of-state endorsement expired under 25 months; 25+ months requires both knowledge and skills tests.
- An 8-year Class D license (21-62) costs $60; a 4-year license (21+) costs $35; the Instruction Permit costs $20 and the knowledge test $5.
Rules of the Road
- Idaho's "basic rule" law makes driving too slowly for conditions a violation, even under the posted speed limit.
- Default speed limits: 75 mph interstates (80 mph allowed where posted), 65 mph state highways (70 mph where posted), 35 mph residential/business/urban districts.
- Heavy vehicles (5+ axles, over 26,000 lbs) can't exceed 10 mph less than posted on non-urban interstates, and are capped at 65 mph on urban interstates.
- Stop for a loading/unloading school bus, except when traveling opposite it on a 4+-lane road with 2+ lanes each direction.
- At a four-way stop, first to arrive goes first; simultaneous arrivals mean the left yields to the right.
- For an approaching emergency vehicle, pull to the right edge/curb clear of intersections and stay stopped until it passes.
- Children 6 years old or younger in a non-commercial vehicle need an approved car seat, applying to cars with factory belts made after January 1, 1966.
- Unsealed alcohol must be in the trunk, or behind the last upright seat if there's no trunk.
- Banned equipment: red/blue lights (non-emergency), sirens/bells/whistles, more than two spotlights, more than two auxiliary lights in front.
- No parking within 50 feet of railroad tracks, 15 feet of a fire hydrant, 20 feet of a crosswalk, 30 feet of a stop sign/yield sign/traffic signal, 20 feet of a fire station driveway, or in bike lanes.
DUI & Alcohol Laws
- BAC thresholds: .02 under 21, .04 for commercial vehicle operators, .08 for drivers 21+; .20+ carries stiffer penalties.
- A first DUI conviction brings up to 6 months jail, up to $1,000 fine, and a 90-180 day suspension (1 year if under 21) with 30 days absolute no driving.
- A third or later DUI conviction within 10 years is a felony: 30 days to 10 years in jail, up to a $5,000 fine, and a mandatory license suspension of one to five years.
- A first failed evidentiary test triggers a 90-day Administrative License Suspension (30 days absolute) plus a mandatory 1-year ignition interlock afterward.
- Test refusal: 1-year absolute suspension plus a $250 civil penalty for a first refusal; a second refusal within 10 years brings a 2-year absolute suspension.
- Point thresholds: 8-11/12mo = warning letter, 12-17/12mo = 30-day suspension, 18-23/24mo = 90-day suspension, 24+/36mo = 6-month suspension.
- Points can be removed once every 3 years -- up to 3 via a Defensive Driving Course, or up to 4 via a Traffic Safety Education Course at citation.
Crashes, Insurance & License Actions
- License suspension/revocation grounds include using a vehicle for a felony, leaving a property-damage crash scene, false statements under oath, reckless driving, and unpaid crash judgments.
- A no-insurance violation requires SR-22 proof for 1 year (first offense) or 3 years (second within 5 years).
- A Restricted Driving Permit for essential travel is available during a suspension -- apply to ITD if department-suspended, or the court if court-suspended.
- Reinstatement fees range from $25 to $285 depending on the suspension type; multiple suspensions carry multiple fees.
- Funeral processions get the right-of-way; you may not drive between or join a procession, or cross its path at an intersection.
Rules and fees change — always confirm current details with Idaho ITD before your exam. Cheat sheet v1.0, last checked 2026-08-04.