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DC's GRAD Program Explained

Last updated 2026-08-09

The three-stage pipeline

DC's Gradual Rearing of Adult Drivers (GRAD) Program moves a driver younger than 21 through three stages: a Learner Permit (from age 16), a Provisional License (from 16 years 6 months, after a six-month violation-free hold and a 40-hour supervised-driving certification), and finally a Full Driver License, reached after holding the Provisional License another six months, staying violation-free for 12 consecutive months, and certifying at least 10 hours of night driving.

Each stage layers on top of the last one's requirements rather than replacing them -- by the time a GRAD driver reaches a Full License, they've accumulated at minimum a year of permit-and-provisional driving history with a clean record, not just passed a single test.

Step one: the Learner Permit's hours and supervision

A GRAD Learner Permit holder may only drive accompanied by a licensed driver 21 or older, seated beside them, and only every day between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. There's no separate weekend or summer extension at this stage the way there is later on.

This is the most tightly supervised stage in the program by design -- every mile driven happens with another licensed adult present and within a fairly narrow daytime window, before a driver has demonstrated any independent track record.

Step two: the Provisional License loosens the leash

A Provisional License holder can drive unsupervised, but within a seasonal schedule: Monday-Thursday 6:01 a.m.-10:59 p.m. and Friday-Sunday 6:01 a.m.-11:59 p.m. from September through June, extending to every day 6:01 a.m.-11:59 p.m. during July and August.

Passengers are limited too -- a Provisional License holder may drive alone, with one passenger who's a licensed driver 21 or older sitting up front, or with their own sibling, child, or parent. Everyone in the vehicle must wear a seat belt, and driving for compensation is off-limits under 18.

What happens if you break a GRAD restriction

The consequences differ by stage. During the Learner Permit stage, accumulating 8 or more points or violating a GRAD restriction triggers a 90-day permit suspension plus a reinstatement fee -- a single steep penalty rather than a graduated one.

During the Provisional License stage, GRAD violations instead escalate: a 30-day suspension for a first violation, 60 days for a second, and 90 days for a third or later one, on top of whatever other penalty the underlying violation itself carries.

Still under 18 after reaching a Full License

Reaching a "Full Driver License" doesn't mean every restriction disappears if you're still under 18 -- DC calls this stage a Full License with Conditions. A driver under 18 at this point may drive alone, but can carry no more than two passengers under 21 at a time (siblings and the driver's own children don't count against that cap), and remains subject to the same GRAD driving-hour schedule as the Provisional stage until turning 18.

It's a subtle but important distinction: the license type changes, but for a driver who's still a minor, the calendar keeps mattering until their 18th birthday actually arrives.

Aging out of GRAD entirely at 21

All GRAD restrictions -- hours, passengers, the works -- end automatically at age 21, no matter which stage a driver was at. A Learner Permit holder who turns 21 can schedule a road test right away, with no certification form or six-month hold required. A Provisional License holder who turns 21 can walk into a service center and obtain a Full Driver License the same way, skipping the usual waiting period.

That makes 21 a genuine reset point in the program -- someone who started the GRAD process late, say at 19 or 20, ends up moving through the remaining stages considerably faster than someone who started at 16.

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